Bruises are an unavoidable part of life. When you bump into a hard object, whether it’s banging your shin on a table or hitting the dashboard in a car accident, lymph and blood seep into the subcutaneous tissue, causing that lovely multicolored discoloration we all know. Depending upon the initial trauma, bruises may result in some degree of pain, swelling, heat, and damaged tissue. A minor bruise really doesn’t require any type of treatment, but if you turn blue from the slightest bump (like I do!) or have fair or thin skin, then a bit of immediate remedial care is recommended to speed healing and minimize discoloration and capillary damage.
The following remedies will help lessen the severity of the painful symptoms of a minor to moderate bruise and the degree of discoloration. The sooner you begin treatment after the initial injury, the quicker you will heal and the less visible the bruise will be.
BRUISE-BE-GONE BALM
This is a fresh summer-flower medicine, full of healing solar energy! Upon quick application — immediately after you experience skin trauma — it ever-so-gently cools the heat of a newly bruised area, thereby reducing swelling and pain, plus it aids in mending damaged tissue, minimizing the potential ugliness of the bruise. St. John’s wort–infused oil is a specific treatment for deep, painful muscle tissue and nerve damage. It has analgesic as well as vulnerary properties.
Note: When making this oil, I use only the freshly wilted herbs and solar infusion method of extraction, as I feel that these particular herbs release their best medicinal properties when processed in this manner. Calendula flowers are very thick and sticky, so let them wilt for at least 72 hours before using them.
1½ cups freshly wilted calendula flowers
1½ cups freshly wilted St. John’s wort flowering tops
3–4 cups extra-virgin olive, almond, or soybean base oil (enough to completely cover flowers)
2,000 IU vitamin E oil
3–4 tablespoons beeswax (depending on how firm you want the balm to be)
10 drops helichrysum essential oil (optional, but it does increase the anti-inflammatory properties of the formula)
EQUIPMENT: Rubber or latex gloves, 1- quart canning jar, stirring utensil, strainer, fine filter, funnel, glass or plastic storage container (for the infused oil), glass or plastic jars or tins (for the balm)
PREP TIME: 1 month to infuse the oil, plus 20 minutes to make the balm and 30 minutes for it to thicken
YIELD: Approximately 2½ cups of infused oil and 1¼ cups of balm
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year
APPLICATION: 3 or 4 times per day
PREPARING THE INFUSED OIL:
If you don’t want your hands stained a deep purplish-red from the St. John’s wort, wear rubber or latex gloves. Cut or tear the wilted calendula and St. John’s wort into very small pieces to expose more surface area to the oil. Place the herbs in a wide-mouthed 1-quart canning jar. Drizzle the base oil over the plant matter until the oil comes to within 1 inch of the top of the jar. The wilted herb matter will settle with the weight of the oil, so don’t worry if it looks as though you don’t have enough plant matter in the jar. Stir gently to remove air bubbles and make sure that all plant matter is submerged. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar (to prevent the metal lid from coming into contact with the herbs) and tightly screw on the lid. Shake the jar several times to blend the herbs and oil thoroughly. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location such as a southfacing windowsill and allow the herb to infuse for 1 month. Shake the jar every day for 30 seconds or so. After 1 month, carefully strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a fine filter such as muslin or, preferably, a paper coffee filter, then strain again if necessary to remove all herb debris. Squeeze the herbs to extract as much of the precious oil as possible. Discard the marc. Add the vitamin E oil and stir to blend. If you used almond or soybean base oil, your infused oil will be deep golden or rusty red in color — gorgeous! If you used the olive oil, then it may have a greenish hue as well. Pour the finished oil into a glass or plastic storage container, then cap, label, and store in a dark cabinet.
PREPARING THE BALM:
Combine 1 cup of the herbal infused oil with the beeswax in a small saucepan or double boiler, and warm over low heat until the beeswax has just melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the essential oil, if using. Stir again to blend. Pour into storage containers, cap, and label. Set aside for 30 minutes until the balm has thickened.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Gently massage a fingerful of balm into any newly bruised area that is exhibiting pain, heat, discoloration, and inflammation. Follow with an ice-cold compress or ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat this procedure three or four times per day, depending upon the severity of bruise, for the first 2 days, until the swelling subsides. You can continue to apply this balm two or three times per day until the bruise heals. Continued application is especially recommended if the trauma was severe, with possible injury to underlying muscle tissue.
Bonus
Use this aromatic balm as an aid in healing cuts, scrapes, bug bites, blemishes, infected ingrown hairs, blisters, rashes, boils, minor burns, or any minor to moderate skin infection. A wonderful addition to your herbal first aid kit!
LAVENDER ICE: MENTHOLATED HEALING OIL
Lavender Ice — doesn’t that sound like a delicious, sweet, purple sorbet? Instead, this highly aromatic recipe is intended to minimize the potential ugliness that your skin could suffer from bangs and bumps. Upon quick application — immediately after the trauma — it cools the heat of a newly bruised area, reducing swelling and pain, plus it aids in mending damaged tissue. This is strong medicine, containing potent peppermint-derived menthol concentrate, so be aware that your skin will feel quite chilled upon application, which is a good thing!
Note: Avoid contact with the mucous membranes — the nose, eyes, and mouth.
3 tablespoons plus
1 teaspoon almond, apricot kernel, or soybean oil
2 teaspoons menthol crystals
30 drops lavender essential oil
EQUIPMENT: Small saucepan or double boiler, stirring utensil, dark glass bottle with dropper top or screw cap
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: Approximately ¼ cup
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year
APPLICATION: 3 or 4 times per day during the first 2 days after injury Combine the oil and menthol crystals in a small saucepan (a ¾-quart size works great) over low heat or in a double boiler. Gently warm the mixture just until the crystals dissolve. Remove from the heat. Stir a few times to blend the mixture thoroughly. Pour into a storage bottle and add the lavender essential oil. Screw the top on the bottle, then shake vigorously for 2 minutes to blend. Label and store in a dark cabinet.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Shake well before using. Gently massage a few drops into any newly bruised area that is exhibiting pain, heat, discoloration, and inflammation. Follow with an ice-cold compress or ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat this procedure three or four times per day for the first 2 days, until the swelling subsides. Wash your hands after application, unless treatment is intended for your fingers or hands, in which case I recommend wearing cotton gloves while the oil soaks in. Bonus The aroma is guaranteed to decongest stuffed sinuses and help remedy a sinus or tension headache. Inhale directly from the bottle or rub a few drops onto your chest and neck. Cover area with warm clothing or flannel sheet.
RED AND BLUE OIL
I didn’t intend to create this particular hue when formulating this remedy, but the mix of red, golden brown, and deep blue in this oil blend actually looks like that of a bad bruise. Go figure. An extremely powerful anti-inflammatory and skin cell regenerator with a unique earthy-creamy-tart aroma, this oil gets right to the business of remedying your ugly bruise — pain, inflammation, tissue damage, and all. It’s recommended for new bruises that are just beginning to become discolored, swollen, and hot, and for continued use on skin and muscles suffering from severe trauma.
8 drops German chamomile essential oil
5 drops birch or wintergreen essential oil
3 drops helichrysum essential oil
2 drops lemon essential oil
1 tablespoon calophyllum base oil
1 tablespoon rosehip seed base oil
EQUIPMENT: Dropper, dark glass bottle with dropper top or screw cap
PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 24 hours to synergize
YIELD: Approximately 2 tablespoons
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year
APPLICATION: 3 or 4 times per day Add the German chamomile, birch, helichrysum, and lemon essential oils drop by drop directly into a storage bottle. Add the calophyllum and rosehip seed base oils. Screw the top on the bottle and shake vigorously for 2 minutes to blend. Label the bottle and place in a dark location that’s between 60° and 80°F for 24 hours so that the oils can synergize.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Shake well before each use. Gently massage a few drops into any newly bruised area that is exhibiting pain, heat, discoloration, and inflammation. Follow with an ice-cold compress or ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes. Do this three or four times per day for the first 2 days, until the swelling subsides. You can continue to apply this oil two or three times per day until the bruise heals. Continued application is especially recommended if the trauma was severe, with possible injury to underlying muscle tissue.
Bonus
Use this blend to heal and comfort all types of inflammations — skin, muscular, and joint.
Sunday, 20 April 2014
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