Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Natural Herbal Remedies For Scars - Part 3

Late Spring Greetings To All!  I just returned from another Mother Earth News Fair - this time in Puyallup, WA - where I presented talks on Herbal Hair Care and Herbal Remedies For Pain Relief.  Turnout was wonderful!  When at such a large fair (nearly 20,000 people attending), I walk A LOT and this time suffered from a couple of painful blisters on my feet - but as luck would have it - I happened to have today's recipe that I will be sharing with you, "Calendula & Calophyllum Rejuvenative Drops," in a tiny bottle with me.  I've been using it, among other of my herbal oil-based formulas, to help fade the 6" scar on my left hip resulting from last October's total hip replacement surgery.  It also works fabulously on new blisters to help them heal quickly!

Today's blog is the 3rd in the series of Natural Herbal Remedies For Scars.  The recipe is simple to make and has multiple healing uses - as do most of my formulations.  Hope you find it of value and a good addition to your herbal medicine chest.

Calendula & Calophyllum Rejuvenative Drops

Homemade calendula-infused oil is frequently (as is rosehip seed oil) my go-to herbal remedy base for treating injuries that have the potential for scarring.  With calendula and calophyllum oils, along with carrot seed and lavender essential oils, this formula has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and skin-cell-regenerative properties, and an amazing ability to assist the skin in successful rejuvenation while restoring elasticity and suppleness.

This recipe calls for only a small amount of calendula-infused oil.  If you have some homemade Simple Calendula-Infused Body Oil (see page 162 in my "Hands-On Healing Remedies" book for the recipe), great.  If not, then purchase a small bottle from your local health food store or herbal supplier (www.mountainroseherbs.com and www.jeansgreens.com are good sources).  But I do recommend that you always have at least a cup of this multipurpose infused oil on hand - fresh and homemade is best, and much less expensive!

Ingredients:
- 15 drops carrot seed essential oil
- 15 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 tablespoons calendula infused oil
- 1 tablespoon calophyllum base oil

Equipment:  Dropper, dark glass 2-ounce bottle with dropper top of screw cap

Prep Time:  15 minutes, plus 24 hours to synergize

Yield:  Approximately 1/4 cup

Storage:  Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year

Application:  2 times per day

Directions:  Add the carrot seed and lavender essential oils drop-by-drop directly into a 2-ounce storage bottle.  Add the calendula and calophyllulm 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 degrees F. for 24 hours so that the oils can synergize.

Application Instructions:  Shake well before each use.  If possible, immediately after incurring an injury, clean the area and then massage several drops (or more, depending upon the size of the injury) of this formula into the surrounding skin.  Massage several drops into the entire wound twice daily as it begins to heal to prevent or at least minimize the potential for scarring.

BONUS:  When applied by the drop, this blend speeds healing to minor cuts and scrapes, blisters, bruises, dermatitis, and dry eczema, plus it soothes and moisturizes patches of severely dry or cracked skin anywhere on the body.

NOTE:  This article was written by Stephanie Tourles and adapted from her book, "Hands-On Healing Remedies" (Storey Publishing 2012). The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge.  All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the Ms. Tourles.  She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information.  It is for educational use only.