Miracle Salve

(Formerly Healing/Burn)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Miracle salve contains 5 very amazing herbs: Comfrey, Lobelia, Mullein, Oregon Grape, and Plantain. This salve was made specifically for treating burns and has been used on everything from mild sunburns to very severe burns. I like to add Lavender when using it to treat burns of any kind. This salve was renamed Miracle salve because of the many miracles we have seen using it. Additional oils you may consider using with it are Yarrow, Helchrysum, Tea Tree, and/or Geranium. If I were to only have one herbal salve in my home, it would be this one.

This salve is incredibly healing—even for very severe burns. This salve was originally made for one of my sons. He had 3rd degree burns from ankle to hip. No antibiotics or non-herbal anti-infectious agents of any kind were used. We soaked his leg in cold water with lots of Lavender oil for the first 24 hours and gave him Garlic capsules, IF, and RC tinctures by mouth to prevent infection.

This same salve was later used on my husband’s very severe burns. It was estimated that 65% of his upper body had 3rd degree burns; another 10% had 2nd degree burns. These burns included his face, ears, and hands. The burns were so severe that it was several months of hard work before he could raise his chin to look you in the eye. The muscles of the shoulders, arms, hands, back, and abdomen were also severely damaged. (We got to watch muscle tissue regrow and striate properly; not a pretty sight, but fascinating to someone like me!)

This salve was renamed Miracle Salve at this time because we know that it really does work miracles. We saw, and have continued to see, miracles with its use.

Once again, as with our son, no antibiotics or non-herbal anti-infectious agents were used. My husband did not see a doctor or go to a medical facility throughout this experience. The external burns were not the scary part. He had gasped—as anyone naturally would—as the explosion occurred, inhaling flame and noxious gases. But that is another story for another day.

Most of his skin has healed beautifully, returning very nearly to a pre-burn state. His skin is more sensitive to sunlight and chemicals than it was. We hope this will pass with time. His right hand, used to remove his burning clothing, suffered some major muscle and tendon damage. This hand is still a bit unsightly, but it is usable and strong (much stronger than my own hands). He has no fingerprints on either hand, making his fingers a bit slippery, and he has lost some dexterity in his fingers but, considering the extent and depth of his burns, he is very much a miracle!

The shape of his nose, ears, and lips were permanently changed a little bit, but you would have had to know him well before the burns to notice. There are two very small scars on his face and a couple of other small ones on his body. He looks wonderful!

BASIC INGREDIENTS

1.5 comfrey root
1.0 lobelia (use less if pain is not a factor)
1.0 plantain
1.0 mullein
1.0 Oregon grape root

Total herbs 5.5 oz Ratio herbs to liquid 1:10 Total liquid 55 oz (approx)

BASIC INSTRUCTIONS

The amounts listed above require 6 3/4 cups of almond oil. You might consider using some jojoba, sunflower, or apricot oil because of their emollient properties.

For a single batch, 3/4 lbs of beeswax is about right. This amount is approximate because there is a lot of difference between the consistency of solid beeswax and the beeswax that comes processed into little pellets and is light in color. This measurement is for the solid block variety of beeswax. You would probably need quite a bit more if you were using the pellets. If you use too much and your salve is a bit solid, just stir in a little additional almond oil. It doesn’t take very much, so be sure to add only a little bit at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition.

When the salve has cooled (after the wax has been added), add 1 to 2 cups of vitamin E oil. Vitamin E speeds healing, rebuilds damaged cells, and reduces scarring. There are two types of vitamin E oils available. The more refined kind works very well. Wheat germ oil is less refined and, because of that, goes rancid fairly fast. The addition of essential oils to the salve will slow the deterioration and rancidity but, unless you plan to use the salve within a few days, the salve will act as a carrier oil and begin to break down the healing properties of the essential oils.

For a single batch of the above recipe I added the following essential oils for my son’s and husband’s burns. There was no concern with the essential oils breaking down and becoming less effective because we using so much salve so quickly.

2.5 ounces lavender
1.0 ounces helichrysum
1.0 ounces tea tree or eucalyptus
1.0 ounces geranium

Do not use more essential oils in a batch than is shown above. This is more than sufficient. In fact, this is a lot of essential oil, but we were dealing with major burns. Infection was a concern, although we didn’t see any except for a tiny bit along the ridge of one ear where it was difficult to keep the salve. I would suggest starting with smaller amounts. Essential oils can be a bit caustic, especially to already damaged skin. You can always add more essential oils later if you feel like you need it and the skin is tolerating the oils well.

The addition of essential oils to your salves will help prevent infection! We have dealt with some horrendous burns using this salve, essential oils, herbal tinctures, and homeopathics. Infection has never once been a problem. Be sure to add infection fighting herbs to the diet or medicinal regimen.

The addition of 1/2 cup of glycerin and 1/2 cup of aloe vera gel will make the salve lighter and more easily spread. The aloe vera is cooling and soothing to skin. Both aloe vera and glycerin have many fine healing properties of their own.

When using salve on deep burns, consider spreading the salve on non-stick gauze and then placing the salve-covered gauze on the burn. You should prepare all of your pads first and then move the patient into position for the dressing change. This will make the dressing changes shorter and less painful for the burn victim. (I know this sounds like simple good sense. I thought a little reminder—in case you are a little stressed and not thinking clearly, as we were—might be appreciated.)

Fluids are very important. Because of my husband’s internal burns, he was unable to take any fluids for several days. This made these burns very dangerous and very scary. Dehydration was a major concern. Push fluids from the very beginning and things will go much better. You will have a very short window before swelling sets in, making swallowing difficult, perhaps impossible. Burns of this severity can result in serious dehydration very quickly. Resort to herbal enemas to keep the patient hydrated and to provide badly needed nutrients, if you need to. If you are ever called upon to cope with burns of this extent, you will need to call upon every resource and modality that you know (and utilize good friends).

This was an experience neither of us would like to repeat, but it has also blessed our lives in many ways and we wouldn’t trade those blessings for the chance to bypass the experience. My husband experienced the blessings, of pain relief and healing, provided by the Atonement in very personal ways. It was my privilege to walk this walk with him and with the wonderful people who responded so wonderfully to our time of need.