Resin and Honey Salve

Jul
27

Comments on yesterday’s pine resin post got me thinking about how to concoct a pine resin salve that would keep. To use pine resin to pull a sticker, you really need the sticky power of the plain resin. Plain pine resin will harden and become unusable–to store it, the freezer is best. To thaw, you either wait while your sticker hurts, or you microwave it, which is why I froze mine in parchment paper (inside a freezer baggie). Whether or not microwaving the resin destroys its healing properties isn’t really an issue for sticker pulling. However, it might be when using pine resin as a wound sealant where you would also want the antibacterial and antifungal properties at play while the resin is applied to your skin.

In that case, you can either microwave the plain resin and take your chances that some healing properties might be destroyed (the sealant action certainly wouldn’t be) or you can wait while you heat it more slowly without a microwave. Or you can run right out to get some fresh resin (which is not always convenient). Or–you can create a salve. By combining the resin with other ingredients, you can prevent the hardening factor. Plain resin, no doubt, is a stronger wound sealant, but I experimented with a recipe mixing honey and a small amount of sweet almond oil and jojoba oil with pine resin for a concoction that will provide a longer shelf life with a non-hardening salve that retains all the healing aspects. This recipe is based on a beeswax salve I have here, with less oil. The small amount of oil added to the resin-honey mixture in this recipe provides added nourishment as well as making the mixture softer and easier to handle when applying. If you want a thicker mixture, use equal parts resin and honey with no added oils.

You could also add a few drops of a healing essential oil, liquid from several Vitamin E capsules, or even some crushed herbs, to this basic recipe.

Resin melts very easily in honey. If have any bits of hardened resin or small pieces of bark, you can remove them after melting.

Pine resin, the stuff of icky sci-fi movies.

The honey pictured above, by the way, is honey from Adam’s family farm.

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Resin and Honey Salve:

2 ounces pine resin
2 ounces honey
1/2 ounce sweet almond oil
1/2 ounce jojoba oil

Melt resin in a small pot together with honey, sweet almond oil, and jojoba oil.

Stir well to blend.

When thoroughly combined, cool and transfer to your container(s).

This made enough for two 2-ounce canisters, and I’ll give one to “teacher” (Adam) next time I see him!

In further experimentation, yesterday, I made a sassafras tea soap with honey and pine resin. Will post about that soon!





Comments

  1. easygoinglady says:

    Oh how awesome. I learn so many things on here :purpleflower:

  2. dl30f0dls says:

    Wow, your energy inspires me. Making soap and salve in a single afternoon. You go girl! I am enjoying your blog.

  3. Jane L says:

    I wish i could try both as they both sound great. It must be so much fun to experiment with all the natural bounty of your farm. Enjoy!

  4. rhubarbrose says:

    Suzanne – this is so interesting! What is the salve used for and do you have to keep it refrigerated??? This interests me a great deal – I love homemade remedies!!!

  5. piemaker7461 says:

    AMAZING!! Is this a universal salve? Is there anything it can’t be used for?

  6. sueann37 says:

    Suzanne-Could you please ask Adam if he knows what Black Salve is (that is what it was always called).It was used on all cuts,scrapes, etc. I don’t remember ever using it again once we moved out of Roane Co. I don’t think it was pine pitch, but it could have been in it. I remember it as being black, not brown.
    Is anyone here old enough to remember acifidity bags?
    I remember my grandmother making them for us doing the polio scare, I guess in the 1940s. You wore them around your neck and they smelled awful. Was suppose to ward off polio, flu, etc. If they worked, I think it was because no one would get close enough to you to give you anything.

  7. Claudia W says:

    You amaze me!

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