Dandelion Flower Salve… I first learned about Dandelion Salve from the book Practical Herbs by Henriette Kress. She recommends Dandelion Oil or Salve to help relax neck & back muscles that are tight due to tense emotions. I’ve also intuitively been applying Dandelion Flower Salve to the solar plexus of my acupuncture clients who exhibit symptoms of deficiency in their Earth element (Stomach & Spleen) such as Overthinking, Weak Digestion, Bloating, Excessive Mucous, Fatigue.
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Dandelion flowers are bright yellow solar radiance, and the color associated with the Earth element (Stomach & Spleen) is yellow. Dandelions are quite bitter, and the bitter flavor stimulates the Rest & Digest mode of our nervous system, helping us to relax, digest & assimilate food as well as information that we ingest. We can absorb these properties from the herbal salve into our body. I have also found that Dandelion Flower Salve helps soften & moisten dry cracked feet, which is a common symptom here in Finland.
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Recipe for Dandelion Flower Salve: collect dandelion flowers & spread them on a sheet to dry for a few weeks, or dry in a dehydrator or sauna. Make sure they are totally dry. Fill a pot with dried dandelion flowers. Add oil (I like sesame oil) to cover the dandelion flowers. There should be enough flowers in the pot that if you put a knife in the pot it can stand up by itself without falling over. Place this pot inside another pot with water, or a double-boiler. Bring water to boil, then lower heat to simmer for 2 hours. Keep adding water to the bottom pot as the water evaporates. Make sure that water in the bottom pot does not splash up into the oil flower mixture in the top pot. Occasionally stir your flowers & oil with a clean dry spoon. After 2 hours remove the pot from the double boiler & let it cool for 30 minutes. Wipe off any water from the outside of the pot. Strain the oil. Then mix 750 ml dandelion oil with 100g beeswax in a pot. Place this pot in another pot with water, or double boiler. Stir until beeswax is melted. Once the beeswax is melted test the consistency by dipping a frozen spoon into the oil. (A frozen spoon is a spoon that has been sitting in the freezer for awhile). The oil will harden on the spoon. Rub the hardened oil from the spoon between your fingers. If the oil is too hard, then add a little more dandelion oil to the pot. If the oil is too oily, then add a little more beeswax to the pot. Test the consistency again with another frozen spoon. Once you are pleased with the consistency, pour the oil beeswax combo into small containers. I add a drop of vitamin E to each container to help prevent rancidity. Let the salves totally cool & harden before you put the lids on the containers. Enjoy!
