Oils For Pain And Bruises

I have been busy with herbal preparations but have got a little distracted from the tasks I am supposed to be doing for January.

 Mr Moon Gazing Hare had a nasty fall yesterday and is covered in scrapes and bruises so I had to see what I had to hand, plantain oil was the first thing I thought of to help with the bruising and yesterday he got covered in it. Today I came across the Elder bark salve which I made for bruises this time last year as part of my first ever apprentice task.  It still looked good and as a salve it is easier to apply than oil and I make less mess as it can’t drip off my hands.

 I have a friend who is starting to suffer from arthritis and is getting a lot of joint pain so I said I would see if I had anything for her. I was reading the information Sarah has given us about the properties of infused oils and two seemed practical, Meadowsweet and Mugwort. I already had some Meadowsweet oil in my cupboard which I know to be anti-inflammatory. Mugwort can also be used on inflamed joints to ease pain and I had some dried Mugwort left over from when I made my first smudge stick in the summer. I had to wait in today for a chimney sweep who was a bit vague about what time he would come so I thought it would be a good time to make a double infused Mugwort oil, Mr MGH disagreed and thought I should not “stink the house out” when we had a visitor coming. I made my oil anyway, my first using dried herb, and then combined about 60% Mugwort oil with 40% Meadowsweet. I also added some essential oils, Chamomile as another anti-inflammatory combined with warming Ginger and Black pepper. I hope this brings relief to my friend.