Herbal ointments. Medicinal ointments based on herbs and bee products

To look attractive and irresistible, a woman puts a lot of effort. Since the time of Cleopatra, the better half of humanity has used beauty recipes given by nature. The experience gained by previous generations is widely used today. This indicates that folk recipes tested by time.

Preparing a nourishing cream at home is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Any hostess has all its components. Those that are not available are easy to purchase at a pharmacy (herbs) or on the market (beeswax). In addition, you can choose them yourself based on your needs. The main thing is to keep the proportion.

Nourishing cream based on medicinal herbs, prepared by your own hands, will become indispensable assistant in skin care. Due to its thick structure, it nourishes the skin well, regulates its moisture level. Herbal supplements promote rapid cell regeneration, stimulate blood circulation. The soft melting texture of the cream is well absorbed, leaving a light pleasant aroma.

To prepare a nourishing cream at home, you will need:

Olive oil.
Beeswax.
Sea buckthorn oil.
Essential oil tea tree(2 - 3 drops).
Herbs: nettle, chamomile, thyme, mint, sage, St. John's wort.
Honey.
Two containers (for a water bath).
Two glass (ceramic) containers for heating the base.
Spoon for measuring and mixing ingredients.
Glass containers for packaging the finished cream.

Infusion preparation.

First you need to prepare a tincture of herbs (infusion) based on olive oil. Infuz, it is also called macerate, healing herbs oil-based. When insisting, the oil, in addition to its properties, “absorbs” the properties of medicinal herbs.

Fresh and dry herbs are used for tincture. The oil must be first cold pressed (this information is on the label).

Grass of nettle, thyme, chamomile, sage, St. John's wort and mint in equal quantities put in a glass container and pour oil. A layer of oil should remain above the surface of the herbs. Wrap the container with paper (cloth) and leave to infuse for five days at room temperature. Shake the jar from time to time.

Decoction preparation.

Place equal amounts of herbs in a glass container and fill with water. To put on water bath and hold for 15 min. Remove, let cool.

Cream preparation.

The preparation of any cream consists of two phases, fatty and water. The fatty phase includes oils and waxes. In the water - an infusion of herbs and essential oils.

The principle is that heating the fatty phase to a certain temperature, water heated to the same temperature is gradually introduced into it. This cream consists of 40% oil phase and 60% water phase.

To prepare 50 grams of cream, you will need: wax - 4 grams, infusion -13 grams, essential oil - 3 grams, decoction - 25 grams, honey - 5 grams.

Put a pre-filtered infusion in a water bath. Add sea buckthorn oil to it. Heat up to 60 ° C. Introduce the liquid phase and honey in small portions with continuous stirring.

At the same time, melt the wax in a separate container in a water bath. Bring its temperature to 60°C while stirring.

Add oils to melted wax. Mix.

Remove from the bath. Cool to 40°C. Add tea tree essential oil. Mix again.

Ointments, scientifically, are dosage forms of a soft consistency intended for external use. They are prepared, as a rule, from powders of medicinal plants, however, plant juices and their dry and thick herbal extracts can be used. Unsalted fat, petroleum jelly, vegetable or butter are taken as an ointment base.

Pork fat has a melting point of 34-46°C, whitish in color. Based on it, ointments are obtained that are easy to wash off. hot water. Pork fat is quite well absorbed by the skin and promotes the absorption of oils mixed with it. active substances. However, the ointment with pork fat has a drawback - it deteriorates rather quickly.

Butter also penetrates the skin well. Thanks to this, ointments prepared with butter have a deeper effect than, for example, those prepared with Vaseline. But also ointments based on butter are not stored for a long time.

goose fat has an even lower melting point than pork (26-34°C), it is very soft. Previously, it was often used as the basis of ointments used for frostbite.

Beef fat - white, dense consistency. Melting point 42-50°C. Often used in a mixture with pork fat (to increase its hardness).

Vegetable oils - peach, almond, apricot, peanut, olive, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed have a liquid consistency, therefore they cannot be used as an independent fat base. They are usually used as part of complex ointment bases, which are alloys of vegetable oils with solid fats, waxes and other similar sealing substances. Ointments prepared with vegetable oils last longer.

Waxes - distinguish between animal origin (beeswax, spermaceti, lanolin) and vegetable (waxes from pine needles, roses, jasmine, azaleas). Beeswax(yellow and white) fuses well with other waxes and fats. It is often used in wax ointments to give more density to bases that are too soft (for example, they prepare an alloy of 1 part yellow wax and 3 parts sunflower oil or an alloy of 1 part white wax, 2 parts spermaceti and 7 parts peach oil)

In the preparation of medicinal ointments, preservatives are also used to prevent their deterioration during long-term storage, and fragrances that give ointments nice smell. Geranium is used as a preservative. lavender oil, cinnamon alcohol.

Ointment preparation: the ointment base is heated in a water bath, then part of it is mixed in a porcelain mortar with medicinal plant powder using a pestle, after which the rest of the ointment base is added to the required weight (according to the recipe). If essential oils are added to the ointment, or other volatiles, then they are introduced into last turn. From medicinal plants, ointments are usually prepared with the content of vegetable raw materials in them up to 10-25%.

For storage of ointments, jars with a wide mouth made of glass, porcelain or plastic are used, with well-closing lids. Fill them to the top and store in a cool, dark place.

IN modern world choice cosmetics for every taste and budget - huge! Just as in pharmacies today you can buy a remedy for almost any disease, so in a cosmetics store - creams, masks and other products. chemical industry for all skin types and all problems.

But here's the bad luck - the more the pharmaceutical industry grows, the more people turn to homeopathy and traditional medicine, the greater the choice of cosmetics, the more often we look for “eco”, “bio” or “organic” marks on their labels. And usually, such products with natural ingredients are much more expensive than normal ones.

Few people think that natural creams and ointments are within the power of everyone to make at home on their own.

Of course, our dear summer residents were the most fortunate here (however, as always). After all, we have been communicating with nature for a long time on “you” and almost every second one has useful medicinal herbs growing on or near the site, much more effective than any of their chemical counterparts. Today we will tell you how to use them to prepare healthy creams and ointments at home “with your own hands”.

How to prepare an ointment based on medicinal herbs.

For the simplest ointment, you need to prepare herbal decoction but not simple. We will cook the grass not in water, but in the fat component, which will be our ballast, holding useful material and constituting the consistency of the ointment. As it can be used Vaseline, butter or vegetable oil, fresh pork fat(preferably interior, but fat is also suitable).

Mix 10-15 gr. herbs and 100 gr. fat base, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Strain the resulting mass (hot) and pour into jars, close tightly. Cool, then store in the refrigerator.

Juices and herbal extracts can be mixed into the base without heating. But you need to add the liquid drop by drop and immediately and mix until you hear a slight crackle.

How to make an organic cream with herbs.

For a cream as a ballast / base, plain fat is not the best product (especially if it is a face cream, and you have extremely sensitive skin, prone to inflammation), it is better to purchase lanolin at the pharmacy (which is not a problem at all today). Melt it on fire vegetable oil in a ratio of 1:1. Cool down. Then very slowly, in small portions, pour into oil mixture decoction, infusion or herbal juice.

Often yolks and honey are added to creams. In this case, they are prepared according to the technology homemade mayonnaise. First, the yolks are ground white with honey, then vegetable oil is added drop by drop at the rate of 30-50 g. for 1 yolk, mix thoroughly. And in conclusion, also drop by drop, add herbal decoction, infusion or juice.

Worth knowing.

To give the cream or ointment a pleasant aroma, you can use natural fragrances. -aroma oils. Remember that they need only a few drops, or even one or two, this will be enough.

Aromatic oils, however, like herbs, can sometimes give allergic reactions. Before applying a cream or ointment based on them on large areas of the skin, test the product on inside elbow. Apply a small amount and follow the reaction of the skin during the day. If there is no redness, the product can be safely used.

You can additionally fortify the cream with the help of oil solutions such fat soluble vitamins like A and E. They are sold in any pharmacy.

Creams and ointments home cooking do not store for a long time, so you need to cook them in small portions. Always store such products in the refrigerator, only in glassware (jars, bottles), before use, check if the ointment or cream has deteriorated.

Ointment based medicinal herbs relieve irritation and soothe the skin with insect bites, burns, abrasions, bruises, bruises.

You can purchase these ointments from online vendors, your local beauty store, or drugstore. But did you know that making herbal ointment at home is not difficult?

Part homemade ointment are included three basic ingredients:

- herbs;
- oil;
- wax.

You can also add whatever you want essential oils; in the calculation of approximately five drops per 30 g of the composition. Here is the list essential oils, which are good to add to the composition of the ointment: lavender, tea tree, chamomile and myrrh.

Herbs

List of herbs traditionally used in home cooking herbal ointment:

- calendula,
- chamomile,
- falling asleep
- echinacea,
- bark of an ant tree,
- lavender,
- yarrow,
- hypericum,
- goldenseal,
- myrrh,
- plantain,
- comfrey.

Each herb has certain properties, after learning about which you can type in any search engine (Yandex, Google) a query like " beneficial features calendula."

You can make homemade ointment from a single plant or from several herbs. When making an ointment for toddlers or children, stick to the rule "the simpler the better" - in order to avoid allergic reactions. Herbs such as calendula, chamomile and lavender are great for baby ointment.

It is advisable to purchase herbs in powdered form, because the finest grinding allows you to save more healing properties, due to their complete dissolution in oil tincture. If you are using whole herbs, you need them grind using a coffee grinder.

Oil

The first step in preparing an ointment is to create an oil tincture. I strongly recommend for this purpose to use olive oil . this oil has a strong antimicrobial property and does not go bitter over time.

To make a tincture, pour glass jar to the middle with finely ground grass. Fill the grass with oil so that it does not come into contact with air. But do not fill the jar to the brim! The grass will absorb the oils and swell.

Close the jar tightly with a lid and leave it on a sunny window for 2-3 weeks. Every day the bank needs to chat to mix the herbs with the oil. For a faster infusion, line the bottom of the slow cooker with a piece of cloth and fill with water so that it does not leak out when you lower the jar there. Place the jar in a saucepan, close the lid and set to the minimum value.

Hot water will speed up the process of extracting the healing properties from the herbs, saturating the oil with their color and smell.

Personally, I leave my jars to soak in the sun for a few weeks. After that, I heat them with heat and insist for a couple more days. This gives my ointment a beautiful dark green hue, which is indicative of high concentration herbal extract and provides maximum healing effect.

After your oil has been infused, you need to strain it through cheesecloth, folded in half or three times.

Wax

In order for homemade ointment to be solid, wax is needed. Beeswax great for this purpose, but if you are a vegetarian, you can use carnauba wax or candelilla wax, which are based on - herbal ingredients. For a cup (200 ml) of oil tincture, 30-60 g of wax is used, depending on how hard you want the ointment to be. If you live in a warm climate you may want a firmer product and vice versa if you live in a cold climate.

After you have added the wax to the oil, heat the entire mixture over low heat, stirring slowly until completely dissolved.
An easy way to determine if you have reached your desired firmness of the ointment is to put some of the liquid mixture onto wax paper. After the mixture has cooled, test it by touch. If it is hard at first, but melts on your finger, then the ointment is ready and can be poured into containers.

At this point, I add to my ointment liquid vitamin E and grapefruit seed extract - just a couple of drops per cup of oil. These ingredients act as natural preservatives and increase the shelf life of the ointment.
ordinary

All that remains for you is to pour the mixture into containers and let cool. You can use half liter glass jars.

In winter, in the off-season, and even with sudden changes in the weather, many people feel worse. The hand involuntarily reaches for the pills, and yet in many cases one could do without them. Since ancient times, people have learned to use medicinal plants for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Yes, and more than 30% of themselves medicines obtained from plants. In general, one way or another, we cannot do without medicinal plants.

About 17,000 species of higher flowering plants grow on the territory of our country, of which more than 500 species are recognized as medicinal. In plants, in the course of their vital activity, various substances capable of exerting a corresponding effect on humans and animals. Alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, many vitamins, minerals and other substances useful to humans are found in plants, and if properly collected, processed, stored and used, they can be used for treatment. Very few herbs are used raw, the rest must be brought to an acceptable state. As a rule, the collected plants are dried and then prepared from them. medicines of the following forms:

1. Infusions and decoctions. Infusions are prepared from herbs, flowers and leaves, filling them with water (usually 1:10) and heating in a water bath for 15 minutes. Broths are prepared in the same way, but heated for at least 30 minutes. Cool, strain and use according to the recipe.

2. Tinctures - prepared plants are poured with alcohol or vodka (1:5, and for potent ones 1:10), infused at room temperature in the dark for at least 7 days, filtered, defended in a cool place.

3. Oils - prepared vegetable parts are poured with vegetable oil and heated in a water bath.

4. Collections and teas - mixtures of plants used to treat the same disease (heart tea, kidney tea and etc.). This dosage form can also be applied to therapeutic baths (coniferous baths and etc.).

The collection of medicinal plants should be done during their period. active growth(flowering) in dry morning weather, dry in the shade in a well-ventilated area, store in a well-ventilated container. If you could not prepare the plants you need on your own, do not worry. In pharmacies now there are enough all sorts of herbs and fees. There would be a desire.

So, let's remember our most beloved domestic medicinal plants. We hope you find it interesting.

pharmaceutical camomile

It is used for inflammation and spasms of the intestines, for violation of menstruation, as a diaphoretic feverish conditions, with allergies. Externally, chamomile is used as antiseptic for rinses, lotions, enemas and baths.

Peppermint

Medicinal raw materials are leaves and grass.

It has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, vasodilating, carminative action. Used for cardiac, nervous, gastric diseases. Increases appetite, reduces nausea, soothes hiccups, enhances intestinal motility. Mint is used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Melissa officinalis

Medicinal raw materials are leaves and tops of stems.

Used as a sedative, anticonvulsant, analgesic, cardiac remedy. Melissa reduces shortness of breath, palpitations, reduces pressure, and also has a good effect on the stomach and intestines. Melissa has a pleasant lemon smell, so it is widely used for teas and baths.

Oregano

Medicinal raw materials are flowers, leaves and upper parts of shoots.

Infusions and decoctions of oregano are used for atony of the intestines, for the defeat of the secretion of the digestive glands, for diabetes, as well as a sedative for the cores, a diaphoretic, expectorant for lung diseases. It is one of the most popular herbs among the people. She is part of chest fees. Among the people, oregano is even used to increase milk in nursing mothers.

Linden small-leaved

Medicinal raw materials are flowers collected during the flowering of the tree.

used Linden blossom as a diaphoretic for colds, as well as for gargling, relieving headaches, nosebleeds and fainting.

Coltsfoot

Leaves are medicinal raw materials.

Decoctions of coltsfoot are used mainly as an expectorant for lung diseases, as well as for inflammatory diseases gastrointestinal tract, kidney, Bladder. Included in breastfeeding.

Thyme (thyme) common

The decoction is used as an expectorant in diseases respiratory tract, as a light pain reliever for compresses on sore joints and muscles, for soothing aromatic baths. Thyme herb is used to prepare the medicine Pertussin.

Salvia officinalis

Medicinal raw materials are flowers and top part stem.

Infusions and decoctions of sage are often used for gargling, teeth and various wounds. Inside, tea from the leaves is drunk for bronchitis, inflammation renal pelvis diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, gallbladder as a diuretic, choleretic, astringent.

St. John's wort, common

Medicinal raw material is the upper part of the grass stems with flowers and leaves, collected during the flowering period.

Preparations from St. John's wort are used for inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for rinsing the mouth with gum disease. Since St. John's wort has an anti-inflammatory and regenerating effect, preparations from it are used to treat wounds, burns, ulcers, abscesses, and other skin lesions.

Large celandine

Medicinal raw material of celandine is the aerial part of the plant

IN scientific medicine celandine juice is used for cauterization of warts, condylomas. Thirty percent tincture cauterizes the gums with paradanthosis. Ointments based on celandine are used for skin diseases.

Yarrow

Medicinal raw material is a herb collected during the flowering period.

Yarrow preparations are used as bitterness to improve appetite, as a hemostatic various bleeding(hemorrhoidal, uterine). Yarrow has an anti-allergic effect and accelerates wound healing.

Valerian officinalis

Medicinal raw materials are rhizomes.

Valerian preparations have a regulating effect on the nervous, neuromuscular system, expand coronary vessels, normalize blood circulation, slightly increase intestinal motility and suppress fermentation processes. Valerian is used as a sedative for agitation, insomnia, neuroses and other nervous conditions.

hawthorn blood red

Medicinal raw materials are the flowers and fruits of the shrub.

Hawthorn preparations lower the excitability of the heart muscle, improve heart function, improve coronary and cerebral circulation relieve arrhythmias. Hawthorn preparations are used for hypertension, arrhythmias, neurosis, insomnia and other disorders of the cardiovascular system.

Rosehip cinnamon

Medicinal raw materials are fruits in the period of full ripening.

Viburnum ordinary

Medicinal raw materials are bark and berries.

In medicine, preparations from the bark of viburnum are used as an astringent, anticonvulsant, hemostatic and reducing uterine contractions.

The fruits are used as vitamin remedy, as well as a remedy that soothes inflammation in the stomach and intestines. Berries are also used in cooking.

motherwort heart

Medicinal raw material is grass during the flowering period.

Motherwort preparations are used as a substitute for valerian to regulate the activity of the central nervous system as a sedative for neurosis and hypertension.

Calendula, nails

Medicinal raw materials are flowers and the upper part of the stem.

Calendula preparations have a pronounced bactericidal property, as well as calming qualities. It is used for diseases of the stomach, for hypertension, as well as for rinsing and in ointments.

Blooming Sally

Medicinal raw material is the aerial part of the herb.

Ivan-tea preparations reduce allergies, have an anti-inflammatory, calming effect. Their enveloping effect is also very useful, thanks to which Ivan-tea is used for diseases of the stomach and intestines.

Burdock

The medicinal raw material is the root.

An infusion of burdock root is used as a diuretic, as well as a diaphoretic and laxative. Since burdock roots contain inulin, its preparations are used for diabetes. On the basis of olive or almond oil, burdock oil is prepared.

Plantain large

Medicinal raw materials are leaves and seeds.

Plantain preparations are used for diseases of the stomach with low acidity. There is a lot of mucus in the seeds, so decoctions from the seeds are also very useful for gastritis, enteritis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Well then, friends. Let's take more active advantage of what mother nature generously gives us and maybe this will allow us to be healthier.