#salves

For good smells & repellant:

Lavender flowers & leaves

Lemon balm leaves

Garden thyme leaves

Garden sage leaves

Fennel leaves

Rosemary leaves

Mint and Peppermint leaves

Chives

For soothing existing bites:

Dock leaves and roots

Cannabis roots

Calendula flowers

Using beef tallow (bc I just finished rendering and purifying some) w olive oil as a carrier, but I'd like to add some beeswax in the future

Double flame candle for a client. He will get be very successful. He has already received three fat checks from the VA. For serious!! Before our ritual was complete!

What does this oleum do? It's great for chilling and opening up for psychic vision, divination - especially scrying & channeling though it makes tarot reading wild & fun, too. Veneficium just refers to 'poisoner.' To me, veneficium refers to as a person who knows much about herbs & medicine as well as the natural world. And someone who knows their plant poisons, like ME.

You will need:

Pork fat

Olive oil

Beeswax

Or, raw cocoa butter, shea butter, whatever is ok & vegan for you folks & can be melted

Fresh Foxglove

Fresh Wild Lettuce (it grows all over and probably in your yard!!! Also known as "lettuce opium")

Fresh Mugwort if you can. If not, use responsibly with fresh Wormwood. If you want an Artemisia, like Mugwort or Wormwood, for erring on the side of caution, you can try Tarragon. Dragonwort, or Tarragon, is a very spiritual herb, it smells heavenly & it's a culinary herb. The other Artemisias are not, like Southernwood, for example.

Belladonna flowers - if you have access to the little purple flowers with the yellow middles, get some, carefully. Don't squeeze. If brave, you can get berries, but its more risky & messy.

Onto the SALVE!!

Remember to take out your beeswax to soften.

To begin, if there are dried herbs, it is best to boil them in the fat and Olive oil for no more than 15 minutes, under *constant* supervision. Use only 1/2 cup of oil to about 1 tablespoon of each of the herbs (yes DRIED!!! I'll keep repeating!!) Do NOT boil on high! Use your stove's lowest boil setting. The Salve should be a bit colored, but not dark. If there's no herbal trace, put in some more herbs and oil & boil for 12 minutes over medium boil. If too fast, turn down.

If the dried herbs suck, either the herbs are old, or well, get fresh ones! It ain't supposed to be easy!! 😉

If the herbs are fresh, use 1 cup of oil to 1/2 cup of herbs. Boil for 5 minutes and check every 5 minutes until it looks done (like the color or odor has changed). Boil no longer than 14 minutes.

Drain herbs out of the oil carefully. Do NOT let cool!!! This is time to add to the pork fat, Olive oil, and beeswax together (microwave beeswax very carefully). Do the same with cocoa butter, shea butter & other vegan options. I cannot stand by the vegan recipes though, because these options have not been tested by me. Only pork fat, Olive oil & beeswax.

Add a scent if desired. My recipe for Demonic Sight oil is perfect! Or try Cajeput, Juniper and Lavender for a invigorating and focusing scent!

Make sure you have tins or other packaging for your salve to go into!!

For those who want just a simple tincture to be scary or dangerous or get a mild high with, here's the basics with the measurements!

Potion Veneficium

Pint jar (or larger, make your recipe!)

Fresh herbs - fill jar 2/3

Dry herbs - fill jar 1/2

Alcohol (80 proof; brandy, vodka, rum)

Put the herbs in loose, do NOT pack in. Pour in alcohol. Place parchment (kitchen paper) or plastic at lid so it doesn't rust. Close it well. Put it in a dark & cool place. Check for mold & the alcohol level & shake every couple of days. You may have to add a bit more alcohol to the brew.

It is done at 8 weeks, but it can go longer, though carefully check the fluid level and for mold.

Strain the herbs from the finished tincture. I still prefer cheesecloth. I'll never like metal strainers. I'd likely put my finished tincture into Amber or Blue Boston round bottles for protection from light (UV).

A note about tincturing roots - Length of time depends and ratio as well. I used 1 cup Orris root with 16 oz of rum - potent, I also used 1 large High John root with 16 oz. rum - very potent smell. They each took on odor in about 6 months, but my High John is still keeping after 10 years!

So, I remember seeing a long time ago a recipe for a balm or salve that was used for pain relief, but I can't remember the ingredients.

The only things I can remember is that it was good for arthritis/general aches and pains and that, I think, a couple of the ingredients were Beeswax and maybe cinnamon???

I haven't seen the recipe in years and I can't remember where, but I was hoping to give it a try, considering my Grandma uses pain medication and the good ol' bureaucrats are deciding to basically shut down pain pill production for who knows how long.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Posted by @ wildrootsforaging on TikTok

Oh fuck! that shit is supposed to be for salves? I've been grinding it for pesto this whole time.