How to prepare a medicinal homemade ointment: 2 recipes
From a more traditional medicine point of view, it is true that our ancestors have bequeathed us a whole set of medicinal knowledge that they used when the so-called scientific medicine was not so advanced (or simply did not exist).
This is the case, for example, of the different home remedies that even today we can even elaborate easily and comfortably in our own home, which can be useful for health disorders or mild illnesses (such as colds, flu, anxiety, nervousness, insomnia ...).
In this sense in an earlier note we explained how to make homemade suppositories, made with 100 percent natural ingredients (mainly plant and herb extracts, glycerin and gelatin).
But we can also find ourselves with the ointments, also known popularly with the name of ointments, which stand out for being preparations that are applied directly on the skin, generally being semi-solid.
What are ointments and what are they for?
As you probably know, ointments are semi-solid texture preparations, which are applied directly to the skin, usually to treat a condition or problem in it. That is to say, consists of a substance with a creamy texture, used not only in Medicine, but also in Cosmetics with different purposes and objectives.
Depending on their purpose they can be slightly fat, pasty or thick preparations, and although we can find them in pharmacies made with chemicals, it is best to find natural ointments prepared with plants and herbs with medicinal virtues.
That is to say, the ointments differ from the creams in that they do not have water, so that tend to be usually composed mainly of fats and other ingredients that give it that consistency rather semisolid. These ingredients are joined precisely the active ingredients they contain.
Its use is really simple, since it should only be applied on the skin areawhere we want to enjoy the qualities, benefits and properties that it brings.
Can medicinal ointments be made at home?
Although it is usual to go directly to the pharmacy or the herbalist and buy them, if we want to investigate a little and even prepare them on our own, we must indicate that it is possible to elaborate homemade medicinal ointments.
It is as simple as using a little Vaseline as a base (you can also use olive oil) and a little essential oil from the plant that we are going to use.
Recipe to make a homemade ointment
For the preparation of homemade ointments we need in addition to the indicated ingredients: glass containers, a saucepan, a wooden spoon, a filter or piece of cloth and a jar.
Ingredients:
- 550 ml. of aqueous extract of the plant or herb
- 100 ml. Of olive oil
- 200 g. of Vaseline
- Beeswax (to thicken)
preparation:
- Once you have chosen the plant or grass to use, make an infusion or decoction with it.
- Get 550 ml. of this extract, filter it and let it rest.
- In a saucepan add olive oil and petroleum jelly.
- Add the extract and mix.
- Boil until the extract water evaporates, which means that the extract has mixed well with Vaseline and oil.
- If you want to thicken more the mixture adds beeswax and mix.
- Let cool and put the mixture in a container or jar.
Another recipe for making a homemade ointment
Ingredients:
- 70 grams of leaves, petals or roots of the plant or herb you want.
- 500 grams of Vaseline
Elaboration:
- The vaseline is melted in the water bath.
- When it begins to melt add the plant or grass you have chosen, and heat over low heat for 2 hours.
- After this time strain the mixture in the glass jar and pour it into the containers where you are going to store it (it is important to do this process before the ointment cools and solidifies).
- Finally, let cool to room temperature, talking in a dry and cool place.
