Monday, November 16, 2009

comfrey oil

i went today to pick up my plantain (Plantago spp.). i found a great place for it. can't wait to see how it takes. i am hoping that it flourishes and seeds and grows. i also got my comfrey (Symphytum officinale) leaves and i am making a comfrey infused oil. i just read up on it a little and realized that i should have let the leaves sit for a day to let some of the moisture evaporate first so there is less chance of mold growing in the oil - which can happen sometimes by putting moist plant material in oil. oh well. we'll see how this goes. so i cut up the comfrey leaves - by cutting up the leaves it allows for more of the active ingredients to be released into the oil. i put them in a jar - lightly packed - and completely covered the leaves with oil. i used jojoba, apricot kernal and grapeseed oil. i stirred the leaves around a bit to get the bubbles out. i covered it with a paper towel (or cheesecloth) and attached only the outside mason jar ring - leave the inside metal part off - or you can just use a rubber band. this allows the water to evaporate which will help so it doesn't grow mold. it will then sit for 6 weeks away from direct sun. during the first week, i'll open the jar everyday and make sure that all the leaves are still submerged. when the oil is ready - i will make a salve.

No comments :

Post a Comment