Man in the Moon Herbs

All Purpose Salve This is an old fashioned salve that's good for insect bites, blisters and even for drawing out slivers and such due to the inclusion of plantain. Keep in the refrigerator for the longest shelf life. Plus a cool salve feel s so good! 1/2 cup fresh plantain 1/2 cup fresh sage 1/4 cup fresh mullein 1 cup of sunflower or olive oil 3-4 tablespoons grated beeswax (you can substitute 4-5 tablespoons of cocoa butter if you're vegan) 3-4 Vitamin E capsules Chop your herbs very coarsely.Gently heat the herbs and oil in a double boiler over simmering water for 35-40 minutes. Cool, then strain out the bits of herbs.(A few bits of herbs won't hurt a thing) Put back in the double boiler and add the beeswax (or cocoa butter) and heat until melted. Cool slightly. Prick the vitamin E capsules with a needle and squeeze into your salve, mix thoroughly then pour into a glass jar with a lid. I wipe the jar out with a little rubbing alcohol first to make...

Mullein, verbascum thapus , is a stately bienniel with wooly, greyish green leaves and pretty yellow flowers that appear in the second year. I love the texture of the leaves and and enjoy its presence in my flower borders! It offers a nice contrast to the more refined flowers and the bees just love it too. It grows wild throughout most of North America and Europe. Ulysses took mullein with him on his famous voyage to protect him from Circe who changed his crew into pigs. In India it has been used as protection from evil spirits. Mullein also has some more everyday uses for those not plagued by enchantresses and evil spirits! Historically mullein has been used to treat respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis. In herbal classification, it is considered an expectorant and demulcent. Topically it has been used to treat burns and skin irritations. The active constituents are mucilage, which soothes mucus membranes, saponins, which act as an expectorant and tannins. Mullein is vir...