Infusing Oil for Boo Boo Balm

This morning I started infusing the oil for making a new batch of Boo Boo Balm.  I'm struck with the beauty of the herbs suspended in the olive oil...

Most herbalists make some sort of basic first aid salve, and this is mine.  I include Comfrey root, which you'll find in most salves for cuts and scrapes, and Lavender flowers to soothe the skin, but I include a number of lesser-known herbs, too.

I add Yarrow to stop bleeding rapidly and heal deep cuts - when I studied with Matt Wood he taught us that Yarrow can heal "cuts to the bone".  Years ago, I got a call from a panic-stricken neighbor who had just sliced the tip of her finger so badly that she was afraid would lose it.  She did get a couple of stitches, but the doctor didn't hold out much hope.  He told her she might still lose the tip of her finger, and that she would certainly never have any feeling in it again. Yipes!  Anyway, when she called me, I ran down the street with a jar of Boo Boo Balm.  She started applying it right away & continued to use it for a few weeks.  Her fingertip completely healed, she has normal feeling in it, and almost no scar!

Another herb I use in this formula is Balm of Gilead - a type of poplar bud.  Sticky with resin, and used in healing ointments for 3000 years, it helps to prevent infection and aids in healing superficial wounds and skin irritations.

And Usnea, one of my plant allies, which is actually a lichen.  Usnea is traditionally thought of as "the lungs of the planet" and grows on trees in the forest.  I gather Usnea on my visits to the Pacific northwest - actually, sometimes I sit on the ground under the trees and it falls into my lap.  Usnea has anti-viral, anti-septic, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.