Meanwhile, this sounds cool

[annathepiper]

prairie_kittin recommends making and trying this if I'm going to be having radiation therapy. Even aside from the whole getting zapped thing, this sounds like pretty nifty stuff. Aloe and lavender, yum. Orange or peppermint also would not suck.

Calendula Salve:

1 cups safflower oil (high in vitamin E)
2 Tablespoons lavender flowers
1 Tablespoon calendula petals
1 Tablespoon Plantain leaves (optional)
Gel from 1 aloe vera leaf
2 vitamin E capsules, opened
10 drops tea tree essential oil (Melaluca) ½ cup beeswax

Add the herbs to the oil and let sit for 3 weeks in a dark place. (OR.. place the oil in a crock pot, add the herbs and simmer for 1 hour.)

Strain the herbs out of the oil.

Add the vitamin E and the tea tree oil to the herbed oil. (If you are going to be using this for chapped lips, you may want to add orange and peppermint essential oils to it, also)

Melt the beeswax CAREFULLY in the microwave in 15 second intervals. (Or in the top of a double boiler). Slowly add the oil to the wax. If they are not the same temperature, they will not mix well. If this happens, put the whole thing in the microwave and heat at 10 second intervals until it combines smoothly.

Pour into small baby food jars and use lavishly after radiation.

Comments

[eveshka.livejournal.com]

That does sound nice, but be careful with peppermint and orange. Both can be caustic if you use too much in concentration.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I agree. Particularly given where that's going, you want everything as smooth as possible. As it is the 10 drops of Melaluca is about all I'd put in there. This stuff is also good on surgical scars. I had a similar blend a few years back when I had to have some minor surgery on my foot... they used regular stitches, and we kept this stuff on it instead of neosporin. It would take a fingerprint specialist to find the scar now. (I also used some that didn't have Melaluca in it on my scar after Towbin took the tapes off...)

The Lavender is in there as an anti-inflammatory; the nice smell is a lucky side effect. English lavender if you can get it.

Yep. Methinks I'd leave this just about the way it is. (Some folks don't like lavender, and leave it out.)

It's long been said that those that actively participate in their own medicine have the best prognosis.

I'll leave it as an exercise as to why I'm smiling. :)

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

Aloe contains large amounts of antioxidants, such as vitamin E. Antioxidants scavenge the free radicals produced by radiation and reduce the damage they cause. Cancer cells are more susceptible than normal cells to radiation and tumors generally have poor blood supply, so less antioxidants.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, I'm familiar with that issue from mixing oils to oil bamboo flutes. But thanks for the pointer!

[annathepiper]

I'm familiar with the need to go easy on orange and peppermint from Dara's and my prior experience with oiling our bamboo flutes, yeah.

Given this recipe, I'm not necessarily sure I'd mix either orange or peppermint in there just based on scent alone--because I also like lavender and I'm not sure how well they'd blend. I'll have to think about that. And see what I can do with this stuff in general. Getting the various ingredients might be adventuresome.

[annathepiper]

Yep. Was already a fan of aloe and vitamin E goop anyway; Dara and I both regularly use various and sundry goops and lotions with those in them. I'll see what I can do with making this specific goop, though.

[prairie-kittin.livejournal.com]

The orange and/or peppermint is only in there in small quantities if you are using it as lip balm. It's for taste.


Prairie

[annathepiper]

Duly noted! Thanks. :)

[ssha.livejournal.com]

Are you familiar with the company Melaleuca? Chances are, they have something like this. I believe their website is melaleuca.com.

[annathepiper]

I'm not familiar with them, no. But I think the point here would be to use this specific recipe, which was the recommendation after all. :)