top of page
Search

On The Second Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to me....Healing Salve for Winter Chapped Cheeks!

Writer's picture: Jessica FreebornJessica Freeborn

My two sons, Jacob (9) and Jared (6) LOVE the snow! And what kid doesn't? They love to build snow huts, sledding, and of course, snowball fights! We are going sledding today with some of our forest student friends. We try to get outdoors everyday even when it is snowing because it is magical and good for the immune system. You can still absorb precious vitamin D when the sun comes out. A much needed vitamin for when there is less daylight hours. Vitamin D is fat soluble so unlike other vitamins, our bodies have the ability to store them in our fat cells. Vitamin D is integral to our immune system and cell regeneration. Did you know that lichen contains a lot of vitamin D? But make sure to take this vegan form of Vitamin D with fats from nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fish.

With winter comes dry skin. I am prone to peeling lips and I have found that Freeborn Family Farms All-Purpose Healing Salve is the best for winter chapped lips and cheeks.

Another extreme "grounding" technique we are trying this winter is walking barefoot in the snow. Our friend Kiely inspired this. Your feet go numb and tingling. It's rejuvenating and excellent for the immune system and getting a good night's rest. I like to put on the healing salve on my feet then socks at night to keep them healthy and hydrated.

Did you know that all of the herbs we put in the healing salve are wild foraged on our mountain? These wild herbs are solar infused in olive oil, strained and then I add locally sourced beeswax. A very simple formula with powerful results! I was inspired to add these specific herbs from research, folk medicine making traditions and experimentation on myself, family and friends!



The Herbal Ingredients:

Yarrow leaf and flower (Achilles millefolium) to stop bleeding. Did you know that this herb is known as Achilles Soldiers? For centuries Soldiers would keep fresh yarrow in their pockets to staunch wounds. It is antiseptic, antimicrobial, antifungal and a coagulant. Many soldiers during the Civil War would've died from wound infections had they not know of this common Western plant. They too would put it in their pockets and pack it directly on their wounds. An Iraq war vet who is a vendor at Farmer's Market told me a miraculous story: He was jumping out of an airplane when his parachute failed and he was shot in the leg. He landed on a cliff. He took his gun, and shot at the earth and cauterized the gunshot wound. Then he found comfrey and packed it around the wound. He now walks with barely a limp. What a hero!

Wild Siberian Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is the native comfrey plant to North Idaho. I always suggest growing a comfrey plant in your garden as it is a wonderful plant fertilizer and can reset bones. When I broke my cheekbone in a mountain biking accident, comfrey set my broken bone and prevented reconstructive surgery! It can heal both bone and tissue. Did you know that any herb with 'officinale' at the end of its botanical name refers to it's use and growth in monasteries? Ancient monks and nuns would make plant medicine for their people and they helped document these ancient and sacred herbs. Many Monasteries and Nunneries to this day still garden and grow "officinale" herbs which translates from Latin to 'office.' I love learning about botanical history!

St. John's Wort flowers and aerial parts (Hypericum perforatum) for its healing, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. It helps with pain both physically and emotionally. One of my favorite herbs of all times! It helps with winter blues and depression. Topically, it can help with nerve damage, inflammation and pain. When you crush the fresh yellow flowers, it stains ruby red. It symbolizes the blood of Jesus. It blooms around the summer solstice and St. John's Day, June 24th.

Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a less common wild herb. It contains the essential oil thymol, which is great for healing wounds and preventing infection. Antiseptic, antibacterial, antimicrobial. It is such a happy purple flower that grows abundantly in our old growth forest in the spring and summer. I like to add it to winter soups and pasta sauces.

Usnea Lichen is like nature's antibiotic. It can prevent infection and promote healing. This is a medicinal plant that can be harvested year round. It grows on tree limbs and shrubs. It acts like the lungs of the forest and purifies the air. If you see a lot of Usnea lichen, you are in a healthy, biodiverse forest.

It is such a wonderful experience to forage for plant medicines, dry them and make healing formulas that can help us year-round but especially in the harsher winter months.

I have limited stock of the 2 oz glass jar so make sure to order yours while supplies last. I cannot wait to forage and harvest again in Spring and Summer of 2023! With all of the snow we are getting, it is going to be a lush harvest, I just know it!


Our All-Purpose Healing Salve has powerful testimonies! It is like we have captured the power of the sun and harnessed the healing properties found only in nature. God's medicine is so abundant! Here's a few testimonies:

"I cut my foot and put the salve on it, the bleeding stopped instantly!" -Kiely

"I got an allergic reaction from my recently adopted cats. I broke out in a painful rash under my swollen eyes, The All-Purpose Healing Salve soothed my rash and took the pain away." -Mary Welsh (Jessica's Mom)

I, Jessica, always keep this in my first aid kit. At forest school, when a child gets scrapped or cut, I put it on with a band aid and they are amazed how fast it takes the pain away. It also works great for diaper rash and is cloth diaper friendly.

Whenever someone gets injured in my family, we all yell, "Get the healing salve!" We use it on everything! A staple in our household.

If you reader, have any testimonies on this product, please share! I love to hear the healing we are facilitating. It gives me much meaning and motivation to grow, forage, and make plant medicine. We are asked to be steward's of God's land and with that comes a divine plan! So follow me, where the wild things grow!

See you on the trail, Jessica (Mountain Medicine Mama)

21 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page