Home Remedy for Drawing Salve

Drawing salve is a remedy that helps draw out ingrown toenails, infections, splinters and even thorns. It also works well on stings, insect bites and boils. Making your own salve is easy and can be fun, and it lets you source your own ingredients so you know exactly what is in it.

Herbal Oil Base

• To make a drawing salve, you first must make an herbal oil. Powder 1 oz. of dry herb. For your drawing salve to be effective, you must use drawing herbs. Plantain, comfrey and chickweed are all good choices.

  To the powdered herb, add an ounce of 190-proof ethyl alcohol and stir to mix. After an hour, pour 5 oz. of olive oil in a blender, add the alcohol-saturated herb, blend for about 15 minutes, strain the oil and bottle it.

  Another way to make an herbal oil is to simply fill a jar with the herbs you want to use, cover it with olive oil and let it sit on a windowsill (with exposure to the sun). Turn the jar over each day.

Finishing the Salve

• After making your oil, slowly heat all 5 oz. and add 1 oz. of beeswax. The wax will slowly dissolve. While the mixture is still hot, pour your salve into your container. Whether you choose plastic or glass is a matter of personal preference.

  As the salve cools, it will solidify. You may wish to add vitamin E oil (as a preservative) or essential oils (for the scent) at this point.

  When your salve is complete, simply dab generous amounts on the affected areas to draw out impurities.