Photo by Darren Hartman/ http://collective47.com/
The resin contains medicinal compounds with antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and vasodilating properties that, when infused into an oil or salve, can be applied topically to treat sprains, hyperextension, arthritic joints, hemorrhoids, and burns, according to author Michael Moore. The buds can also be tinctured in alcohol and taken internally for chest colds.
In February, a friend gave me a gift of cottonwood buds he had clipped from a park, along with some olive oil to pour over them. I combined the buds and the oil in a glass jar and set it in my living room, as per his instructions, next to a heating vent to infuse. I left the jar there for over a month. The next step was to turn the infused oil into a salve. Doing that is fairly straightforward: you just heat some beeswax and stir the infused oil into it. But because it was my first time making a salve, I watched this how-to video first.
Note: When making salves, herbalists sometimes like to include Vitamin E as a preservative, or as in the video above, lavender oil, but because cottonwood is naturally antimicrobial, this ingredient is not necessary.
Edited to add: Tincture recipe is one part plant matter to two parts alcohol; if buds are dried first, tincture recipe is one part plant matter to five parts alcohol using 70% alcohol (You can use Everclear and dilute it with water to make the solution).
Share this post and tell your friends how to make a natural antiseptic salve — a fun gift and useful addition to any wild herbal first aid kit.
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please, oh please, people–make sure any alcohol you ingest–swallow–is the Everclear, or vodka, type, and not the isopropyl type, which will destroy liver and kidneys of anyone who drinks it. the “70%” phrase used above makes me shudder to think it–you see 70% (and 91%) in the pharmacy, also called “rubbing alcohol”–that is not the alcohol you want to take internally!
Great to know! We have a cottonwood growing on our property, and I’m glad to have found something useful to do with those sticky, sticky buds! Thanks for sharing this
D Tuck: AZ has two native cottonwood species, the Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and the narrowleaf cottonwood (P. angustifolia). Unfortunately, not the species used for this salve.
Thankyou Katie. I wonder if the Balsam Poplar would grow in Southern AZ?
This is exciting! I have a couple cottonwoods in our back woods, but they are huge. I did some exploring to find some dropped branches from wind storms and they have flowers on them. Time to gather some flowers and make some oil! Thank you for posting this
Is this the same cottonwood tree that is found in southern Arizona? I’ve never seen orange buds on the trees here.
So many cottonwood trees in our area, I always swear when the dogs bring them in on their feet and I have to get down on hands and knees and SCRUB the resin off the floor. Ha ha, now I will thank them. Thanks for the great tip
What a co-inky-dink. I was just melting some beeswax in a double boiler yesterday for a wood finishing project. Now I’ll have to try making a salve.
I’ll have to go hunting on the Internet for my cottonwood – no yard in a condo. Like your article very much….
I recently made an astringent and antimocrobial healing salve out of common “weeds” most people make faces at before pulling out of their gardens. Using Yarrow, Comfrey, Plantain, bit of pine pitch, and some dried goldenseal in an oil suspension, I substituted a couple drops of jojoba for vitamin E, and mixed in beeswax. The salve is magical, able to close wounds, smooth scrapes, soothe burns and cure bug bite poison. It warms the skin slightly where it’s applied. Careful, too much use and it’ll dry you out!
Try using brown glass containers if you can find any, as sunlight can degrade volatile medicinal compounds. Also straining as much of the organic matter as you can out of the product before adding beeswax will help it keep. Strain, let it sit for a day or two to settle, and silt will settle on the bottom. Carefully pour off the top oil, leaving the silt, which is the organic matter that can decay and ruin a good salve. I use cheesecloth for the straining job, and small mason jars.
Daniel,
This sounds great! Thanks for sharing.
I really like this post! We have so many cottonwoods here in Montana where I live! I have a cottonwood salve that seems to keep really well and not go rancid, even though it has no essential oils in it. I guess it is due to the antimicrobial properties! Thank you for helping to solve this question! ~hannah