My family has always enjoyed road trips in our RV. Our travels often take us either near or on an Indian Reservation. Along with my love for Native American jewelry, I appreciate their knowledge of using all that God gave us be it plant or animal.
One of the finds I came to love on one of our trips was Native American Pine Salve. I discovered it when our kids were little, and it was always in my purse for boo-boos and bug bites. After purchasing some in Zion, I was fortunate enough to get in touch with its maker, a sweet lady who had retired from making it. She was kind enough to share with me the recipe and process so I could share with others, and I could not be more thankful.
The main component of the pine salve is pine resin. Pine resin is a sticky substance a pine tree excretes as a healing and protective agent when the tree is injured. It is antimicrobial and protects the tree from disease. These properties can help fight bacteria and fungus on our bodies as well making it a great item to have on hand. It helps rashes, is an effective healing agent on cuts, and bruises, it helps draw out splinters, helps itching from bug bites, and can be rubbed on the chest for congestion similar to Vick’s Vapor rub. Surprisingly, it can also be used as a fire starter, if need be, by rubbing some on a cotton ball and lighting it.
There are many pine salves online to purchase, but what I was taught was to add Pine Gum Spirits of Turpentine. It is the anesthetic ingredient that makes this salve so effective. It is another natural and traditional home and folk remedy we have lost touch with. To learn all of its benefits and uses {see: https://growyouthful.com/remedy/gum-turpentine.php}. It is water-soluble, fat-soluble, highly flammable, thin, volatile, colorless liquid oil with a pleasant pine - eucalyptus - citrus fragrance.
Making this pine salve is quite an endeavor. I purchased the resin from a lady in Colorado that harvests it, an endeavor in itself. It is highly flammable and needs to be watched closely as it melts. So, once I start the process, I am committed to staying home until the batch it is done, but it is worth it!
If you are interested in trying Pine Salve out for yourself, try ours!
Sources:
https://learningandyearning.com/pine-resin-salve
https://growyouthful.com/remedy/gum-turpentine.php
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