When I was a child, my mom didn’t rush us to the doctor every time we got a cold. Colds were something you just had to get through.
And we didn’t have a medicine cabinet full of over-the-counter relief for coughs and colds, either. We had vapor rub. That and cup of hot tea gave us the relief we needed.
Does it seem to you that our approach to common ailments has become a bit complicated? Have you taken a good look at the cough and cold remedy aisle in your local pharmacy lately?
That little blue jar of mentholated salve was all we needed back then. Some of the ingredients are not what I prefer to use these days, but the same relief can be found in a salve you can make yourself.
Don’t know where to purchase some of the ingredients? All of them may be found at Starwest Botanicals or Frontier, two companies I trust for quality herbs.
Be sure to also visit my post Natural Home Remedies for Your Medicine Cabinet.
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Cough and Cold Chest Salve
Ingredients
Phase 1
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons dried eucalyptus
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dried peppermint
- organic olive oil
Phase 2
- 2 oz herbal infused oil from Phase 1 by weight
- .33oz beeswax by weight
- 2 drops vitamin E oil
- 6 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 4 drops peppermint essential oil
- 4 drops spearmint essential oil
- 2 drops lemon essential oil
- 2 drops lavender essential oil
- 2 drops tea tree essential oil
Instructions
Phase 1
- Place the herbs in a quart jar.
- Add enough organic olive oil to completely cover the herbs.
- Let herbs infuse in oil for 3-4 weeks. This is the preferred method but for a faster infusion, gently heat your oil and herbs by placing jar into a pot of water and heating on the stove.
- After oil is infused strain out herbs using a strainer lined with muslin. Squeeze out as much oil as you can.
Phase 2
- Heat infused oil and beeswax together in a double boiler until wax is melted. Remove from heat.
- Add vitamin E oil and essential oils. Stir.
- Pour into a small jar and allow to cool. This makes approximately 2 oz. of cough and cold chest salve.
