When you live your life outside gardening and adventuring, there are bound to be minor cuts and scrapes.
My kids are a lot like me and fall down a lot, so I wanted to come up with a natural Neosporin alternative to use on their boo-boos that I feel good about. I don’t feel good about petroleum-based products so Neosporin is out. That’s why I decided to go with a calendula and comfrey ointment for helping boo-boos heal.
Herb Use and Safety
Calendula has been used for centuries medicinally to treat skin irritation, burns, and sunburn. It has been used to heal wounds and prevent infection. Calendula was used in the Civil war to treat wounds, measles, smallpox, and jaundice. (source)
Calendula is generally considered safe topically and internally. Calendula has been many culinary uses adding flavor to soups and salads. Some traditional medicine boasts calendula can help alleviate digestive issues.
There is some controversy about whether comfrey is safe to use. Studies show that a component of comfrey may cause liver damage. However, the studies that found this isolated the component pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) rather than studying comfrey as a whole.
Because injecting this isolated component into rats created liver damage, researchers decided that comfrey must also cause liver damage, even though the amount they injected was much more than any human could use. Also, they didn’t consider the fact that any substance, isolated from its natural state and used in high enough concentrations, can be dangerous.
There is no evidence that comfrey, used in its whole state, in the amounts that humans use, causes any ill effects. I also consulted with an herbalist friend who told me that comfrey and calendula were safe for everyone when used properly, meaning not drinking cups and cups of tea plus slathering your body in ointment every day. For this reason, I choose to use comfrey, judiciously. Consult your healthcare provider whether you should use comfrey.
How to Make Calendula and Comfrey Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup dried calendula
- 1/2 cup dried comfrey
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil
Mix ingredients in a mason jar and let steep for 2-3 weeks in a dark, cool place OR heat mixture on a very low simmer or in a crockpot for 3-4 hours. Don’t overheat.
Strain herbs out when done.
Herbal Infused Oil
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup calendula (where to buy)
- 1/2 cup comfrey (where to buy)
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil
Instructions
- Mix ingredients in a mason jar and let steep for 2-3 weeks in a dark, cool place OR heat mixture on a very low simmer or in a crockpot for 3-4 hours. Don't overheat.
Strain herbs out when done.
DIY Natural Neosporin Recipe
Makes 2 – 8 oz jars
- 1 1/2 cups calendula and comfrey oil (the amount in the recipe above)
- 4 tsp beeswax pastilles
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 20-30 drops of quality essential oils
Take the hot calendula and comfrey oil (or reheat if it has cooled) and add the beeswax and coconut oil to it. Stir until beeswax and coconut oil has melted. Check the consistency by sticking a popsicle stick, skewer or spoon into the ointment and letting it cool. If it’s too soft add more beeswax, too hard add more olive oil. add essential oils ( I use lavender) and stir.
DIY Natural Neosporin: A Safe and Natural Healing Salve
An herbal healing salve for minor cuts and scrapes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups calendula and comfrey oil (the amount in the recipe above)
- 4 tsp beeswax pastilles (where to buy)
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil (where to buy)
- 20-30 drops of quality essential oils (where to buy)
Instructions
- Take the hot calendula and comfrey oil (or reheat if it has cooled) and add the beeswax and coconut oil to it.
- Stir until beeswax and coconut oil has melted. Check the consistency by sticking a popsicle stick, skewer or spoon into the ointment and letting it cool.
- If it's too soft add more beeswax, too hard add more olive oil. add essential oils ( I use lavender) and stir.
How to Use Natural Neosporin: Calendula and Comfrey Healing Ointment
Dab a little on burns, bruises, cuts, bug bites, scrapes, diaper rash, etc. Don’t go crazy, a little goes a long way!
This healing salve/ointment is fantastic for helping heal all kinds of skin issues.
Now It’s Your Turn!
What do you use on boo-boos at your house?
Is this recipe the same if you use fresh or dry herbs to make the oil?
If you have fresh herbs you’ll need to wilt them for 12 hours or so before using. The moisture from fresh herbs can make the oil go rancid.
The recipe says 1½ cups of the herb infused olive oil. Does this mean you strain out the herbs or you only use 1½ cups of the mixture?
Strain out the herbs :)
Hi, just joining in. You have a great blog.
My go-to for pretty much anything is a salve made from plantain and violet leaf.
I just pack a quart jar about half full of leaves that I left out overnight to wilt and then cover them with olive oil. It sits for about a month then I make it into salve with beeswax like you do. Seems there’s a pain relieving quality in there somewhere also.
A few years ago my brother was stung multiple times on one hand by yellow jackets. He was on FIRE. Used the plantain salve and in just minutes the fire went out, now he checks with me every year to make sure I made more. ;)
I’ve never tried violet leaf. I’ll have to look into that, thanks!