Spring Cottonwood Salve
Spring is just around the corner in the U.S. Pacific Northwest! The signs are all around us, from the first wildflowers reaching towards the sun to the first morning calls of migratory songbirds. Now is the time to harvest the fragrant, sap-filled buds of the cottonwood, a tree treasured by herbalists for centuries. Its sap, also known as the “Balm of Gilead,” contains a variety of medicinal components, including compounds known for reducing inflammation, easing pain, killing germs, and promoting skin regeneration. Infused in an oil, or turned into a salve, the benefits of this local treasure are a welcome addition to the natural-medicine cabinet. The oil or salve can be made at home.
A word of caution: people who are allergic to aspirin will want to avoid plants with salicylic acid, such as cottonwood and willow.
Cottonwoods grow in abundance along our valley’s lakes, marshes and waterways. They are quite tall, with large heart shaped leaves lined with small teeth, smooth grey branches, and trunks deeply furrowed as they age. The trees have a tendency to drop branches, often making the collection of the spring buds quite easy. Bring some gloves, as the sap is extremely sticky! Pick the buds that are large and swollen. They will be somewhat red in color, glistening with sap, and should easily break off from the branch.
To make an infused oil, simply fill a jar about two-thirds full of cottonwood buds. Then fill to the top with oil, making sure the buds are entirely covered. Olive oil is always a great choice if you plan on making a salve with it later on. Coconut, apricot, jojoba, or grapeseed are all excellent oil choices if you’d like something less greasy, for use on your face, for example. Place the jar in a warm place for the initial few weeks, shaking it up every couple of days. Then, move the jar to a cool, dark place for a few months to a year. Now you have medicinal cottonwood oil!
To make a salve, first choose a pot you don’t mind dedicating to salve making. Next, combine one cup of your cottonwood oil and one-quarter cup of shaved beeswax. Gently warm the cottonwood oil on low heat, or use a double-boiler method. Once the oil is warm, slowly stir in the beeswax shavings. You can test the consistency of your salve by removing one teaspoonful and letting it cool. More beeswax will make it thicker, more oil will make it thinner. At this point you can add other essential oils, although the rich, balsamic scent of cottonwood is wonderful on its own. This salve can then be used as a rub to relieve sore or strained muscles, rheumatic pain, and bruises, or as an antimicrobial cream for healing and regenerating skin tissue. Enjoy!
- Natalia Newman, LMT