Herbal Vapor Rub
With cold and flu season upon us, I thought I would share one of my favorite herbal remedies that I have been making and using for years, an herbal vapor rub! If you are anything like me, I grew up in a household with several jars of Vicks Vapor rub all over the house, and my mom would slather it on my chest and under my nose when I was sick. Does that sound familiar? There are a couple eye opening ingredients in products like this like petroleum for example which can not only cause clog the pores, and cause irritation, but its terrible for our environment. This made me turn away from over the counter products like this. That's when I decided to create my own!
Let's go over the key ingredients and why I use them in this formula. This is a very forgiving recipe and completely customizable. There are a lot of ingredients you can use to create a chest salve, these are just the ones that I prefer that work well for myself and family. With that being said, lets dive in!
Peppermint: This herb is really great for opening up the airways due to the menthol content and volatile oils. Peppermint has a cooling effect on the respiratory system and is a wonderful for congestion and antitussive (cough suppressant).
Sage: This herb is used quite frequently in cooking, as it is amazing for digesting fats, but its used in this formula because its also considered to be an expectorant which can help expel mucus, and its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory making this a great choice for colds and flus.
Thyme: This herb is warm, and drying which makes it great for opening up, and thinning out mucus. It's considered to be an expectorant, and has an affinity with the lungs. This plant is high in volatile oils which can be helpful for colds and flus.
Rosemary: this plant like the others mentioned is high in volatile oils and helps to clear congestion when infection take ahold. As a diaphoretic, rosemary can also be stimulating the movement of heat outward, which helps to bring down a fever.
Eucalyptus: This plant is extremely helpful when mucus is present as it is considered to be an astringent and antimicrobial. It help to relax and expel mucus, and can be helpful at relaxing coughs due to its stimulating and decongestant actions.
How to make the salve:
- -1 cup infused oil
- -2 oz. of organic beeswax
- 1 tablespoon peppermint
- 1 tablespoon Sage
- 1 tablespoon Thyme
- 1 tablespoon Rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Eucalyptus
- Essential oils (optional)
- Small 2oz. glass jars/tins
In a double boiler, combine your oil, and your herbs. If you don't have a double boiler add everything to a heat safe mason jar and place the jar in a saucepan with a few inches of water and infuse that way on low heat. Let infuse on low heat for a few hours, stirring occasionally. Carefully strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to discard the herbs, then place the oil back in the double boiler with your beeswax. Let this melt completely, then pour your mixture into your jars or tins. Let them harden completely before adding your lids. Don't forget to label them!
As you can see, I mentioned that essential oils were optional here. I do not add essential oils to my chest rub (just a preference), but you can in fact add skin safe essential oils to your salves. Just be mindful of which essential oils you are using, they're safety protocols, and usage rates.
Simply rub a small amount onto your chest, the back of your neck, your feet, or just open the jar/tin and inhale. I hope you all enjoy this recipe, feel free to leave me a comment or question!