Cayenne Salve is a great herbal remedy to have on hand for muscle, joint and even arthritis pain!
What is Cayenne Salve Good For
Cayenne salve is great for applying to areas where you feel any muscle and joint discomfort. It can help to relieve pain from arthritis, carpal tunnel, back pain, nerve damage caused by diabetes, menstrual cramps and even migraines.
Why Cayenne Salve Works
Capsaicin, when applied topically, works by stimulating the affected area and then begins to decrease and block the pain signals being relayed in your body.
Capsaicin is what makes spicy peppers feel hot. Luckily for me, we enjoy growing many varities of hot peppers in our garden!
What You Need to Make Cayenne Pepper Salve
To make a cayenne salve that will help ease your muscle pain, you will need:
- 3/4 cup of oil, sunflower or olive oil will work best
- 2 tbsp of cayenne powder
- 16 grams of beeswax
You will also need something to strain the cayenne powder like cheesecloth or a thin piece of fabric.
How to Make Cayenne Salve
Making this salve comes in two parts.
To start, we will need to infuse the sunflower oil with the cayenne.
Begin by filling a large pot with a few inches of water and begin to heat the water on your stove over a medium to low heat. Place a tightly fitting bowl over the pot to create a double broiler.
Add your oil and cayenne into the bowl and stir.
Keep the oil warm, but not too hot that it will begin to fry. Lower the temperature if needed.
Stir constantly for 3 hours.
When it is time, remove the oil from the heat and then strain the cayenne oil through a cheesecloth to remove the granular bits of cayenne and set the oil aside.
Another way to infuse the oil is to add a few dried cayenne peppers to a jar with sunflower oil and allow them to sit and infuse over a period of 4-6 weeks.
Now to complete the salve!
Using the double broiler method once again, heat your beeswax until it is fully melted. Then stir in the infused cayenne oil and stir well.
Pour the melted oil and beeswax into your preferred storage container. I like to use these small tins that can be found on Amazon.
The cayenne salve is ready to use once the oil and wax have solidified.
How to Use Cayenne Salve
Adults can apply this to areas affected with pain up to 4 times per day. Salves are meant to be applied topically and should not be ingested. Apply carefully, using gloves or an applicator stick and never apply to broken or already irritated skin.
If you have mistakenly touched the salve with your hands, make sure you wash them very well and use caution when touching open wounds, your eyes or face.
How to Store Cayenne Salve
Cayenne salve should be kept in an air tight container in a cool, dark place. The salve will keep at best for 6 months on your cabinet shelves.
As I am stocking up my natural preparedness cabinet, I will be sharing more and more recipes for you to try at home! Let me know in the comments if there are any natural remedies that you use in your daily life.
Cayenne Pepper Salve
Cayenne Salve is a great herbal remedy to have on hand for muscle, joint and even arthritis pain!
Materials
- 3/4 cups sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp cayenne powder
- 16 grams beeswax
Tools
- Large pot
- Glass bowl
- Spatula
- Metal tins
Instructions
- Pour 1 to 2" of water in the bottom of the large pot and place a tight fitting glass bowl on top.
- Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat onto low.
- Add the sunflower oil and cayenne powder to the bowl. Keep the oil warm, but not too hot that it will begin to fry. Lower the temperature if needed.
- Allow the oil to infuse with the cayenne powder for 3 hours, stirring often.
- When the oil has finished infusing, strain the oil through a cheesecloth to remove the remaining cayenne powder bits.
- Set the oil aside until you are ready to make the salve.
- Pour 1 to 2" of water in the bottom of the large pot and place a tight fitting glass bowl on top. Place the pot on the stove again and turn the heat onto low.
- Add the infused oil and beeswax pellets into the bowl.
- Allow the beeswax to fully melt and mix the oil and wax together well.
- Transfer the melted oil and wax into a container and allow to dry fully before using.
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Rowena Duncan.
18/08/2023 at 7:06 pmI want to learn how to make home made salves and potices. Can you help me please by emailing me your recipes. Thank you.