Daisy Bruise Balm

Daisies are a flower that probably everyone knows. I have fond memories of sitting in a field full of daisies as a child making daisy chains. They always strike me as such happy looking and resilient flowers, if you walk over them they just bounce back. I think that this component of the plants probably transfers to the medicines we make, giving us resilience and a sense of joy too.

I’m really interested in the use of our traditional native herbs. And feel that the plants that we need often seem to grow near us. Daisies, for example, have been found to be our native equivalent of arnica, helping the body to deal with bruising, and rheumatic problems like stiff joints and injuries. They were known as Bruisewort for this very reason.

Daisies are abundant and seem to increase when you pick them. So they are perfect for making a bruise balm.

Part 1

To make the oil:

Fill a jar with fresh or dried daisies.

cover the flowers with oil (almond/olive/vegetable)

you can then either let the jar sit for one month in a warm spot, shaking regularly 

or

put the jar into a slow cooker or pot of water and heat gently for about 2 hours.

The addition of heat helps the herbs infuse into the oil but we don’t want a high heat as we

don’t want to cook it.

Strain out the flowers.

If you used fresh daisies let the oil sit for a couple of hours to separate any water that may be remaining, it will sit at the bottom and you can carefully pour off the top oil layer.  This will help your oil to last a bit longer.

Part 2

To make the balm:

For every 100ml of oil, use 10g of beeswax

Put your beeswax and oil into a double boiler (a bowl on top of a pot of water) 

Put a lid on to avoid any aromatic oils leaving, and melt the beeswax

You can test if you want a more solid balm by putting a drop of the liquid on a cold plate. If you want it more solid add some more beeswax.

pour your balm into a jar

Store in a cool dark place or in the fridge 

Smell the oil and balm that you have made, then if the smell changes and smells rancid you know that your balm is no longer any good. It should last a few months up to a year.