DIY Trauma Oil - The Magical Infusion
If you have a natural first aid kit, you’ll want to include Trauma Oil for sure.
Trauma Oil is a blend of three organic flowers infused in an organic carrier oil. These are the flowers: Calendula, St. John’s Wort, Arnica
An infused oil is a carrier, usually olive oil, that has been soaked (infused) in herbs or flowers. If you’ve ever made sun tea, you’ve made an infusion!
The oil that results from an infusion contains the medicinal properties of the plants that were infused in. The result is a versatile product that can be used alone or added to salves and balms.
TIP: Using an infused carrier oil in addition to essential oils is a terrific way to double the therapeutic benefits!
What does Trauma Oil help with?
Muscle and Joint Pain
Sciatic discomfort
Injuries and Wound care
Strains of muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints
Inflammations of muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints
Fractures and dislocation
Sprains, bruises and contusions
Arthritic joints and rheumatic pains.
Trauma oil can be massaged into an injured area or blended with essential oils to enhance healing, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain.
So, ready to make some of this magical oil?
How to make an herbal oil infusion
Gather your herbs. You will be using dried Calendula, dried Arnica and fresh St Johns Wort flowers. Choose your carrier oil. Popular carrier oils: Olive, Jojoba, Grapeseed, Sunflower.
Methods of infusion
Sun Infusion Method
There are several ways to infuse oils, but my favorite is the Folk or Simpler’s Method which relies upon the sun to naturally infuse the oil with herbal properties.
You can use countless herbs with this method.
1. Place your dried herbs in a clean quart jar. I use equal parts of all flowers. Fill the jar about 3/4 full. If using fresh herbs, wilt them first for 12 hours to remove the moisture (too much moisture will cause your oil to go rancid), cut into small pieces, and crush with a mortar and pestle before adding to the jar. You can skip these extra steps if your herbs are dried.
2. Pour oil into the jar, making sure to cover herbs by at least 1” of oil and leaving at least 1/2” of space at the top of the jar so the herbs will have room to expand. If your herbs soak up all of the oil, then pour more on top to ensure that the herbs are well covered.
3. Stir well and cap the jar tightly.
4. Place the jar in a sunny and warm windowsill. Shake once or more per day.
5. After 6 weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth. Make sure and squeeze every precious drop of oil out!
6. Pour into glass bottles.
7. Label and store in a cool dark place.
The oil should keep for at least a year. Vitamin E oil may also be added to prolong the shelf life.
Slow Cooker Method
If you prefer, you may use a slow cooker with a “warm” setting which prevents the oils and herbs from getting too hot. The lower the heat and the slower the infusion, the stronger your herbal oil will be. If your slow cooker only has a “low” setting, you can still use this method, but you’ll need to check the temperature frequently, turning your slow cooker off and back on to regulate the heat.
1. Place a hand towel in the bottom of your slow cooker. This serves to keep the direct heat off jars and promote more even heat distribution, as well as cushioning jars from bumping the pot which could cause chips and breakage. Fill slow cooker about half way with water. Turn slow cooker on “warm” setting to preheat.
2. Prepare herbs by following steps 1-3 as for sun infusion
3. Cap jars and place into slow cooker on top of the towel. Allow oils to infuse for 6-8 hours on your slow cooker’s lowest setting. Temperature should remain between 100° – 120°. You may want to check the temperature every few hours, turning off the slow cooker for a bit if needed. Stir or gently shake jars a few times during the infusion process. Be very careful as it will be very HOT!
4. Once herbs have been infused, turn off slow cooker and allow to cool to room temp. Strain herbs/flowers out using a tea towel or several layers of unbleached cheesecloth. Another great way to strain the herbs out is using a french press coffee maker. Works great! Compost or discard the spent herbs.
5. Transfer your infused oils to clean glass jars or bottles and cap tightly.
6. Label your jar with
the type of oil used
herb it was infused with
date
Protect your herbal oils from heat and light by storing in a cool, dark place. Your oils may last a year or more if stored properly.
Stove top method for herb infused oils
Place the herb filled jar in a sauce pan that has been filled about ¼ full of water, simmer for 4-8 hours. Remove jar from saucepan and allow to cool. Decant, bottle, label, and store in a cool dark place.
Oven method for herb infused oils
Place the herbs and oil in a large oven proof dish and place in a preheated 250 degrees oven. Turn the oven off and place the herb filled bowl in the oven for 24 hours uncovered. Cool the mixture than pour through a cheesecloth lined strainer into a bowl with a spout. Bottle, label and store following the instructions above.
Double boiler method for herb infused oils
Prepare and place the herbs and oil in a double boiler and bring to a slow simmer. Slowly heat for 30-60 minutes. Keep the heat nice and low for a longer simmer time and to help release medicinal properties. Decant, bottle, and store following the instructions above.
Don’t forget to label!
Here are a few Recipes for Pain, Inflammation and Bruising
1. Muscle/Joint Comfort Blend 20 drops Birch (Betula lenta) 15 drops Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) 10 drops German Chamomile (Matricaria reticulata) 5 drops Ginger (Zingiber officinale) 5 drops Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) 5 drops Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis) 1 oz Trauma Oil
Directions Blend into 1 oz. of Trauma Oil and apply to the painful area as often as needed.
2. Bruise/Sprain Relief Blend 10 drops Helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum) 10 drops German Chamomile (Matricaria reticulata) 5 drops Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia or Lavendula latifolia) 1 oz Trauma Oil
Directions Blend into 1 oz. of Trauma Oil and apply to the painful area as often as needed.
Check out our Pain section of our shop for essential oil relief:
