Dr. Angela Michaud, Senior Director of Executive and Tribal Services and Clinic Director of Traditional Healing at Southcentral Foundation, first presented her work to the Arctic Encounter Symposium in 2019. She demonstrated salve-making techniques for AES participants, and we appreciate her willingness now to contribute content on yarrow, wormwood sage, and devil’s club pain relief salves on the Arctic Outpost. So grab a cup of tea in your favorite mug, and enjoy this week’s post on traditional medicinal healing.
During these unprecedented times, there are concerns with travel in and out of rural Alaska and coronavirus infection rates. Some communities have prohibited entry entirely to outside visitors. This raises concerns for some who have chronic pain. One positive thing about Alaska is the access to traditional knowledge and traditional plants to use during this time.
The plants reviewed are called the guardian plants: devil’s club, yarrow, and wormwood sage. These plants are found throughout Alaska and Arctic regions. They have healing properties that may be used to support a variety of health concerns. This article will describe how they are used to create a pain relief salve.
It is important to note with all things found in nature, we must practice sustainable and respectful harvesting. This means we do not over harvest and do not take more than we need. When collecting, we harvest in a loving manner. Traditionally, leaving something behind as a sign of respect for the plant such as a blessing, a piece of hair, or another plant offering is common and encouraged. It is believed that knowing the intent on who the plant product will go to helps with the healing property of the plant. Never take all that is available, only gather a third or less of what is available so the plants can continue to grow and be accessible in the future. It is also important to try to find plants in the wild, not next to the road, or where there is the possibility of pollution or that the plants could have been sprayed with harmful chemicals.
Identification of Plants is also important:
Devil’s club
(Oplopanax horridus)
Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium)
Wormwood sage
(Artemisia tilesii)
Harvesting happens during the summer, June-August for wormwood and yarrow. Devil’s club is harvested in spring but can also be harvested during the summer.
Devil’s Club
Devil’s club, for the purposes of the salve, a stalk is cut down. When you find devil’s club, you will see a bunch of branches. The mother will be the largest plant in the middle. When harvesting, do not cut down the mother plant. Harvest the clones that grow around the mother. Leather gloves are recommended when handling the plant, to protect your hands from the thorns. To prepare the stalks, take a butter knife and slide it across the outer bark to remove the spikes. You will then be able to peel off the inner bark called cadmium and allow it to dry to make the salve. You will need about a half cup of dried plant material to make your salve. You can save the stalk to make jewelry; traditionally they were hung over your door as protection.
Benefits:
Anti-bacterial
Anti-fungal
Anti-pyretic
Anti-viral
Anti-microbial
Pain reliever
Anti-inflammatory
Used to treat carcinoid tumors
Stimulates digestion
Supports wound healing
Decrease blood sugar
Helps with pneumonia
Caution/Warning:
May cause diarrhea if too much is ingested
May cause vomiting if too much is ingested
May cause pain/infection is pricked by the thorns
Decreases blood sugar
(List of benefits and cautions are not all inclusive. Beware of allergic reactions. Salve is not to be ingested.)
Wormwood Sage
Benefits:
Harvesting wormwood, clip at the base of the plant and rinse.
Antiparasitic
Antimicrobial
Antifungal
Antibacterial
Used to treat carcinoid tumors
Decreases inflammation in the bowels
Stimulates digestion
Helps rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
Beneficial for nervous system disorders
Bug repellent
Caution/Warning:
May cause epileptic-like convulsions.
May cause kidney failure when ingested in large amounts.
Wormwood is likely unsafe when taken by mouth during pregnancy in amounts greater than what is commonly found in food.
Wormwood may cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae (aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower) family.
If you have a rare inherited blood condition called porphyria which is a group of disorders that can cause nerve or skin problems, stay away from wormwood.
According to the American Cancer Society, high doses of wormwood herbal preparations may also cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headaches, dizziness, and nervous system problems.
(List of benefits and cautions are not all inclusive. Beware of allergic reactions. Salve is not to be ingested.)
Yarrow
Benefits:
To harvest yarrow clip at the base of the plant and rinse. I like to use the male plants — the ones that look like the ferns not the tall ones with the flowers. You can use either in salve making.
Helps skin wounds
Anticoagulant
Potential amenorrhea aid
Mild sedative for anxiety
Helps decrease mastitis
Reduces inflammation
Gastrointestinal benefits
Lowers blood pressure
Helps with asthma
Bug repellent
Caution/Warning:
Extended use of the plant may cause allergic skin rashes.
Photosensitivity
May cause a miscarriage if pregnant if ingested.
May increase risk of bleeding in people with bleeding disorders.
Yarrow may cause allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae (aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower) family.
Stop taking yarrow at least two weeks before a scheduled surgery.
(List of benefits and cautions are not all inclusive. Beware of allergic reactions. Salve is not to be ingested.)
Process
Drying plants completely prevents the oil from turning rancid
Add a half cup dried plants to two cups of extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, or rendered animal fat.
You can put it directly in a crock pot or you can premeasure into mason jars and use a turkey roaster. You will cook on low heat set at 100 degrees but no higher than 140-150 degrees for 6-8 hours to prepare oil with heat.
If you use an oil that solidifies at room temperature, you will be finished after this step. If you are using a liquid oil, then you will need to add beeswax to get it to harden to make a salve. You can use the oil directly and it will have all the healing effects.
Another option, other than heating, is to collect dried plant, put in a mason jar with liquid oil, and leave in a cool dark spot for six months. Supplies needed in preparation for making the salve double boiler, extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, sanitized jars for storage, hot pad or stovetop, cheese cloth, strainer, measuring cups, and a wooden spoon.
Melt beeswax over a double boiler. When melted, mix with the oil.
Strain oil through a cheese cloth. Say a prayer, good intention, or think about positive thoughts.
Mix oil and wax together. When mixed, remove from heat. Pour immediately into jars before mixture starts to harden. Do not forget to label containers with the contents and the date.
Let cool. Do not cover until cooled or condensation may build up and cause the salve to spoil.
Pain Salve Recipe
1/2 cup dried mixture of yarrow and wormwood and devil’s club
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons beeswax
Add wormwood, sage, and yarrow into the extra-virgin olive oil.
Place directly in a slow cooker, or in a mason jar in a turkey roaster, and cook on low for 24 hours.
Remove oil from heat and allow to cool.
Strain oil from the wormwood, sage, and yarrow mix through a cheese cloth.
Melt bees wax in a double boiler. Add oil to the beeswax and stir.
When mixed, remove from heat and pour into jar(s) to cool, uncovered.
Use for bug bites, sores, or achy muscles.
