I gave myself a large painful steam burn one night as I was draining the spaghetti noodles for supper. It hurt so bad I couldn’t believe it. Forgetting that I should run cold water on it first, I reached for my Miracle Skin Salve. As I slathered a large glob of it on my arm, I noticed that my hand was shaking in pain already. “How is this going to work?” I thought. “The burn is too bad.” I had burned myself badly in the past, and without the knowledge of herbs, I had used an over-the-counter burn gel only to be left in agony for 30 minutes, not to mention the blisters afterward. “And that burn wasn’t as bad as this,” I thought as I sat holding my shaking hand and sweating. I slathered on another glob and looked at the clock. It had only been a minute.

After another four minutes, my pain was gone. I couldn’t believe it! I have never had such fast relief from a burn before. Even more amazing was the absense of any blistering. The quality of the product, combined with immediate action and consistent treatment, is what brought about fast, effective results that lasted until complete healing was achieved. It’s not just for burns, either. Miracle Salve is great first aid for stings, bug bites, cuts, scrapes, dry skin and lips, rashes, cold sores, hemorrhoids, post-staph-infection and skin surgery sites, and other skin irritations. I use this salve frequently on my son’s eczema. So let’s check out those ingredients and what they do.

The oils
You have probably already used coconut, olive and vitamin E oils as food or supplements, you will also find them very useful in topical applications. Natural oils like these are often used as “carrier oils” for other herbal ingredients. Carrier oils dilute essential oils enough to make them the correct strength for direct application to the skin. They protect the skin and moisturize to promote healing while still allowing the skin to perform its normal functions like sweating.

Lavender essential oil is more than just a wonderful scent. It kills germs and bacteria while soothing any irritation or swelling and speeds up the healing of burns. Rosemary essential oil is also very good at combating inflammation and can be soothing to sore muscles. Comfrey Root Best known as a contact healer and bone mender, comfrey is added to Miracle Salve for its ability to heal skin fast, relieve pain, reduce swelling, and prevent bruising. Be sure to remove any thorns or foreign material and wash the wound well before applying any salve containing comfrey. It can heal over so quickly that the thorn or germs will be stuck under the skin. It is that fast.

Plantain leaf
Despite being very common and growing almost everywhere, maybe even in your front yard, plantain is one of the most amazing herbs I know of and I keep it on hand in several forms because of its many uses. Drawing out poisons and venom, plantain is a must have for bee stings, spider bites, scorpion stings and more. All in all one of the best herbs to have in a healing salve.

Calendula flowers
Besides being beautiful, calendula is a very healing flower, with antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties.

Other ingredients
Beeswax gives the salve a good consistency while providing a protective barrier for the skin. Bee propolis is the sticky resin that the bees use to coat their entire hive. They do this to keep it clean. Propolis is very anti-bacterial and soothing.

This all-star lineup of healing ingredients and pain relief makes Miracle Salve one of the few products out there that actually lives up to its name. Every time I rely on Miracle Salve, I’m amazed how well it works. It’s also amazing how long a four ounce container of Miracle Salve will last. Treating a family of four for a variety of skin ailments, I still haven’t run out of the first four ounces I bought almost a year ago, a little goes a long way. It’s also a miracle that four ounces of Miracle Salve sells for only $25. A 2 ounce container is $15. Considering the relief it has provided time and time again it really is a bargain.

Dried plantain
A blend of ingriedients can be great for fighting specific problems as you get a variety of natural healing factors all working together, and a salve is very convienent for first-aid kits and carrying in your purse. However, sometimes you need something more specific, a single dried ingredient can be super powerful all on its own when used to treat the ailment that the herb treats best. Plantain is one of those herbs that can be extremely effective all on its own.

Dried plantain is very useful to have around for poisonous bites. It can even be taken internally to help absorb poison and stop bleeding, though I don’t recommend internal use for people taking blood thinners. A plantain poultice is a great way to apply this herb directly when you have a more serious problem like a poisonous bite. I recently applied a plantain poultice to my hand in order to draw out the poison from a spider bite. My hand was cramped up with sharp pains and was getting to the point where I couldn’t use it much at all. At the site of the bite was a swollen, nasty looking, pimple like bump.

After 15 minutes of applying a plantain poultice to the bite, my pain was gone! I felt like the pain literally was being pulled back up toward the site of the bite. Not even a trace of the bite was visable the next day. To think people call this wonderful plant a weed. All I can say is that is one awesome weed. A poultice is simply a compress or pack of the herb applied topically. Wrap the dried leaves in some cheese cloth, muslin bag, or other fine, thin, natural fabric and secure with string or twist tie. Bring a small pot of water to boiling, turn off the heat and drop in your pack of herbs. Let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove your pack from the water to a plate or bowl to cool. You want your pack warm but not hot. Once it is comfortable to touch, you can squeeze out some of the excess water and apply to the affected area. Leave on for at least 15 minutes. A fast way to use this dried herb is to chew a wad of it up and then apply to the affected area. I prefer the boiling method, but when in a hurry or facing a lot of pain, chewing is faster.

The strength of dried herbs outside herb blends or products is one of the reasons Back to Basics now offers discount dried herbs in bulk. I have researched bulk herbs from several providers and have found what I believe are some of the best sources for organic and wild-grown healing plants out there. Readers can buy a half-pound of plaintain for just $5. Bulk quantities of other herb orders are also available. Reusable muslin bags for poultice or bath use are $0.55 each.