I was so excited when I started studying about different homemade 'Herbal Infused Oils' that would help with skin (hand) problems and was looking around the web at different sites for something to make for my dry, cracked, peeling and sometimes bleeding hands -- which I often have a mild case of Eczema during the warmer seasons (I live in Michigan, so we get all Four!) and my hands tend to hurt more in the cold and Winter season. I wanted to start with one herb and something simple to make, and when I came across the wonderful article called "Healing with Calendula" over at The Mountain Rose Blog ~daily herbal musings~ -- I really was intrigued in making the 'Calendula Herbal Oil' when I realized that I had an Ounce of Organic Dried Calendula Flowers in my collection of dried herbs I'd purchased in the past at our local health store that I had not used yet!
In hopes that this wonderful oil would help my skin, since I've went through store-bought lotions and ointments, and the only thing that proved over time in actually healing my hands was that of A&D Ointment applied to my hands at night and sleeping with them covered in white gloves or new white socks -- it got to be so greasy and a pain at times, so I made the herbal infused Calendula Oil during the last of our weather's bright Sunny days and let it infuse both in the sunny window and overnight out in the open, shaking the jar gently everyday to help in the extraction of the medicinal uses in the Calendula flowers in maceration time in the oil.
I waited 8 weeks instead of the general 4 weeks before straining the oil this morning into a fresh jar to store -- and what a beautiful aroma and golden-color it had imbued over the time! I meditated on its uses as I squeezed the lovely petals between a cheese cloth into the jar, and took some time to allow the oil to moisten my hands as I felt the warmth of the Calendula on my wounds. How delightful! I stored the jar into its dark and cool spot now in my magickal herbal armoire where it's away from the light -- and just read the oil can be stored for approximately 1 year before it goes racid.
I am sure I will find many other uses for this Calendula Infused Oil in the future -- both medicinally and topically applied as well as magickal, which for I was thinking instead of ridding of the oiled herbs, may use a small bundle under running bath water for a soothing bath ritual, and the remaining herbs for a possible 'double-infusion' (since I have about 1 or 2 more ounces of fresh organic dried Calendula I had also found I didn't know I had!) for yet another infused oil. Or maybe for magickal purposes, adding some of the actual oil I made into a clear glass bottle with some of the used Calendula petals and a touch of Vitamin E oil to preserve the flowers from molding, in a Ritual that may arise; I read at the Mystical Blaze website on Calendula's magickal properties are of this:
"Calendula has a long history in magical lore.
It is bound to Sun and Fire. It is believed to be
useful for prophetic dreams, protection, respect,
and psychic powers, and to be of benefit
when legal matters arise."
The next step in my 'medicinal' makings, though, for using the Infused Calendula Oil, will follow in following the recipe for a Calendula Salve from the Healing with Calendula blog -- already got my beeswax beads and instead of the 'Optional Lavender Essential Oil' -- I may add a special touch of my own with the past Infused Goldenrod Oil I made from the flowers from our yard this past year as well!!!
Golden Blessings~
)O( Indigenous Shamanic Winds xo
Date Written/Composed: Thursday, 24 November 2011, Thanksgiving Day
