Ancient Tree-sap Salve

A pure & traditional tree-sap salve.  Non-herbal.

There are only five natural ingredients in Ancient Tree-sap Salve.

Pretty simple & cool, right?!  They have Not Changed but have been in use for Eons.

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Dark Colophony & Pine Gum Resin.  Beeswax.  Local Elderberry Branches.  Balsam Fir Resin from Canada.  

Hand rendered local Leaf Lard.

Three of the five ingredients are sourced righthand here in Wallowa County.

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3 Medicinal Ingredients

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• Local Elderberry Branches/Bark - Sustainably wild harvested or self-grown elderberry branches & bark that grows naturally

                                                            in the forests or my back pasture.  Naturally organic.  Strong medicine.

I am in gratitude of our local supply of elderberry shrubs & enjoy "going to the woods" to view & harvest this wondrous & generous plant.  Elderberry has been used by native cultures for thousands of years.  For healing purposes.  It is recongnized by the FDA as an approved homeopathic drug.  It has been studied extensively by institutions all around the world.

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Elderberry is known to be anti-fungal (works great on

toe fungus), anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory 

(cools things down) & it is a powerful antioxidant.  Elderberry stimulates the immune system,

       is an immune booster, is rich in phytochemical, thus it helps to

      protect the body's cells from harm.  It is an anti-oxidant due to the 

                purple pigment in the branches, flowers & fruits.  

               It enhances the body's immune system & response.

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• Dark & Light Lump Pine Rosin also called Colophony.  Also known as Dark Pine Colophoy, Lump Rosin or Pitch Pine.

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Wow!  This has been a confusing term.  This ingredient, pine rosin, comes to us from the glorious, stately & tall pine trees in the forest.  It is aromatic, good for the senses, mind & soul.  Pine is believed to be strengthening, cleansing & has long been held sacred in many cultures.  Pine rosin has a mild citrus-like, green & balsamic fragrance.  Native Americans' used pine in their incense mixtures & chewed it to treat throat infection. They also used the resin to seal & heal wounds & bruises.  Pine resin tends to "knit" the skin.  Pitch pine carries the healing properties of being anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory &

anti-microbial.  It kills the really little things that can infect you.  If anyone has information about pine rosin, a source & harvesting methods, please share!

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In the ancient book Natural Science, Hildegard von Bingen wrote of pine:  "The pine tree is more warm than cold & contains energies & powers.  The tree is a symbol for strength".

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Celtic & German ancestors believed the pine tree to be a source of protection from negative energies.  Pine was burned in sick rooms to strengthen the healing process.  According to older herb books, pine strengthens the nerves & gives energy, courage & emotional strength.  To Christians' the pine tree is a symbol of light & life.  Pine rosin, also known as Colophony or Greek Pitch, is a solid form of resin obtained from pine trees & some other plants, mostly conifers, produced by heating fresh liquid resin to vaporize the volatile liquid terpene components.  It is semi-transparent & varies in color from yellow to black.  At room temperature rosin is brittle, but it will melt at stovetop temperatures.  When it is sourced from the South Atlantic & Eastern Gulf states, it is called American Rosin.

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Pine needle essential oil was investigated by Hippocrates, who's considered the father of Western medicine, for its' beneficial effects on the respiratory system.  The oil has been noted for it's anti-septic properties.  Native Americans' stuffed bedding with pine needles to repel lice & fleas.  Pine oil has been used for sore joints & muscles & shares many of the same properties of Eucalyptus.  Blending these oils together is said to enhance the effectiveness of both.  Important for rejuvenating the adrenal glands.

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• Canadian Fir Balsam Resin or Balsam Fir Resin

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This wonderfully aromatic oil/resin is bright & uplifting to the mid plus grounding & relaxing to the body.  Indigenous People, shamans, & medicine men have used balsam fir for thousands of years as it is a noted healer of wounds, an analgesic (calms the pain/discomfort) & is a stimulant.  Like many of the needle oils, balsam fir oil can be included in massage & healing ointments like Ancient Tree-sap Salve to help arthritic, muscular aches & pains, rheumatism & stiff joints.  Balsam Fir has also been used as an expectorant for bronchial conditions related to colds & has been researched for its effect on clearing the air of germs & bacteria.  This ingredient works well to heal infections, burns, staph, surface cuts, insect bites, boils, slivers, road rash, diabetic sores, even sore throats & stomach ulcers.  Balsam fir is native to Eastern North America, primarily to Quebec, Nova Scotia & Maine.

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2 Base Ingredients

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• Unbleached & Unpasteurized Natural, Locally Raised & Personally Rendered Old-Fashioned Leaf Lard

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Leaf lard has gotten so popular in the last 10 years, hurray!  Many people do not remember or know what Leaf Lard is.  It is a product from our grand-parents day back before everything was processed, pasteurized  & made in food factories.  Leaf Lard is an animal product.  It replaces the bear & elk tallow that was originally used in the Tribal Recipe. I personally work with our local community to obtain this ingredient.  Leaf lard is great for making pie crusts.  This type of lard comes from the interior cavity area, not the skin, of ethically & naturally raised hogs here in the county.  I personally render this "kidney fat" into leaf lard.  Just recently Leaf lard has started to become available commercially.  When I started my salve business in 2010 this was not so, it was rather difficult to find.  Leaf Lard is Not anything like the yellow often times rancid pasteurized lard you buy in the store.  My self-rendered leaf lard is white, light, odorless & flaky.  It carries its' own healing  properties.  Obviously, since bear, deer and/or elk fat & tallow isn't readily available, leaf lard had to replaced these in the authentic Native American recipe. This is the only change that's been made to the familys' revered recipe.  Just like Chicken Noodle Soup, there is something about this kidney fat ingredient that helps the body to heal itself, knit itself & retain moisture.  I know that many of you are respectful of the animal world, as am I, & I am sorry to not change this ingredient in your honor.  I've tried.  And it's not the same.  Ancient Tree-sap Salve would not/is not the same without using this natural ingredient.

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• Unbleached & Unprocessed Raw Natural Beeswax 

When possible, I acquire 'bee caps' that are harvested by our local apiary who harvests from the very busy bees.  These very busy bees get to live up on the mountain slopes below Ferguson Ridge, McCully Creek & Mt. Howard here in Wallowa County.  The hives generally are located in forest settings.  I gather the 'capping' from my friends & again, self-render the beeswax, separating it from all the organic matter.  This beeswax is like heaven to me.  As the smell & feel of it is wholesome & real.  I thank our Wallowas County bees & bee people.  May you always survive our winters here & become plentiful in the spring & summers!  Beeswax is well known to be an emulsifier/moisturizer.  It has anti-bacterial & anti-aging properties.  It is used to thicken natural lotions & salves, lip balms & creams.  It helps to bind ingredients together.  And it helps to bind or "knit" the skin.

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All SSC products are cruelty-free products.  All SSC's recipes & products are Not Tested by the FDA.

These healing salves have been used regularly on people, animal & trees for millennia.  

It is unknown when the recipe was formally created or by whom or for what purpose.  We just know that it is old, an "Old Indian Recipe" that came to the family in the mid 1860's.  It works.  It continues to work & has helped many people from all walks of life to help themselves & their loved ones naturally, quickly & completely with less scarring.

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Spot test before first use

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Avoid eyes.  Consult your physician.  Consult physician if you are pregnant.

External use only.  All ingredients are "shelf-stable" if kept cool & dry.

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Keep your SSC salves in a cool & dry place.  Should it crystallize & become grainy like honey, a natural occurrence if the salve is not

kept cool & dry, just warm up the tin by slowly reheating it at a low temperature oven, 170 degrees or so, stir, then let it re-cool

again & solidify.  Now you're good to go!

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If your tin of salve is cold & hard, simply warm it in the palms of your hands to soften it a bit, as needed. 

It is easier to apply if you do so.

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All SSC salves are hand-crafted one batch at at time.  It's the only way!

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I feel like an alchemist, concocting some infamous formula, stirring carefully, my vat of liquid gold salve.  The room smells wonderful, enlightened & earthy.  My Ancient Tree-sap Salve is generally a deep rich amber color.  The color may vary with the seasons & as to when the ingredients are harvested.  It is produced here at my home which is known as Ruby Peak Retreat.  We have a most spectacular view of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, specifically Ruby Peak in Wallowa County, Oregon.  This area is a source of inspiration, for others & myself.  Deer & cougars.  Eagles & hawks, fox & elk, many living beings.  A source of health & freedom.

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This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.  This product has not been tested no approved by the FDA.

Avoid eye contact.  Consult health practitioner.  Keep your tin of Cottonwood salve cool & dry.

Cottonwood

A "pure" & traditional tree-sap salve, non-herbal.

1 Medicinal Ingredient

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• Cottonwood Bud Resin, Populus trichocarpa

In early spring myself & a friend or two voyage out to the 'Creek" to hand harvest from the riparian zones the buds from wind blown or beaver fallen cottonwood trees & branches.  The swollen buds are full of reddish sticky resin that is very fragrant - reminiscent of pine & honey.  This resin contains medicinal properties that eases pain & helps to heal damaged & stressed muscles, joints & tendons.  "Populus" means the people's tree & probably comes from the fact that cottonwood has proved to be medicinally useful for centuries.  Salacin, the same element as aspirin has been used to lower fevers, reduce pain & inflammation.  This resin has been used to waterproof boxes & baskets.  The bark has been used to make buckets for storing & carrying food.

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** Sorry, but if you are allergic to aspirin & salicin, Do Not Use this salve ** 

Try my Sunny SunShine Salve.

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My cottonwood oil is made by soaking the self-collected lot of swollen buds in olive oil for 6 to 9 months.  It is helpful for swollen arthritic joints, sore muscles, strain/sprains & makes a great massage oil.  It is high in antioxidants which is useful to rehydrate & help the skin.  Think sunburn & cracked winter hands/heels/cuticles.

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When I think of cottonwood, I think of salmon & salmon tribal people.  Living within the shade of decadent huge 200+ foot high cottonwood trees filtering the strong sunlight, providing shade.  Cottonwood resin is called "bee glue" as bees gather it to seal up their hives to protect themselves from invading insects & microbes.  It is an ingredient in propolis.  Cottonwoods also produce a rooting hormone.  An ingenious adaptation that helps broken branches float down rivers or streams to re-root in a new stream bank.  

Just some interesting facts about Cottonwood trees.

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Eczema, psoriasis, very dry skin, deep muscle issues, chronic discomfort, post-surgery recovery, skin irritations, sunburned skin.  Pain relieving & anti-inflammatory.  Relief for cold sores & herpes outbreaks.  Use topically.  Strains/sprains, chronic deep tissue issues.

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2 Base Ingredient

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• Olive Oil, Extra Virgin

Olive oil is used extensively in nature based skin care products & it makes a great base ingredient or carrier oil for this Cottonwood Salve.

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• Natural Unprocessed Beeswax

I purchase the beeswax that is used in this recipe from reputable companies or I purchase it locally.  We all know of the benefits associated with natural beeswax.  Beeswax is known to be an emulsifier/moisturizer, it has anti-bacterial & anti-aging properties.  It is used to thicken natural lotions & salves, lip balms & creams.  It helps to bind ingredients together.  And it helps to bind or 'knit' the skin.

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Spot Test Before Your Use

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This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.  This product has not been tested no approved by the FDA.

**Please note:  those of you who are allergic to aspirin should not use this Cottonwood salve**

** Do Not Use if allergic to salicin products**

Avoid eye contact.  Consult health practitioner.  Keep your tin of Cottonwood salve cool & dry.