A DIY recipe that is so simple it is embarrassing. Just a few ingredients that are so effective it puts most pain drugs and therapies out of business. Caution: When cayenne pepper comes in contact with your mucosal membranes or eyes, it may burn! Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching cayenne and consider using gloves to apply the salve.
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup organic olive oil (or 1/4 cup each coconut oil and olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon ground or powdered organic cayenne peppers
- 1 1/2 tablespoon unbleached beeswax pellets, beads, or shaved beeswax
- Natural Cheesecloth
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder or flakes
Directions:
Step One: The first thing you are going to do is infuse the oil. This can be done in the top of a double boiler, or if you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a Pyrex measuring cup, or mason jar, sitting in a water bath in a pan on top of the stove. Combine the oil(s) and the cayenne in your vessel and set aside.
Step Two: Heat the water until it boils then turn down the flame to low. Set in the jar of oil and cayenne and let it steep in the water bath for about 30 minutes. Turn off the burner.
Step Three: Stir up your infusion and let it sit for a few hours, or even the whole day.
Step Four: After the infusion has finished steeping, then repeat phases #2 and #3.
Optional: If you get lazy and let your infusion sit around for a few days, it may make it stronger, or more potent, but it certainly does not hurt. If the oil congeals, before proceeding to the next step, gently heat the infusion so that it becomes liquid again.
Step Five: After the second phase, get out your cheesecloth and strain the infused oil into a clean glass cup or mason glass jar. Hopefully you will remove most of the powdered spice which, while not a bother, can feel a bit gritty on the skin.
If you want to remove more of the powder, you can place the cheesecloth on top of a small strainer to “double strain” it as you pour it through.
Step Seven: When done, pour your liquid salve into a jar or tin and allow it to cool. Make sure to label it!
The salve sets up quickly. The image is within minutes of pouring it into the jar.
This will make about 4 ounces but can easily be doubled or tripled.
Note: If you grow your own cayenne peppers, you can dry them out and use a mortar and pestle to grind them up. Cayenne peppers are very easy to grow. Just a few bushes will yield all the peppers the average family will need unless they eat hot peppers for every meal or
Note: If you grow your own cayenne peppers, you can dry them out and use a mortar and pestle to grind them up. Cayenne peppers are very easy to grow. Just a few bushes will yield all the peppers the average family will need unless they eat hot peppers for every meal or you put them into every bottle of oil you buy.
Variations
- Because the smell is not very attractive, you can increase pain-relieving benefits, and make it smell better, add 8 to 10 drops of clove bud or peppermint essential oil to the salve. You will want to do this before you add the warm liquid to your jar or tin then stir it up a bit after the fact.
- If you have swelling and/or inflammation, you could add ginger and/or turmeric powder and combine it with the Cayenne. Both spices have their own healing properties that would be useful in a salve.
- The last variation: you can make your Cayenne Salve in a stick, or lotion bar form. The only change in the formula would be to use 2.5 tablespoons of beeswax pellets. For some, rolling on the salve may be more desirable then dipping your fingers into a jar. You can purchase empty stick containers to use for this purpose, or you can also re-use old deodorant containers.
Cayenne Salve for Pain Relief
Materials
- 1/2 cup organic olive oil (or 1/4 cup each coconut oil and olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon ground or powdered organic cayenne peppers
- 1 ½ tablespoon unbleached beeswax pellets, beads, or shaved beeswax
- Natural Cheesecloth
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder or flakes Optional
Instructions
- The first thing you are going to do is infuse the oil. This can be done in the top of a double boiler, or if you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a Pyrex measuring cup, or mason jar, sitting in a water bath in a pan on top of the stove. Combine the oil(s) and the cayenne in your vessel and set aside.
- Heat the water until it boils then turn down the flame to low. Set in the jar of oil and cayenne and let it steep in the water bath for about 30 minutes. Turn off the burner.
- Stir up your infusion and let it sit for a few hours, or even the whole day.
- After the infusion has finished steeping, then repeat phases #2 and #3.Optional: If you get lazy and let your infusion sit around for a few days, it may make it stronger, or more potent, but it certainly does not hurt. If the oil congeals, before proceeding to the next step, gently heat the infusion so that it becomes liquid again.
- After the second phase, get out your cheesecloth and strain the infused oil into a clean glass cup or mason glass jar. Hopefully you will remove most of the powdered spice which, while not a bother, can feel a bit gritty on the skin.If you want to remove more of the powder, you can place the cheesecloth on top of a small strainer to “double strain” it as you pour it through.
- Add the beeswax and return your infused oil and beeswax mixture to the water bath. Set the burner on low and allow the beeswax to melt, stirring occasionally – Do NOT boil. You want a nice slow melt.
- When done, pour your liquid salve into a jar or tin and allow it to cool. Make sure to label it!The salve sets up quickly. The image is within minutes of pouring it into the jar.This will make about 4 ounces but can easily be doubled or tripled.
Notes
- Because the smell is not very attractive, you can increase pain-relieving benefits, and make it smell better, add 8 to 10 drops of clove bud or peppermint essential oil to the salve. You will want to do this before you add the warm liquid to your jar or tin then stir it up a bit after the fact.
- If you have swelling and/or inflammation, you could add ginger and/or turmeric powder and combine it with the Cayenne. Both spices have their own healing properties that would be useful in a salve.
- The last variation: you can make your Cayenne Salve in a stick, or lotion bar form. The only change in the formula would be to use 2.5 tablespoons of beeswax pellets. For some, rolling on the salve may be more desirable then dipping your fingers into a jar. You can purchase empty stick containers to use for this purpose, or you can also re-use old deodorant containers.
How to Use Cayenne Salve
This salve is great for aches and pains, including joint pain from arthritis, sore muscles, stiffness swelling an inflammation. It is NOT a good idea to use on open wounds, as it may sting. Also, it may stain so be mindful of your clothing. If you are using the cayenne salve as an herbal pain relief on your hands, consider applying it at night and then sleeping with gloves on.
That said, one thing you can do to prevent staining is to really rub it in well. You want to massage it gently into your achy muscles and not simply let it sit on top of the skin. It you skin becomes stained, use a bit of distilled white vinegar to clean it up.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it may take a few days to a week to begin to feel relief:
“Pain may get slightly worse at first, but then may get better over the next few days. Capsaicin should be applied regularly several times a day. It usually takes 3 – 7 days before you notice substantial pain relief.”
On the other hand, many people report that it begins working immediately, and they get instant pain relief.
What you need to know:
- Cayenne works to relieve pain but it’s also a blood thinner internally, so if you’re anemic, this isn’t something you should take w/o consulting with your doctor. If you’re on some form of blood thinner, again, consult with your doctor.
- For those who produce too much iron in the blood (hemochromatosis), this will ease that condition because cayenne binds iron to it as it passes through the body.
Cayenne is famous for reducing many types of pain. It works by affecting your nervous system. Substance P is a neurotransmitter that relays information and results in what we call pain. Capsaicin, a major constituent of cayenne peppers, blocks substance P and therefore reduces pain. When cayenne is used topically, it can relieve many different types of pain, from diabetic neuropathy to shingles, migraine headaches, back aches, arthritis, menstrual cramps and bruises.
