Homemade Drawing Salve For Splinters

An open glass jar of black drawing salve with herbs surrounding it, and a labeled lid next to it. A text overlay reads "Black Drawing Salve For Splinters + Insect Bites"

A drawing salve is an herbal medicine that is as old as time. Certain plants and other natural materials function to physically "draw" things out of the body. You can put this action to good use in a drawing salve to help pull out splinters, pathogens from insect bites, boils, small pieces of glass, and any foreign bodies or substances embedded in the skin.

This salve is based off of an old Amish recipe that uses charcoal as the main drawing agent. I took the original recipe and tweaked it because I specifically wanted a black drawing salve to use on tick bites.

Two fingers with black drawing salve on them.

What is in black drawing salve?

Many Lyme-literate herbal practitioners recommend using the herb andrographis directly on tick bites to help stimulate the body's natural immune response and work as a natural antimicrobial. You can do that through a tincture, but have you ever tried to get a liquid tincture to stay on a tick bite on a four year old? Yeah, ain't happening. So I decided to instead infuse it into my black drawing salve.

The herbs for black drawing salve laid out on a board and labeled - chickweed, andrigraphis, calendula, and plaintain.

Along with the andrographis, I infused calendula (to soothe the skin), plantain (another skin soother with drawing action), and chickweed (to help aid in healing and reduce inflammation) in the base oil. I'd say if you just go with andrographis and calendula, you'll have one heck of a powerful salve on your hands! But plantain and chickweed are both pretty easy to forage for in the springtime around here, so I added them just for kicks.

How to Make Drawing Salve

First, you will need to know how to infuse an herbal oil to create this salve. We covered it a bit in my Poison Ivy Salve recipe, but let's deep dive here. There are really two ways to create an herbal oil—solar/lunar infusions and heat infusions. A solar/lunar infusion is quite literally sitting a jar filled with oil (I like extra virgin olive oil for medicinal preparations and sweet almond or fractionated coconut oil for cosmetic preparations) and herbs in a sunny or moony (is that a word?) spot for 4-6 weeks, until the oil absorbs most of the medicinal properties from the herbs. You then strain and use. This is the way I almost always infuse my oils. It takes some time, but I've heard that patience is a virtue.

Glass jar filled with oil and herbs for black drawing salve.

If you're short on time, you can also infuse the oil over a double boiler on the stove on a very, very low burner (you don't want deep-fried herbs here). This will reduce your infusing time down from a few weeks to just a few hours. How do you know when it's finished? Well, it depends on the herb, but a good rule of thumb is that when the oil has taken on the color and smell of the herb pretty strongly, it's ready to go. You then strain through cheesecloth and use.

Glass bowl filled with herbs and oil set over simmering water, to infuse the oil

After the oil is made, the rest of the salve-making process is as simple as melting some beeswax into the oil along with a few other ingredients until it's smooth. Then pour into a jar, label, and have it stashed in your tick kit for the next time you get a bite!.

An open glass jar of black drawing salve with herbs surrounding it, and a labeled lid next to it.

How do I use black drawing salve?

To use, just place a big glob onto the affected area and then cover with a large bandage. Activated charcoal tends to stain fabric, so you don't want it touching your clothing or furniture. Leave the salve on the spot for at least 24 hours, then, in the case of splinters and other foreign bodies, check if it's moved enough to grab it with tweezers. For tick and other insect bites, after 24 hours, you can remove the salve, clean the spot, and then either let it be open to air or cover it with another bandage—whatever feels good to you.

Antimicrobial Black Drawing Salve for Tick Bites and Splinters

Yield: 4 ounces

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

A Black Drawing Salve can help pull out splinters, serve as an antimicrobial, and soothe inflamed skin.

Ingredients

For the Oil

1 part dried andrographis
1 part dried or fresh calendula flowers (if fresh, see notes)
1 part fresh chickweed (see notes)
1 part fresh plantain (see notes)
Organic extra virgin olive oil

For the Salve

1/2 cup infused oil
1 tablespoon beeswax pellets
2 tablespoons activated charcoal
2 tablespoons bentonite clay
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E, optional, works as a preservative
20 drops lavender essential oil, optional, works as a skin soother
10 drops tea tree essential oil, optional, works as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory

Instructions

To infuse the oil using the solar method : Place the herbs in a wide mouth pint-sized mason jar, filling the jar about 2/3 full. Using a marker or piece of tape, mark the top level of the herbs on the outside of the jar. Then cover the herbs with 1" of the oil. The herbs may float, but just fill the jar until the oil reaches 1" above the marking. Set in a sunny spot for 4-6 weeks, shaking daily (or as often as you remember). Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve before using.
To infuse the oil using a double boiler : Fill a saucepan with 1" of water, then place a glass bowl over top. Bring the water to a gentle simmer, and then add in about 1 cup of olive oil to about 1/2 cup of mixed herbs. Let infuse over a very low burner for 2-3 hours, or until the oil takes on the color and scent of the herbs. Do not let the oil get hot enough to cook the herbs. It's best to err on the side of too cool here. I prefer to use the smallest burner on my stove at its lowest setting. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve before using.
To make the salve : Fill a saucepan with 1" of water, then place a glass bowl over top. Bring the water to a gentle simmer. Add in the beeswax and 1/2 cup of the infused oil. Stir constantly until the wax is completely melted. Remove from heat, and then add in the charcoal, clay, vitamin E, and essential oils, and stir until completely smooth. Pour into a glass container and let cool completely. Label and store.
To use on tick and other insect bites : Place a heaping glob on the clean bite site, then cover with a large bandage (the salve will stain). Remove after 24 hours.
To use on splinters, embedded glass, and other foreign objects: Place a heaping glob on the clean site and cover with a large bandage. Check after 12 hours to see if the foreign object has moved enough to be grabbed with tweezers. If not, apply more of the salve and check again in another 12 hours. Deep splinters might take a few days. If the site becomes inflamed, red, warm, has pus, or shows any other signs of being infected, immediately contact your healthcare professional.

Notes

When using fresh herbs, it's important to "fresh wilt" the herbs to get a little bit of the moisture out of them before adding them to the oil. Oil and water don't mix! To fresh wilt, just place the herbs in a warm, dry spot (sun works, too) until they are floppy and a bit shriveled—it shouldn't take more than a few hours.

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