Cayenne & Ginger Salve

I originally saw this recipe on Learning Herbs website. I was intrigued to try it, mainly since I have a friend that has been in constant pain lately with some of her muscles. Her chiropractor told her to apply warm, moist heat to the area a few times a day. So I thought I would give this a try to see if it would help with her pain. I made some changes to the recipe to fit her needs. I found an article (at the Nerdy Farm Wife's blog) talking about the benefits of Ginger powder and how one of the salves for pain they use Ginger powder. So I decided to combine the two.

The Learning Herbs site claims, "This recipe is a super simple salve that can be made up very quickly and bring big-time pain relief." P.S. Their recipe does not contain Ginger in it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• Two heaping teaspoons of organic Cayenne Powder
  
• 2 heaping teaspoons of organic Chinese Ginger Powder
  
• 1/2 ounce of Beeswax (Available at Mountain Rose Herbs)
  
• Double boiler
  
• Cheesecloth

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by infusing the cayenne into the olive oil over a double burner.
2. I heat the oil and cayenne until it is warm, turn off the heat and let it sit (warmly) for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat on again.
3. I do this for at least one hour to a couple of hours, you could do it for 24 hours if desired.
4. Once the cayenne and olive oil have been infused, strain off the powder through a cheesecloth. Reserve the infused oil.
5. Heat the beeswax until it is melted. Stir in the infused oil until the beeswax and oil have been thoroughly melted together and combined.
6. Immediately pour this mixture into jars or tins. (Makes roughly 4 ounces).
7. Let it cool and then label it.

Using the Cayenne & Ginger Salve

"This cayenne & ginger salve is best for closed wounds and may sting a bit on open wounds. Even on closed skin you may feel a bit of burning or heat in the area where it is used. It should be applied externally only and used within 6 months for the best results.

If using it for arthritic pain it may take up to a week or two to see results. In this case you want to use it daily to decrease chronic pain.

Caution: When cayenne comes in contact with your mucosal membranes or eyes it will burn! Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching cayenne or use gloves to apply the salve to the desired area. If you are using the cayenne salve on your hands, consider applying it at night and then sleeping with gloves on." - Herb Mentor

Cayenne for Pain
Cayenne is famous for reducing many types of pain. It works by effecting 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, shingles, migraine headaches, back aches, arthritis, menstrual cramps and bruises.