Please help with Jewelweed Soap?

[LovelyLathers]

Does anyone make a jewelweed soap? How do you add it? I have reseached it for days and I am more confused then ever. I have read using it fresh can cause it to go rancid. I have also read to use it fresh pureed with using the whole plant roots and all, but then I read infuse it fresh but then again in another site it said not to infuse it fresh but only dried. Also does anyone make a salve using it? Thanks for any info.

[wildangel112]

I make my Jewelweed soap using infused oil (from dried Jewelweed) and I also add a bit of extra infused oil before dumping in my mold. Haven't yet tried a salve though I do, on occasion make Jewelweed lotion sticks. They sell, but not remotely as well as the soap.

Rena

[gloworm]

I made some about a month ago, ironically just before my son & I got a case of poison ivy! Just like you I found very little info and what I found was contradictory. I ended up just processing the jewelweed like I would a fruit when I make jelly. I pureed the JW in the food processor and boiled it in water. Then I hung it to drip in a jelly bag & collected the juice which I used for the water portion of my lye solution. The soap seemed lye heavy but has improved with a cure to where I don't get my tongue zapped now. It was also brittle so my hubby cut it on his band saw for me.

Here is some info I found on making a salve:

For the infused oil use a 1/3 c of dried plant

material , put it in a mason jar or something like

that. Add enough good quality olive oil to

fully cover the plant material. Check the jar

after several hours to see if the herb has absorbed

all the oil. If all the oil has been absorbed add

another inch or so, then cover the jar with an

unbleached coffee filter and secure it with a

rubberband. Let the oil infuse in a window sill for 10

days, then strain the plant material and compost it.

TO MAKE A SALVE: WARM ONE CUP OF INFUSED OIL OF

CHOICE(DONT BOIL) IN A SEPARATE POT MELT 1 OZ OF

BEESWAX POUR WAX INTO WARMED OIL TO TEST CONSISTANCY.

PUT A DAB ON A PLATE AND PUT IT IN THE FREEZER FOR A

MINUTE TILL ITS COOLED THEN TRY IT ON YOURE SKIN. IT

HAS A SHELF LIFE OF ONE YEAR

HTH,

Glo

BTW the jewelweed plant really works to prevent poison ivy-I knew I was in the ivy and I squashed the jewelweed plant and rubbed it all over my legs. The patch I missed was up by my knee (didn't think the ivy had reached up that far) & blossomed into a horrible patch of rash for me. Left a nasty scar too.

[LovelyLathers]

Thanks for the info and the help. Did you find that the soap helped with the itching and to dry it up? I read conflicting reports on that too. So many people ask me for it so I thought I would give it a try. I found the same info on the salve, I am going to try it but when it says plant material do they mean the roots and all? I think that is what they mean from other things I have read.

[gloworm]

Well we didn't get to use it as it wasn't cured while our ivy was still bad. I have read all the conflicting info also but like you have been asked about it by some people. Everything I read said to use just the above the ground plant parts and leave the roots in the ground.

Connie

Hey I see you have one more post than me!!

[wildangel112]

Being highly allergic to poison ivy, I can say that it helps with the itching, as well as drying it up. I lather it up, pat the lather thickly on the PI patches and let it dry. We've also been told by several of our customers that it's excellent for itchy insect bites as well. Being here in La., home of the 'killer mosquitos', wasn't hard to test that one, and it does work.

Rena

[AnitaG]

we have used Rena's & love it.

[wildangel112]

Thank you for the kind words, Anita . I'm so happy ya'll have enjoyed it.

Rena

[LovelyLathers]

Thanks for all the help. Rena how much do you infuse per lb of oils. Does 4 cups sound about right or more? I have it dring now and can't wait to make it. Also Do you do a high co and lard oil recipe to help with the drying of the PI?

[wildangel112]

Thanks for all the help. Rena how much do you infuse per lb of oils. Does 4 cups sound about right or more? I have it dring now and can't wait to make it. Also Do you do a high co and lard oil recipe to help with the drying of the PI?

I do my infusions in quart masons, filling the jar about 1/4 of the way with dried herb and the remainder with oil. A bit more herb won't hurt but certainly isn't neccesary. As to my recipe, I've tried several with the Jewelweed to test for effectiveness, including high co and/or lard recipes. Neither myself nor my customers found any difference in the performance of the Jewelweed, so I've stuck with my favorite base recipe and the soap's performance speaks for itself. Best of luck to you with your Jewelweed soap and remember, your infused oil will work nicely in Jewelweed sticks as well.

Rena