53. Healing Herbal Oils: How To Make and Use Them - Kami McBride

Every woman throughout time has taken some kind of plant and some kind of fat, put them together and used it as medicine. Herbal body oils are the One Remedy to Rule Them All. And no one knows more about making and using them than Kami McBride.

IN THE INTRO:

• Ancient sacrament, modern necessity

• Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils online course

IN THE INTERVIEW:

• How herbal oils came into Kami’s life and immediately replaced petroleum based products
• If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin
• Kami’s favorite herbs for oil making
• Mugwort as a deepening, driving, carrying herb
• St. John’s Wort for bruises, burns, cuts, eczema, growing pains, inflamed skin, muscle pain, nerve pain, neck tension, spasms, back pain, insomnia, anxiety, relaxation, children’s health, smashed fingers and a million other things
• How oiling nourishes and calms the nervous system
• If the skin is dry, then the nerves are dry- this dehydration makes us feel agitated and irritated and anxious (and is exacerbated in summer and fall), “Oil is the antidote to nervousness”
• The skin is an immunological organ- why oiling is so important for supporting optimal lymphatic and immune system health
• Using oils with kids
• Earlobe oiling! Game changer
• Herbal oils for sleep support- goodnight insomnia
• When you study herbalism you’re also learning about the earth and the human body
• No one can tell you how much of an herbal preparation to take- even doctor’s dosage recommendations are guesses (know thyself!)
• How herbal body oiling helps you develop deep listening to and knowledge of your body
• Embedding self care into the culture
• All the places where Kami keeps little bottles of oil for immediate access
• How oils helped revive Kami’s ailing great aunt
• The skin as a reflection of internal health
• How making an herbal oil is different from making an herbal tincture

MAKING OILS:

• Learning to make shelf stable and potent herbal oils 
• How to know which herbs to use fresh and which to use dry
• Preventing spoilage when making fresh plant oils: the 5 things to pay attention to (FLAHM)
• Using alcohol in your oil making for greater potency and preservation
• The most controversial of all oil making questions- should you solar infuse your oils?
• There’s not just one way to make your herbal medicine- herbalism is vast
• If you’re making a blend, should you make separate oils and blend later or just put all the herbs into one jar?
• Should you oil your face? And our skin care practices
• “Every woman throughout time has taken some kind of plant and some kind of fat, put it together and used it as some kind of medicine”
• Why making your own oils will save you SO MUCH MONEY
• Oils are the least amount of effort for the most return home remedy and are such an effective and easy place to start your herbal journey
• All the first aid uses for herbal oils

LINKS:

• Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils online course

• Mythic Medicinals St. John’s Wort Oil
• Dr. Vasant Lad and the Ayurvedic Institute
• Medicine Stories Patreon 
• Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? Quiz
• Medicine Stories Facebook group
• Mythic Medicine on Instagram
• Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)