Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday!
I know how to do LOTS of stuff. I’ll show you how. Then, you can amaze your friends and family with your savvy ways, make your life easier, more beautiful, natural and eco-friendly, too!
This week’s subject is Mama’s Miracle Mending Mud!
Okay, okay… “Mending Mud” isn’t the OFFICIAL name (and despite it’s green appearance, contains no actual mud), but I want to see if I can keep all of my Tutorial Tuesday Titles All Alliteration (ahem) because I’m nerdy like that. Besides, since giving it that name, I have a couple of Shrek fans in the house who think it’s even cooler. Double win!
This week’s tutorial is special to me in a number of ways. First of all, it is probably the most handy, healing topical remedy I’ve ever encountered. Not only is it all “all natural” and (literally) as green as it gets- made from homegrown herbs and stored & sold (we’ll get there!) in recycled jars- it smells wonderful (not medicinal) so the kids and the DH don’t mind it (this is a HUGE plus in our house) and best of all, it does actually contain miracles.
I’ve personally used this remedy in my family to (almost spontaneously!) soothe and heal:
- chapped skin
- diaper rashes
- scraped knees
- sunburns
- athlete’s foot
- cold sores
- burns (from a hair straightener, to be specific)
- insect bites (from a mosquito, the little bugger!)
- cuticles & fingernails
- cracked heels
- acne
and any other skin condition we’ve encountered!
When my 5-year-old falls down outside and limps in, wimpering, “Mama… I need MUD!” the neighbors might give us funny looks, but soon… soon, my pretties, you’ll understand, too.
What’s most special to me about this salve is that the recipe comes handed down woman-to-woman across the decades, almost a rite of passage in itself! The woman who shared this with me is not only one of the most admirable people I’ve ever personally known, she also knew my dad since they went to high school together until he passed a little over a year and a half ago. His absence gives me even more reason to cherish the connections from him that remain. As if I needed an extra reason to cherish this amazing woman!
Let me tell you a few words about how I see “Mama” (or Leslie, as I call her 
before I let her tell you about herself, since “humble” is high on the list of adjectives that well describe her, despite the magnitude of what she accomplishes in a single day, every day. As she and I have developed a friendship of our own, I have come across some other words I would add to the adjective list (in no particular order): devoted, compassionate, insightful, clever, talented, creative, eloquent, patient, intelligent, resourceful, humorous, adaptable, diligent
, positive and of course, progressive!
Here’s a little about “Mama” and the “Healing Salve” in her words:
My encounter with this herbal salve began approximately 18 years ago, when my herbalist/midwife introduced it to me. I was 37 years old, expecting my 5th child, and my first home birth. Sharlene made it herself to share with her clients, family and friends, primarily using wild-crafted herbs grown in her own backyard or brought to her by others.
Absolutely wonderful for a baby’s bottom, it is also the perfect personal lubricant. Excema and “ouchies” of all sorts are relieved and healed by more than a half-dozen healing herbs which have been steeped in this olive oil based salve.
Eighteen years and four children later (and thanks to Sharlene’s generosity), I am not only still using the salve, but using her “recipe”, and sharing it with others. I keep tweaking the ingredients list to incorporate healing herbs that grow wild in our “neck of the woods” and that are specific to skin and wound issues.
Our 7th child, Ethan, was born with the umbilical cord wrapped tightly, 3 times, around his neck, compromising the oxygen supply to his brain, and causing a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Now, you are wondering what this has to do with salve…
Simply this: all proceeds from my salve sales go into an account created just for Ethan’s special needs.
So, if you decide not to go to the trouble of creating this product for yourself, and would rather order it from “Mama”, do it knowing that you will be blessing Ethan. And, may your blessing return to you in the form of healing and health.
There are three additional special ties in my heart to this particular post:
- My dad grew up with (a much more high functioning version of) Cerebral Palsy, too. You can read here and find more about his childhood, which was much improved and largely possible due to care from Shriner’s Hospitals. You can learn more about CP here.
- Many of the herbs included in the salve have been proven beneficial in treating skin cancer. There is a hole in my soul that will never be filled because Melanoma took my dad. Please, please wear sunscreen. Pale is better than pallid.
- Cerebral Palsy is considered by most health professionals to be a birth injury and largely preventable; though as we see here, not always so. If you have a child with CP, please consider sharing the story of your birth with #birthstrong to help raise awareness for a cause close to both of our hearts. Sharing is caring, and no more so than when it comes to spreading awareness about birth and preventable childhood conditions.
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| Leslie with Ethan |
Speaking of sharing, Leslie runs (in her “free” time!) S.H.A.R.E: Second Hand And Remember Ethan; a gently used clothing and houseware shop that helps support Ethan, as well. You can follow Ethan’s journey over at Ethan’s Rainbow Connection stay in touch with Leslie and her journey with Ethan, her other 7 children, grandchildren, faith, pets, rag-rugging, photography and more, via her blog, Mama’s Musings.
How to make
“Mama’s Healing Salve”
1. Grate 1.5 oz of beeswax per 1 pint of olive oil in a crock-pot on low to warm. (You can also add a bit of coconut, almond or apricot oil to suit your needs)
2. Add 6 or more of the following herbs: (obviously, you are free to add to this list and customize the salve to your specific needs. I researched SO much to link these to informative articles, click through and see what herbs might benefit you & how)
3. Leave the herbs, melted beeswax and oil in the crock-pot for 2 days on low.
4. She uses sterilized, recycled baby food jars in 2.5 & 4.0 oz. sizes. If you are making this at home, make sure the container is glass, too. As you will see in the next step, there is hot liquid involved. (and plastic is bad, mmmkay?)
5. Using cheesecloth between the funnels, add a few drops of preservative (to ensure stable shelf life- she uses benzoin) and spearmint oil in the jars before adding the hot salve to ensure even mixing.
6. Add lids, wipe the jars clean and you’re done!
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| Imagine all the healing this will do! |
and that’s
*If you don’t find the time, resources or patience needed to make your own salve and would like to contribute to Leslie helping Ethan while helping yourself and your family at the same time by purchasing the salve (at an incredibly modest price, especially compared to the remedies at Whole Foods!) the contact and ordering information is below.
Prices are as follows:
- $5.00 for a 4.0 oz jar
- $3.50 for a 2.5 oz jar
*Plus, $3/jar for packaging/postage
Contact: leslie.ainsworth@gmail.com to place your order.
Payments made via the email address above at
Paypal.
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