Nonna's Boo-boo Balm

Based on an old folk recipe passed down to us, this personal care product is made by steeping our garden grown herbs in high quality Olive Oil. We then blend in liquid Vitamin E oil, essential oils of Rosemary and Lavender, and local beeswax.

Considered by many to be a ‘do it all’ balm, it is perfect for traditionally supporting healthy skin in the face of adversity.

This small-batch balm is made right here in our kitchen using only the finest botanical ingredients.

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Marigold/Calendula, Comfrey, Plantain, St John's Wort, Yarrow, Jewelweed, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Essential Rosemary, Essential Lavender.

1 oz / 28 g tin

* * * * * * * * * *

Herbal folk lore: We provide descriptions solely for information and education.

• Olive Oil - Olive oil is steeped (pun intended!) in folklore and mythology, with many cultures associating it with sacredness, fertility, and rebirth. Olive oil has been used in folk medicine for a variety of conditions, including:
  • Skin conditions: Olive oil can be used in ointments to treat eczema, psoriasis, and insect bites.
  • Digestive issues: Olive oil can be used as a laxative or to treat other gastrointestinal issues like gallstones.
  • Pain: Olive oil can be used to treat joint pain, rheumatic pain, and migraine.
  • Infections: Olive oil can be used to treat urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, and other infections.
  • Mental health: Olive oil can be used to treat anxiety and depression.
  • Wound healing: Olive oil can be used to treat wounds, burns, and skin damage.
• Marigold/Calendula - In Europe, marigolds were believed to have magical healing properties and were picked at Midsummer. Wreaths of marigolds hung over a door were thought to prevent evil from entering. Marigold has long been recognized as a medicinal flower to address cuts, soars and general skin care, because it contains essential oils and a high concentration of flavonoids (secondary plant substances), such as carotene.
• Comfrey - COMFREY, a magical herb of folklore, was once thought to cure the ailments of man or beast. The old herbalists, Gerard and Parkinson, described the benefits of comfrey. It is still sometimes used in cough medicine. Health food devotees now drink comfrey tea. Its generic name, Symphytum, derives from the Greek, meaning “to make grow together or bind,” as a wound. <https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/02/archives/herb-of-folklore.html>
• Plantain - Plantain was considered a herb of protection by the Anglo-Saxons. In Scotland, people wore plantain root necklaces to avoid being abducted by faeries. Native Americans used plantain as a cure-all, treating bruises, headaches, rheumatism, burns, insect stings, and snakebites. Herbalists use plantain to treat coughs, wounds, inflamed skin, and insect bites. Plantain symbolizes healing, protection, and resilience.
• St John's Wort - St John's Wort has been in cultivation since around 1600. Native to Britain, Europe and North Africa, the common name is a corruption of 'toute-saine' meaning 'heal all', reflecting the supposed myriad of medicinal uses it once had. Surrounded by mythology it has been clearly valued culturally since Ancient Greece, when Hypericum perforatum (known as perforate St John's wort) in particular was considered to provide protection from devils and evil spirits. Since then it has also been linked with light and rebirth, and until fairly recently, has been used in many parts of Europe in rituals associated with the feast of St John, Christmas and the summer solstice. During the Middle Ages it was also even thought to act as a fertility aid for women unable to conceive. <https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/archivists-garden/index-by-plant-name/st-johns-wort>
• Yarrow - Yarrow has been long recognized as a protective, healing plant. Achilles, after whom yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is named, was reputed to have used yarrow to heal wounds on the battle field. In fact, yarrow has a long-standing reputation among herbalists in Europe, North America, and Asia for its ability to slow and stop the flow of blood. Part of yarrow’s magic is the ability to slow the flow of energy going to a wound to a rate that aids in healing. Yarrow magic is the magic of intentional restraint. <Candace Hunter, The Practical Herbalist - https://thepracticalherbalist.com/advanced-herbalism/yarrow-myth-and-magic/>
• Jewelweed - Jewelweed has a long history of use in Native American medicine. When applied topically, sap from the stem and leaves is said to relieve itching and pain from a variety of ailments, including hives, poison ivy, stinging nettle, and other skin sores and irritations. The sap has also been shown to have anti-fungal properties and can be used to treat athlete’s foot. Jewelweed makes a lovely addition to native plant gardens that are located in moist, partially shaded areas. Not only are the flowers aesthetically pleasing, so are the hummingbirds, bumblebees, and butterflies that are attracted to the flowers. <U.S. Forest Service https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/impatiens_capensis.shtml>
• Beeswax - Beeswax is used for high cholesterol, pain, fungal skin infections, and other conditions. Beeswax might help lower cholesterol levels, prevent infections, and help protect the stomach from ulcers caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Beeswax is used for high cholesterol, pain, fungal skin infections, and other conditions. <Excerpts - https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-305/beeswax>
  Beeswax is also considered a symbol of purity and light in many spiritual traditions, and their use can help honor deities or create an atmosphere for meditation and prayer.
• Vitamin E - Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with several forms, but alpha-tocopherol is the only one used by the human body. Its main role is to act as an antioxidant, scavenging loose electrons—so-called “free radicals”—that can damage cells. <Harvard - https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/vitamin-e/#:~:text=Vitamin%20E%20is%20a%20fat,%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94that%20can%20damage%20cells.>
  Vitamin E is often added to herbal products as a natural preservative.
• Essential Rosemary - Rosemary is considered to be one of the best tonics for the central nervous system, because it acts as a brain stimulant and has a long history of improving the memory, aiding psychic protection and intuition. <Herbal Society of America - https://www.herbsociety.org/file_download/inline/824d2982-0b7c-40d9-b3d9-9e5d823d295c#:~:text=Myths%20and%20Folklore,of%20happiness%2C%20loyalty%20and%20love.>
  In folk medicine, it has been used as an antispasmodic, mild analgesic, to cure intercostal neuralgia, headaches, migraine, insomnia emotional upset, and depression. <National Institutes of Health - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7491497/#:~:text=Rosemary%20(Rosmarinus%20officinalis%20L.)%20is%20an%20evergreen%20bushy%20shrub,insomnia%20emotional%20upset%2C%20and%20depression.>
• Essential Lavender - Aromatherapists use lavender in inhalation therapy to treat headaches, nervous disorders, and exhaustion. Herbalists treat skin ailments, such as fungal infections (like candidiasis), wounds, eczema, and acne, with lavender oil. It is also used in a healing bath for joint and muscle pain. <Mount Sinai - https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/lavender#:~:text=Aromatherapists%20use%20lavender%20in%20inhalation,for%20joint%20and%20muscle%20pain.>

Disclaimer: We make no claims of medical, or cosmetic benefits. None of our products are intended to replace the advice or services of a qualified health professional.