Cannabis Salve For Pain/scars

[HailTheLeaf]

Hello everyone, so i have a very close family member that has some scars from incisions that sometime are still very painful for him and i was wondering if anybody has any recipes or tips in making a very strong cannabis salve or ointment specific for pain and scar tissue. He isnt worried about making the scars look better but just ease the discomfort and take away some of the pain. I have made cannabis infused coconut oil many times and ive thought maybe just making an extra potent batch of that and having him rub the straight coconut oil on it. What do you think?

 

[Dan789]

For my wife I also use a coconut based "rub", 14oz. Coconut oil, 2oz. bud, about 2.6 oz. of beeswax, then about 1/2 oz. menthol crystals. I use a "magic butter maker". Either DeCarb the bud first, or you can effect the oxidation via using longer timing cycles and heats you can select for the "magic butter maker". At the end of the cycle while still hot, strain the bud, save the liquid. You'll have about 16 oz. of good strength "rub", nothing like the weak crap available at the dispensaries. If you grow the bud, your costs are low. But much better than even if you had to pay $300/oz. versus the little tubs of roughly 1/2oz. of some weak "rub" with $20-30 prices. You may have to tweak the formula to your liking. I'm working to perfect a new formula to lower the amount of coconut oil, and less beeswax with some of the information online for "hand creams". Good luck.

 

[HailTheLeaf]

For my wife I also use a coconut based "rub", 14oz. Coconut oil, 2oz. bud, about 2.6 oz. of beeswax, then about 1/2 oz. menthol crystals. I use a "magic butter maker". Either DeCarb the bud first, or you can effect the oxidation via using longer timing cycles and heats you can select for the "magic butter maker". At the end of the cycle while still hot, strain the bud, save the liquid. You'll have about 16 oz. of good strength "rub", nothing like the weak crap available at the dispensaries. If you grow the bud, your costs are low. But much better than even if you had to pay $300/oz. versus the little tubs of roughly 1/2oz. of some weak "rub" with $20-30 prices. You may have to tweak the formula to your liking. I'm working to perfect a new formula to lower the amount of coconut oil, and less beeswax with some of the information online for "hand creams". Good luck.

For my wife I also use a coconut based "rub", 14oz. Coconut oil, 2oz. bud, about 2.6 oz. of beeswax, then about 1/2 oz. menthol crystals. I use a "magic butter maker". Either DeCarb the bud first, or you can effect the oxidation via using longer timing cycles and heats you can select for the "magic butter maker". At the end of the cycle while still hot, strain the bud, save the liquid. You'll have about 16 oz. of good strength "rub", nothing like the weak crap available at the dispensaries. If you grow the bud, your costs are low. But much better than even if you had to pay $300/oz. versus the little tubs of roughly 1/2oz. of some weak "rub" with $20-30 prices. You may have to tweak the formula to your liking. I'm working to perfect a new formula to lower the amount of coconut oil, and less beeswax with some of the information online for "hand creams". Good luck.

Thats cool man, I might have to try the beeswax with it. I have a magical butter machine too, I think they work damn good, but I wish you could do smaller batches with it instead of the 2 cup minimum. I do decarb first in a convection oven but Id like to try the hot water bath with the bud vaccum sealed to decarb. Ive also been checking into adding essential oils but havent really found one Im set on.

The most Ive used is 1oz of bud to 16oz of coconut oil too so I will increase the amount of herb I use for sure. I see you are using 2oz of bud to about the same of oil, that sh!ts gotta be potent.

 

[Dan789]

Works good for arthritis, I've tried the essential oils a bit, but the menthol both blows out the essential oils and aids in the therapeutic effects of the rub. The beeswax is what gives it more viscosity, which you know by now that coconut oil alone liquifies at room temperature. The longer the process in the butter maker the more THC absorption the coconut oil will take on, to the point where it cooks the THC off. That's what's tough to figure as each batch of bud is at a different chronological position as far as the amount of de-carbing necessary to transition the THC-A into the desired THC.

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

For my wife I also use a coconut based "rub", 14oz. Coconut oil, 2oz. bud, about 2.6 oz. of beeswax, then about 1/2 oz. menthol crystals. I use a "magic butter maker". Either DeCarb the bud first, or you can effect the oxidation via using longer timing cycles and heats you can select for the "magic butter maker". At the end of the cycle while still hot, strain the bud, save the liquid. You'll have about 16 oz. of good strength "rub", nothing like the weak crap available at the dispensaries. If you grow the bud, your costs are low. But much better than even if you had to pay $300/oz. versus the little tubs of roughly 1/2oz. of some weak "rub" with $20-30 prices. You may have to tweak the formula to your liking. I'm working to perfect a new formula to lower the amount of coconut oil, and less beeswax with some of the information online for "hand creams". Good luck.

hey Dan, I have a couple of questions:

Do you just throw everything in the magic butter machine at once?

I'll probably DeCarb, do you set the magic butter machine to 2 hours?

What is the consistency of the rub? creamy? or more solid?

Is it easy to clean out the magic butter machine afterwards? I'm getting one on Friday so I have no idea how easy it is to clean. I'm thinking I don't want my brownies tasting like menthol };-)

 

[Dan789]

It is stainless inside and cleans up well. The heating/agitating element lifts (stainless also) out with all the ”electrics” in that removable unit. Then you effectively have just a stainless pot, not unlike a percolator coffe maker (I know old reference). The strainer is a plastic mesh and once you’ve heated up the cleaning soap and water, cleans up nicely, though not without “elbow grease”.
That said everything goes in at once (the Bess wax may need to be heated/ melted so as not to bind the agitator) as when you set the timer, if you remove the lid for anything, it then has to be reset. Also it’s nice to add lecithin as this helps blend or emulsify all the ingredients. Timing of the cycle also can be experimented as there’s no real wrong way other than to use to high a temp (over 240’) the longer the mixture is in contact with the MJ, the more the oils/fat will absorb the pot. (My last run I used two four hour stints @160’ with the butter maker out on the patio (so I could watch the proceedings and to keep the odors out of the house.))
The consistency is what takes a little trial and error as well as the temp in your daily environment. IE if it’s 80’ it will be less viscous than if it was 65’. That other ingredient, bees wax them takes some “fiddling” also.
You may prefer less menthol and it’s easier to add more than if you determine you’ve added too much. Good luck

 

[King Julien]

I've never used a magic butter machine but I have made quite a few batches of topicals. Everything from lotion to ointment, massage oil to cream, and even lip balm. The hardest part is getting the consistency right.

Cocoa butter will melt just below skin temp so depending on how it's carried it can make a great replacement for beeswax, although I find they work best together in the right ratios, and makes for a great moisturizer which can help with healing scars. A vitamin E gel capsule poked open and poured in can seriously help with scar tissue healing as well as help the finished product have a longer shelf life. Grape seed oil will help with overall penetration of the oil. Olive oil makes a greasy coating that sits on top of things which is good if you're looking for locking in moisture but bad for, say, a hand cream.

As for essential oils I'd be careful mixing too much too stoutly at first until your family member has had them exposed to their skin. Skin sensitivities come out full bore when you use pure essential oils. Always start on the lesser side of things when using essential oils. If you're not happy you can always remelt it and add more.

I tend to use lemonbalm essential oil to help with both relaxation and skin penetration of all substances involved, smells good too. A small amount of menthol can help with some pain kind of like icy hot. If you're a pro and can do some math so you don't kill anybody by poisoning them you can use oil of wintergreen as well but the person must be healthy and not already using something with methylsalisilicate in it or it can build up and become toxic in the system. Other than being a little dangerous for some people it makes a great pain killer by itself. It's what made the old bengay smell like wintergreen. Cayenne pepper steeped in the oil and filtered is great for arthritic pain over time but obviously bad for use near tender areas.

In the end, unless you want to spend a bloody fortune like I did to craft the perfect substance, go simple.

Use coconut oil for your extraction, you can decarb before or after extraction depending on your methods. A complete decarb is not required for topicals because of the effects that THCa has topically as well. Many places I've come across they don't decarb at all but I always have. Throw in the contents of one or two vitamin e gel capsules to help heal the scar tissue.

This oil, strained and placed in an empty roll on perfume bottle (ebay), can be dispensed as is as a roll on oil that can simply be rubbed in.

One step up from that, use coconut oil and mix with beeswax as suggested above. At the right consistency it will keep solid carried in the pocket in almost and vessel until disturbed and spread.

After lots of trial and error my go to simple recipe for a good spreadable but solid ointment for pain is just mixing cocoa butter, beeswax, and my medicated coconut oil until it hits a consistency I'm happy with. I only tweak that if I'm using it for something specific. Mango butter and grapeseed oil along with lanolin makes for the best lip balm you'll ever use added to that. Take out the mango butter and lanolin and add emu oil for some of the best hand cream you will ever use.

One last tip...As soon as the mixture sets at room temp that is the consistency it will have at that temp. However, if you mix it around and break up the solid nature of it it will become more like a loose and chunky cream. My advice? Pour into final container and don't touch it once it sets. Test consistency by dropping a couple drops of it on the back of a cold spoon.

Just realized how old OP was. So in reply to h4ppyf4rmer. I would just make your oil in your machine then mix it to what consistency you want in a double boiler. Much easier to get consistency right without just blindly guessing. You can test as you go!

And finally. Sorry for the long post.

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

It is stainless inside and cleans up well.

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks for the info, sounds like I'm in for a little trial and error };-)
This will be more for my wife, she has arthritis and other pain issues, was hoping the topical would help a little.

 

[Dan789]

We (wife and I) were purchasing the small tubs 1/2 oz. tubs for $20. The strength was very weak. Now I make 16 oz. at a time with two oz. of bud. Strength no longer is a problem.

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

View attachment 744923 We (wife and I) were purchasing the small tubs 1/2 oz. tubs for $20. The strength was very weak. Now I make 16 oz. at a time with two oz. of bud. Strength no longer is a problem.

I have a lot of trim from my last harvest, I was planning to use 2 to 3 OZ of trim from my blueberry which is supposed to have a decent amount of CBD.

 

[Dan789]

Needs THC also, I don’t buy the all CBD hype. You can use turmeric, ginger mixed into smoothies for the anti-inflammatory response.

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

Needs THC also, I don’t buy the all CBD hype. You can use turmeric, ginger mixed into smoothies for the anti-inflammatory response.

yeah, it definitely has THC, but it's just a med percent THC, supposed to be in the 16% range for this strain.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

I've been using this recipe for a couple years now and it makes a very powerful pain relieving salve/ointment.

To 8oz of coconut oil I add 8 grams of decarbed dry ice hash, you could always adjust this to make it stronger. Then in a stainless steel sauce pot over low heat I add the following ingredients:

8 oz canna-coconut oil

1/2 cup aloe vera gel - (great for skin and antibacterial)

4 oz grapeseed oil - (aids skin absorption)

6 Vitamin E capsules - (great for skin)

MSM at .12 of total oil volume - (Methylsulfonylmethane - helps with arthritis pain)

Sunflower Lethicin at 1 tbsp/ 8oz of oil - (contains linoleic acid)

½ cup beeswax

Stir every five minutes or so until the beeswax is all melted and everything is incorporated.

You can add an ounce of essential oil to give it a slight fragrance (add this at the end). Depending on your ambient temperatures, you may need more or less beeswax to make a stable product that won't separate at room temperature.

Many people have used this salve and reported great relief from arthritis pain, joint pain, dry/damaged skin, muscle strains etc. The only downside is that most people need to reapply it several times a day, effects seems to last 2-6 hours depending on the person.

 

[King Julien]

I've made some custom arthritis ointment before. Used a combination of wintergreen, peppermint, ginger, clove, sweet orange, lemon balm, and tumeric essential oils. Took the canna oil and steeped cayenne pepper in it then strained it. Had some serious warming and numbing properties. Also killed pain within seconds.

Even without all that fancy stuff though just canna oil is great for most types of pain. I find it can take a bit longer to get to really bad inner joint pain but the relief starts immediately to some extent and then slowly sinks in.

And what Dan789 said...Tumeric is great for inflammation. I couldn't recommend a better essential oil to add to canna oil to help with arthritis. I had honestly forgotten I had put it in that above mixture until Dan mentioned it. It also smells pretty awesome. Warm and earthy. A bit like sandalwood.

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

Got my magic butter machine today for my infused coconut oil.

order the rest of the crap today and will all be here early next week.
- stainless double boiler
- 2 oz white cosmetic jars
- 32 oz of coccnut oil
- raw cocoa butter
- yellow beeswax pellets
- sunflower lecithin
- vit-e oil
- menthol crystals
- lavender oil
- wintergreen oil
- turmeric oil

That should keep me busy

 

[King Julien]

Not a bad list of things to combine. It might smell funny but it's not for making perfume. Have fun with ratios! And for the love of god write things down as you go. Nothing worse than coming up with a magical recipe that does exactly what you want and then forgetting how many drops of what you put in as you went to make it that way. Happened with my first batch. Still haven't made one quite as prefect as it somehow.

Also, be very careful and do some serious reading on that wintergreen oil before using any of it. With the wrong medical conditions or being on the wrong medicines or simply using too much you can cause serious organ damage. In small amounts on a healthy person it can be used fairly regularly though. Just be careful.

Also be careful with those menthol crystals. They melt down just fine once you get them just above body temp but they also are SUPER powerful. I've got a friend that puts one in his cigarette pack for 20 minutes when he first opens a new pack. Says if he leaves it longer the entire pack becomes way too stout. He's used the same shard I gave him for over a year now. It's no bigger around than two pencil leads and only 3/4" long. It can be easy to overdo it with them.

I bought an ounce of the stuff for like 8 bucks and then quickly realized I would never in my life use more than a tablespoon of the stuff.

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

Well I gave it a try, and I think it came out awesome. I'm sure I just got lucky, lol. Decided to just make the infused coconut oil in the magic butter, then use a double boiler to make the salve...

The coconut oil:

The finished salve in 2oz containers:

The coconut oil:
in the magic butter for 2 hours at 160 degrees
2 ounces trim/popcorn bud decarbed at 250 for 30 minutes
32 ounces raw coconut oil

The salve:
1 cup infused coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa butter
1/2 cup beeswax pellets
1 TBSP sunflower lecithin
2ml turmeric oil
2ml vitamin-e oil
20 drops wintergreen
1 TBSP menthol crystals

melt everything in a double boiler, pour into 2 ounce containers ... let cool ... done

 

[King Julien]

But the real question is...

What do you think of it?!?

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

But the real question is...

What do you think of it?!?

It's nice, I don't have any aches and pains at the moment, but I put some on my wifes foot(plantar fasciitis symptoms) and she said i seemed to help a little. who knows, lol ... in my eyes, nothing is going to take any pain away completely...

 

[Dan789]

But the real question is...

What do you think of it?!?

The only thing missing is the label. :cool: