Making Milfoil oil

Milfoil (Achillea millefolium) is one of my favorite plants.

photo:wikipedia

Not because it's smell.

Or it's propensity to spread.

Or it's flowering either.

But it's skill to heal the skin.

I have dry skin.

And time a time I get excema, which goes septic easy.

I don't like to use cortisone,

because in long term use it makes skin thinner.

And plain grease haven't helped.

Then I read about milfoil.

And the thing it has been used in the past as medicinal herb.

And decided to give a try.

Milfoil is very familiar plant,

so it was easy to find.

I collected it from my yard.

Dried some  and used some fresh.

I didn't make tea

- I am not comfortable to swallow anything I am not sure is safe.

But I made my own oil extract.

And it has been great.

Anytime my excema has turned bad,

it takes only one or two times to use it and healing starts.

As milfoil is blooming now,

it is time to collect it for winter.

I use to preserve milfoil dried.

Just flowers,

because they look nicer in can

- and no-one would mix it  up with dill,

that I believe could easy happen with leaves.

It wouldn't be any harm, though

- milfoil is also used as a spice.

I do drying old-fashion way:

I cut flowers and spread them on baking paper

- and let them dry in open air.

Under the paper I use anything on hand.

Tray, plate, what ever... this time it was a tupperware cover.

So it easier to put aside when ever needed.

Drying will take a week or even two,

it depends how much humidity there is on air around.

I don't use oven,

because it is very easy to burn all

- or get them too dry.

When they are dry,

I just find a can and store them in.

Simple and easy.

It is as easy to make milfoil oil with fresh milfoils.

I have small cans, 

I guess they are from some kind of travelling package.

Quite practical for this kind of use, too.

I put some milfoil flowers in the can.

Settle them as nicely as possible:

Then I add on almond oil...

...close the can...

...and put in into fridge for a few days.

After that it is ready to use.
In oil and fridge they will stay fine quite long.

Using dried milfoil flowers is also easy.

I either make strong "tea":

 1 tablespoon of flowers into hot water,

let it stew 15 minutes and then mix it with oil

- or if I am in hurry,

just use cooled off tea straight to skin.

And it heals.