Cayenne Infused Oil and Simple Muscle Salve
We’re going spicy hot today! I’m not gonna lie—after my little run-in with cayenne many years ago, I’ve been a little hesitant to play with cayenne too much. Seriously. Once you feel that kind of pain, it stays with you for awhile! But, I’ve been wanting to make a cayenne muscle salve for years, so I sucked up my fear and “wallah!” I took precautions, and this time avoided the pain.
Why make a cayenne muscle salve?
Cayenne salve may be hot, but that’s exactly what helps with sore muscle relief. The heat from cayenne comes from something called capsaicin which actually works to block pain receptors in the body. This means that it can work to soothe all types of pain from headaches to nerve pain to sore muscles.
Today I’m going to show you two slight variations to this recipe. One is a simple cayenne salve, and the second adds a couple essential oils to make it more of an “Icy Hot” version.
How to make an infused cayenne oil
The first step is making the cayenne infused oil. You can use any of the methods in this post here. My personal favorite method is to use my yogurt maker, so this is how I did it.
Ingredients
14 grams cayenne powder (about 2 tablespoons)
113 grams sunflower oil (or oil of choice about 1/2 cup)
directions
Weigh out the cayenne powder and place it in a small glass jar.
Cover the powder with your oil. Place a lid on the jar and shake well to combine the herb and oil.
Place the glass jar in the yogurt maker, turn it on, and allow it to infuse for 2-3 days.
White it’s gently heating, occasionally shake the jar to agitate the herb/oil mixture. This helps draw out the nutrients into the oil.
After 2-3 days, strain off the cayenne. Be very very careful with this part! Remember that cayenne is super hot, so if you get any of the oil on your hands and then accidentally rub your face, you will regret it. I highly recommend using a set-up similar to the one pictured. I placed a clean towel inside a mesh strainer and carefully poured the oil in. Then I just left it alone to allow the oil to drain into my glass jar. Once all the oil had dripped out, I discarded the towel. Even if you don’t think you touched the oil, make sure to wash your hands afterwards! You could use gloves if you wish.
Either use the infused oil immediately, or label and store the oil in a glass jar.
A word on herb quality
When using herbs in preparations like this, it’s always best to use the freshest dried herbs you can get your hands on. If you use a cayenne powder that has faded and it no longer bright red, you may want to throw it into the compost pile and get some fresher stuff. If you grow your own cayenne, feel free to dry the peppers, and then grind them up into a fine powder. Just be super careful not to inhale the pepper powder.
Your finished infused oil should be bright red in color. If it’s not, you most likely used old cayenne powder and your salve will not be as potent.
Simple cayenne muscle salve
ingredients
Cayenne infused oil (using the recipe above you should have roughly 85-90 grams of oil)
14 grams beeswax
directions
In a double boiler combine the cayenne infused oil along with the beeswax. Gently heat together over medium heat until the beeswax fully melts. Carefully remove from the heat and pour into small tins. Allow the salve to cool before placing lids on and adding labels. This recipe just barely filled three-2 ounce tins.
Icy Hot Muscle Salve
If you want to up the game a little, try making this little DIY icy hot version.
Ingredients
Cayenne infused oil (using the recipe above you should have roughly 85-90 grams of oil)
14 grams beeswax
1 gram peppermint essential oil
1 gram birch essential oil
Directions
In a double boiler combine the cayenne infused oil along with the beeswax. Gently heat together over medium heat until the beeswax fully melts. Carefully remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool just slightly before adding in the essential oils. Carefully pour into small tins. Allow the salve to cool before placing lids on and adding labels. This filled just barely filled three-2 ounce tins.
**The essential oils in this recipe are roughly a 2% dilution of the batch which is a pretty good percent. You could up it to 3% if you want an even more potent salve by increasing each oil to 1.5 grams.
Benefits of the ingredients
Cayenne
Capsaicin, one of the major constituents of cayenne, helps to powerfully block something called substance P. Substance P is a neurotransmitter that relays pain signals in the body. Capsaicin successfully blocks that transmission which helps reduce pain. Used topically, cayenne helps relieve the pain from migraine headaches, menstrual cramps, shingles, backaches, bruises, and even arthritis. For arthritis, the salve needs to be used daily and for several weeks before it may begin to work.
Birch essential oil
Birch is known for being one of the best analgesics due to its high salicin content. This helps with pain from arthritis and rheumatism. Birch helps to increase circulation and is also an anti-inflammatory.
Peppermint essential oil
Peppermint works as an analgesic, cephalic, and anti-neuralgic which help to fight off headaches and muscular pain.
WHERE TO PURCHASE
I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog! By purchasing through one of my affiliate links you will not spend a penny more, but you are allowing me to receive a small commission. This allows me to keep posting great content for you. Thanks for your support! Read more here.
If you are unable to grow your own herbs, or find ingredients locally, then here are two of my favorite places to buy bulk ingredients:
This company is where I purchase the majority of my seeds. Great selection of heirloom and/or organic seeds:
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A few words of caution
Remember! Cayenne pepper is hot! When you apply this to your skin please bear in mind a few things.
This salve is for external use only.
Do not use on open skin or wounds. Even on closed skin you may feel some heat! So be sure you have no open wounds where you are applying the salve.
After applying the salve be sure to wash your hands very well so you do not spread it anywhere else on your body. You may even wish to use gloves when applying it.
This may stain clothing, so wear clothes that you don’t mind getting stained.
Do not use on small children or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Do not apply anywhere on the face.
I’d love to know if you make cayenne salve and how you use it! Drop me a line in the comments!
