Simple Ways to Nourish Yourself with Nature's Magic

Blessed By Bees

One day the bees told me a story… OK, actually it was the young man who is the beekeeper for our hives. The bees mostly just buzz, and for some unknown reason like to land on me, especially my hair. It doesn’t matter what products I have used or if I am clean or stinky. Apparently they just like to come and visit for a bit. They never sting, these are sociable visits. 

Oh look, 3 sentences in and I am already off topic. Back to the bee story.

There’s a  compound that bees make called Propolis. Maybe you have heard of it? This stuff has been coveted for thousands of years, going all the way back to the ancient Egyptians. Roman soldiers carried it as the first bandaid and to help speed wound healing.

The bees make propolis as a glue to seal up any gaps in the hive for waterproofing and to ward against invaders. Humans have been stealing propolis from bee hives forever. 

Leave the Bees Alone!

Bees collect the raw ingredients for propolis from Balsam and Poplar trees. They bring the resins home to the hive and then chew it up with a bit of beeswax and begin stuffing up holes. 

Recently, my sister Karen read an article about the benefits of poplar bud oil. There's a long history for this stuff as well, and it's often referred to as Balm of Gilead. The long list of health benefits was truly astonishing and seemed slightly far fetched. But then I remembered the Propolis story. It seems that the legendary properties of propolis can be attributed to the resin they use to make it.

Proven!

I started researching poplar buds and found tons of anecdotal stories of poplar bud oil healing burns, wounds, broken bones, pulled muscles, asthma, bronchitis, arthritis, and the entire gamut of skin problems. I was still thinking these people were exaggerating, until I came across an article in The US National Library of Medicine- Recent Advances Regarding the Phytochemical and Therapeutic Uses of Populus nigra L. Buds. 

The article outlines the results of published studies from all over the world and they prove beyond a doubt what the bees already knew, there’s some mighty strong natural magic in poplar buds. With all this knowledge under my belt, I tend to think of poplar bud oil as a natural stem cell treatment. That's how powerful it is.

Woah! My prediction is that we will be seeing a rise in the use of poplar bud resin in medicine, cosmetics, and as a super food. 

Instead of stealing from the hard working bees, we can make a healing oil ourselves directly from the source, the poplar buds! It’s like propolis without the bee spit and wax. 

Get Your Aphrodisiac Right Here....

My research also revealed that the scent of poplar buds has been used as an aphrodisiac throughout time. It's a scent that kinda defies description. Unlike other resins it does not smell medicinal at all. I have heard it described as "the warm scent of honey, caramel and amber" , or the less sexy "a sweet balsamic coumarinic-cinnamic odour". Plenty of perfumes have this scent incorporated into the blend. One thing is for sure, if you use this oil, you'll smell so good people will want to get in close for a good whiff. Plus you'll be regenerating cells, healing booboos and ultimately looking awesome. After all, what could be sexier than glowing good health? 

How to Make Poplar Bud Oil

(Or get some pre-made for you - see the bottom of this page)

Wait! Poplar trees? They are not evergreens and don’t have resin right? Actually, the buds of poplar trees become filled with a very resinous substance before they open and grow into leaves. 

There is a very small window of opportunity to collect the buds. They are at their most potent in the early spring when temperatures are still chilly. We go out collecting as soon as the snow is melted.

You don’t need to climb trees to get at the buds, as poplars shed lots of little branches during wind storms or under the weight of heavy snow falls every year. Once the snow is melted, it’s easy to find twigs with buds scattered on the ground. Besides, I wouldn’t want to harm the trees by denuding them of the buds that will become leaves. 

Karen and I find lots of poplar trees in our area and spend many happy hours collecting all the fallen buds. The buds are easy to pop off the twigs, although you can expect to have sticky fingers from the resin. 

If the buds are wet, spread them out on a clean surface or screen to allow them to dry. You want to avoid adding water to the oil. 

You will need some clean and dry glass jars to make your oil. Mason jars work really well for this. Fill each jar 1/2 to 3/4 full of buds.

A Word About Olive Oil

We use extra virgin olive oil because of it’s renowned health benefits. It’s worth investing in the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can get. Check labels for harvest dates to ensure that the oil is a fresh as possible. Many oils marked “extra virgin” are blended with cheaper oils at worst, or simply not fresh first press. If you find a date on the label you are more likely to have the real thing. 

We are lucky that our step mother imports the highest quality oils from Spain, Italy, and Crete. We can use the finest oils available. Here is a link to her website if you are interested in learning more or purchasing: JdH Olive Oil - You Taste the Truth

Pour your oil over the buds to fill the rest of the jar. Don’t overfill the jar as you need room to stir the buds and oil. 

Bathtime 

Now it’s time to give your buds a bath! A large canning pot works well for this. Be sure to use the rack so that your jars don’t touch the bottom of the pan. Fill your pot about halfway with water and bring it to a light simmer. We are not cooking the buds, just keeping them warm to extract the resin. You can also use a slow cooker on the lowest setting for this purpose. You still need to keep the jars off the surface. Try lining the bottom with the rings from the jars, or use metal trivets.

Lower your jars carefully into the hot water to avoid getting any water into the jars. Your water level should be  a couple of inches below the top of the jars. 

You will need to “bathe” your poplar buds for at least three days to extract the resins into the oil. The heat softens the resin and allows it to release into the oil. Leave the jars open, without lids so that any moisture in the buds can evaporate. 

I bathe my buds on the stove for several days, turning the heat off at night. I stir the buds several times a day using the handle of a wooden spoon. You’ll want a spoon you can devote to this purpose as it will get coated in resin that you will never be able to remove! Keep an eye on the water level in the pot and top up (carefully!) as needed.

You’ll know your oil is ready when it goes slightly cloudy and becomes highly aromatic. Now you need to strain your oil into a clean glass container. A sieve lined with cheesecloth works perfectly. You can use the back of your wooden spoon to press the buds and help express as much of your precious oil as possible. 

Your poplar bud oil is now ready to use, all you need are some pretty bottles or vials to store your magical healing oil. 

Ready to be Transformed!

As a woman of a certain age, I was pretty jazzed about trying the oil for myself. I would bathe in this stuff if I could. Actually, once a week I do a head to toe exfoliation in the shower and apply the oil afterwards. The rest of the time I use it as a daily serum on my face and any areas of concern. Karen uses it daily on her hands and wrists to treat her arthritis. She is getting great results and the skin on her hands has never looked better.

A Cautionary Note

While this oil is safe for any age and can be used liberally, it does contain trace amounts of salicin, which your body converts to salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. So if you have a sensitivity to aspirin, this may not be for you.

Would you would like to try Balm of Gilead right now? It's in the Enchanted Journal shop-

Spellbound Balm of Gilead - A Powerfully Healing and Regenerating Treatment Oil