Hi Goshen, Here are some homemade salve recipes (I have not personally tried any of them) First one from http://www.bushka.cz/archiv/mastEN.html Ingredients: White or yellow (non-refined - better for allergies) Vaseline, leaves and lower buds of cannabis, optionally a pinch of mint crystals or 0,1 l of hempseed oil. Proportions: For 1 kg of Vaseline it is necessary to use 100 g of dried leaves and 50 g of lower buds Preparation: 1. melt one half of the Vaseline in a larger pot 2. add roughly crushed leaves and let them slowly fry during 20 minutes 3. after cooling the mixture pour into the pot 4 liters of water 4. bring to the boiling point and slowly cook during 90 - 120 minutes 5. let it cool and put it into the fridge overnight 6. take out the fatty cake and press it in order to eliminate the rests of water 7. spread the cake into a wider recipient, cover it and let it ferment during 3 weeks in a dark place at room temperature 8. again put the mixture into a larger pot, add the other half of Vaseline and melt it 9. slowly cook the mixture until the disagreeable smell of fermentation disappears 10. drain it through a strainer and pour the resulting light-green colored liquid into a recipient immersed in a water bath 11. add finely crushed lower buds and cook in the water bath during one hour until a light skim forms on the surface (dont forget to stir frequently) 12. let it cool and store it for 1 week in a dark and cold place 13. repeat the cooking in water bath and put the recipient into a cold place again for another week 14. melt and cook the mixture as in the precedent point, drain it first through a kitchen strainer and after through a fine canvas (do not throw the canvas with the drained buds, store it into a freezer - it can be very efficiently used as a warm compress in case of asthmatic problems, bronchitis or joint pains) 15. the salve is now ready to be poured into small cups if you want to use it pure - otherwise you can improve it with a pinch of mint crystals (for muscular and joint pains) or with 0,1 liter of virgin hempseed oil (for dermatologic problems) Pure or mint salve may be stored in a cold place, but they do not deteriorate for at least 6 months even at the room temperature. In the contrary, the salve with the addition of hempseed oil needs to be stored in a cold place and should be used within 6 weeks. And here's another one from http://www.natural-skin-care-info.com/herbal-healing-salve.html Basic Recipe: 1 cup herbally infused oil 1 - 2 oz. Beeswax 10 capsules Vitamin E Oil ½ tsp. each tea tree and lavender essential oils In a small pan, gently heat the herbally infused oil and beeswax until barely melted. Cut or poke the vitamin E capsules open, and squeeze the vitamin E oil into the beeswax/oil mixture. Remove from heat, and add the essential oils. Pour a tiny amount of the salve mixture onto waxed paper or into a container to cool. Test it for thickness - if you'd like it to be harder, add more beeswax. If you'd like it to have a thinner balm, add more oils. When you're satisfied with the consistency, pour the balm into clean, sanitized jars and let cool. This all-purpose salve can be used for cuts, scrapes, splinters, diaper rash, burns, rashes, or for dry skin. To make a herbally infused oil: In a saucepan, combine dry herbs and a vegetable oil (we like extra virgin olive oil, but just about any kind will do). Specific proportions are not important - use a few generous handfuls of herbs and use enough oil to cover them. Heat over lowest possible heat for several hours - three minimum, we usually try for 12 or 15. Alternatively, use a crock-pot on the "low" setting. Strain out the herbs and use your herbally infused oil to make balms, or as a massage oil, bath oil, or as a great winter moisturizer. Some Herbs to try: chamomile, comfrey, sheep sorrell, turkish rhubarb, St. John's Wort, calendula. And one more from http://natural-homemade-skin-care.blogspot.com/2008/02/coconut-and-neem-oil-salve.html Use this salve topically for chronic skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Coconut oil and oregon grape root can also be taken orally for added efficacy. You will need: 78g coconut oil (solid) 20g neem oil 3 x oregon grape root capsules 1ml cedarwood essential oil Method: Melt the coconut and neem oils in a double boiler. Take off the heat when melted, and stir in the contents (herb powder) of the oregon grape root capsules. Add the cedarwood essential oil. Stir until cool and set, and put into a clean, dark glass jar. Keep refrigerated as the oils have a low melt point.

Lucy, I'm not saying that elevated blood sugar isn't a risk factor for lots of problems - clearly it is. My point was that if someone tries diet and exercise for three months and their blood sugar changes from 239 to 238 or 251, then a medication may be in order because what they tried obviously didn't work. If they try something and their blood sugar goes from 239 to 101 or 110 or 135, they didn't meet the target, but they ARE getting things under control. Hitting 100 in 3 months is an arbitrary target. Even if we accept the 100 as a hard break point (which is questionable), why 3 months and not 2 months or 4 months or 6? Where are the guidelines on exactly how fast something has to be brought under control? Are there any? The RDA for many vitamins have changed more than a few times in my life - generally they have been increased. Optimal blood pressures, Body Mass Index, cholesterols and other values have also changed (mostly they've been lowered). These guidelines are not gospel written in stone - they are generally a good idea, they are our best estimates of risk, our current picture of optimal health. They are very useful in distinguishing white from black, not so precise when comparing two similar shades of grey.

Hi Terri - The recipe I use is one tsp. vitamin c crystals, three tsp. water (they say to use distilled but I always forget to buy it and use plain tap water) and one tsp. glycerine. The only thing is, I have a hard time getting the crystals to completely dissolve. I read if you add a drop of vodka, or even rubbing alcohol, that helps the crystals dissolve. I used gin (tanqueray!) and it worked great in dissolving them. There are many variations of this recipe online, with some using a higher ratio of vitamin c and others using a lower ratio, so I think you can really play around with it and see what works best for you. If you have a amber or dark colored bottle with a dropper to store it in that is best. I use my old Cellex-C bottle. Exposure to light will speed up oxidation.

I don't know (yet) what Dee uses it for, but I wouldn't be without it. To me, it's an essential plant in any herb garden. I use it mainly as an after-shave moisturiser (on legs!), for minor burns and sunburn, and minor wounds - scratches and grazes etc. Very good for insect bites. I've used it on babies' bottoms for nappy rash, and on their heads for cradle-cap. It's good for a range of skin condition, including eczema and psoriasis. I've had several major surgeries, and I've used it on the wounds to hasten healing and to reduce the scarring. It works very well. I've used it exclusively for external use. Internally, it is not generally recommended (it can cause severe diarrhoea as it is a powerful laxative and purgative), however, it has a number of uses. Take under expert supervision only. Here's a list of its uses: The sap from inside the leaves can be applied directly to ulcers, burns, sunburn, radiation burns, skin cancers, wounds, poison ivy stings, acne, oily skin and dandruff, and fungal infections. Internally is it sometimes used as a laxative and a general tonic. And also to treat amenorrhoea, asthma, inflamed or diseased breasts, bursitis, colds, colic, conjunctivitis, constipation, coughs, dysmenorrhoea, dysentery with bloody stools, ear infections, eye problems, fat and sugar metabolism, fever, gonorrhoea, heart pain, haemorrhoids, hepatitis, herpes, infant pneumonia, insomnia, intestinal worms, jaundice, kidney disorders, enlarged liver, menopause, rheumatism, skin inflammations, skin rashes, sores, sore throat, enlarged spleen, toothache, tuberculosis and other lung diseases, tumors, ulcers, chronic vaginitis, venereal diseases.