The colder weather has me focused inwards on self care and making things to look after myself. As I get older I'm getting aches and pains in my hands and feet. I suspect they are the beginning of arthritis. Curcumin capsules* are doing the trick for my hands but my feet are still sore.

A friend mentioned she had seen a recipe online for making a cayenne pepper salve and it was good for treating inflammation. It was all I needed to get cooking in the kitchen!

I don't usually post other people's recipe here but I converted this one to metric and cups which I thought would be useful for those folks not speaking imperial measurements.

*  (curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric. I tried using straight tumeric but it asn't powerful enough for my symptoms) 

Cayenne Salve Recipe from Learning Herbs

1/2 cup organic olive oil

2 tbsp organic cayenne pepper powder

scant 1/2 cup (57 g) beeswax pellets

clean glass jar

Infusing the oil

Put the cayenne and oil into a clean glass jug.

Place on the top of a double boiler.

Warm the oil (I boiled the water in the bottom of the boule boiler for 10 minutes).

Let sit in the double boiler with the lid on for 20 minutes.

Repeat at least two more times.

Making the salve

Strain the oil through cheesecloth. I didn't have any so the next day I carefully poured the oil off the top. Most of the cayenne pepper had settled on the bottom into a dark brown cake. I threw the cayenne into the bin, I wonder if you could put it in your compost.

Add the beeswax and heat until melted together.

Pour into the clean glass jar.

Note: The first time I had a go at making the recipe, I used fresh cayenne peppers to infuse the oil but they weren't organic and I figured if I was making medicine, it should be organic.