Cannabis thoughts on snow days

🌿 Hello fellow cannabis learners! 🌿 Lately, the cold weather has given me time to experiment with herbal remedies at home (I started learning about cannabis through various medicinal herbal studies). Today, I’m making a cayenne salve for joint pain—a process that got me thinking about how and why cannabis can be added to herbal salves.

You can find cannabis salves in most dispensaries, but making your own has two big advantages:

1️⃣ You control the ingredients, tailoring it to your needs.

2️⃣ It can be more affordable than store-bought options.

Why Use a Salve?

Salves are a great way to deliver herbal medicine while keeping the skin healthy and hydrated. Our skin is our largest organ and first line of defense against germs, so keeping it intact and moisturized helps protect us from outside irritants. Unlike water-based creams, oil-based salves absorb deeper into the skin, making them more effective for delivering cannabinoids. Since cannabis components bind to fats, an oil-based salve ensures better absorption compared to water-based products. This means you get the most out of your cannabis-infused remedy. Plus, salves stay on the skin longer, allowing for sustained benefits, whether it’s pain relief, inflammation reduction, or skin nourishment.

Cost & Customization

Cannabis salves at dispensaries range from $15-$60 (a quick weedmaps search in NW OK), but they often don’t disclose which strain was used. If you’re looking for specific cannabinoids—like THC and CBG for pain or THC and CBD for wound healing—store-bought options can be hit or miss. Making your own salve allows you to choose the exact strain, ensuring it has the terpenes and cannabinoids that work best for you. Plus, if you already have flower on hand, turning it into a salve can stretch its value. Instead of paying a premium for a pre-made product, you can create a high-quality, personalized salve for a fraction of the price. It’s an easy way to maximize both effectiveness and affordability.

For those curious about making their own salve (cannabis or otherwise) I've included a simple recipe below. This is a recipe that I've made dozens of times with cayenne pepper and I have had great success with it. I can't help but believe that adding in cannabis to this salve would just give it that extra umph to help out with pain and inflammation. This recipe comes from one of my favorite herbal practitioners who is a wealth of knowledge, Rosalee de la Foret.

Simple Cayenne Salve Recipe (Can be adapted for cannabis!)

🫒 ½ cup olive oil

🌶️ 2 tbsp cayenne powder

🐝 ½ oz beeswax

1️⃣ Heat cayenne and oil in a double boiler on low. Warm for 20 minutes, then let sit. Repeat for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours for full infusion).

2️⃣ Strain out the powder, return oil to heat, and stir in beeswax until melted.

3️⃣ Pour into tins, let cool, and label!

My thoughts for adding cannabis into a salve like this, would be to make your cannabis oil first and substitute it for the olive oil in the recipe. Or by infusing both the cannabis and cayenne pepper into the oil together. When cooking with cannabis you want to make sure that the overall temperature doesn't get too high as this can damage the terepenes/cannabinoids and cause them to no longer be effective, right around 350-370*F is the ideal temperature. This allows the cannabis components to fully infuse into the oil while still being able to have an effect when applied. Has anyone made a cannabis salve at home? I'd love to hear how it's worked for you! Is it an easy process at home? Does the completed salve work well for you? As always, stay safe in the weird times we're in and continue learning!

🌿 If you’re looking for a nurse’s perspective on cannabis, check out my book: Medical Cannabis: Preparing for Oklahoma’s Dispensaries, available on Amazon, IngramSpark, and my website.

References

1. Manchester Community College. 1st Line Defense - Physical and Chemical Defenses. LibreTexts. Published August 15, 2020. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://bio.libretexts.org/Courses/Manchester_Community_College_(MCC)/Remix_of_Openstax%3AMicrobiology_by_Parker_Schneegurt_et_al/13%3A_Innate_Nonspecific_Host_Defenses/13.01%3A_1st_Line_defense-_Physical_and_Chemical_Defenses

2. Mayo Clinic Staff. Skin Care: 5 Tips for Healthy Skin. Mayo Clinic. Published December 19, 2023. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/skin-care/art-20048237

3. Three Little Goats. What is the Difference Between Lotions, Creams, and Whipped Body Butters? Three Little Goats. Published October 25, 2018. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://threelittlegoats.com/what-is-the-difference-between-lotions-creams-and-whipped-body-butters/

4. Weedmaps. Balms & Salves. Weedmaps. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://weedmaps.com/products/topicals/balms-salves

5. Niyangoda D, Muayad M, Tesfaye W, et al. Cannabinoids in Integumentary Wound Care: A Systematic Review of Emerging Preclinical and Clinical Evidence. Pharmaceutics. 2024;16(8):1081. Published 2024 Aug 17. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics16081081

6. LearningHerbs. Herbal Pain Relief: A Guide to Natural Pain Management. LearningHerbs. Published April 10, 2023. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.learningherbs.com/blog/herbal-pain-relief/#gsc.tab=0

7. THC Physicians. What is the Combustion Temperature of Cannabis? THC Physicians. Published March 5, 2021. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://thcphysicians.com/combustion-temp-of-cannabis/