Breathe Salve

WHERE IT LIVES

A tall gum tree of the forests of south-eastern Australia, with narrow, aromatic leaves.

THE HARVEST

Leaves and twigs are cut and steam-distilled. E. radiata gives a softer, sweeter oil than the more familiar E. globulus.

FOLKLORE & TRADITIONAL USE

Aboriginal Australians used eucalyptus leaves for fevers and colds, crushed, steeped or burned. The first commercial eucalyptus oil was distilled in Victoria in the 1850s, and within decades it was in chest rubs and inhalants across the world.

EVIDENCE NOTE

The one good trial of a chest rub, in 138 children, tested a single branded product and does not support this salve directly. The cool, clear sensation is real and well understood; the copy stays at traditional. Not for use on or near the face of young children.

WHERE IT LIVES

The water mint and spearmint hybrid of damp English ground, grown for its oil at Mitcham, a few miles from the studio, for over a century.

THE HARVEST

The flowering plant is cut and steam-distilled for an oil rich in menthol.

FOLKLORE & TRADITIONAL USE

Peppermint oil has been rubbed on temples and chests for headaches and colds since it was first distilled in the eighteenth century.

EVIDENCE NOTE

Menthol acts on the skin’s cold receptors, which is why it feels cool and makes breathing feel easier, without changing airflow itself. Here it gives the salve its cool, clean lift.

WHERE IT LIVES

A great evergreen of the laurel family native to Japan, Taiwan and southern China, some specimens living for over a thousand years.

THE HARVEST

The wood is steam-distilled and the oil separated into fractions. Only the white fraction is used here; the brown and yellow fractions contain safrole.

FOLKLORE & TRADITIONAL USE

Camphor was a precious trade good along the old Asian sea routes and a fixture of the Victorian medicine cabinet, in moth-balls, chest rubs and smelling salts.

EVIDENCE NOTE

Camphor is neurotoxic if swallowed and dangerous to small children, which is why this salve is adults only, kept low at 0.3%, and should be kept out of reach. Avoid with epilepsy or asthma.

WHERE IT LIVES

A small, gnarled tree of the dry, rocky hills of Somalia and the Horn of Africa, closely related to the frankincense of Oman.

THE HARVEST

The bark is cut and the milky resin seeps out, hardening into pale tears that are scraped off weeks later and steam-distilled for oil.

FOLKLORE & TRADITIONAL USE

Burned in temples for millennia, carried along the incense roads of Arabia, and among the gifts of the Magi. Its smoke has long been associated with slow, deep breathing in prayer.

EVIDENCE NOTE

Skin and respiratory evidence for the oil is preclinical, and the boswellic acids studied for inflammation are not present in the distilled oil. Here it softens and settles the blend.

WHERE IT LIVES

The fine lavender of the western Mediterranean mountains, grown across England.

THE HARVEST

The flowering spikes are steam-distilled in high summer.

FOLKLORE & TRADITIONAL USE

A household oil for centuries, dabbed on pillows and temples for rest.

EVIDENCE NOTE

Here for softness and scent, rounding the sharper oils so the salve can be breathed comfortably.

APPLY

Massage a small amount into the chest and upper back, up to three times daily. Not for the face or nostrils, and not for broken skin.

CAUTIONS

Adults only. Not for use in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Do not use with epilepsy or asthma. External use only; keep away from the eyes, nostrils and mucous membranes. Patch test before first use. Contains naturally occurring fragrance allergens, including limonene, linalool and geraniol. Keep out of reach of children: camphor is dangerous if swallowed.

DURATION

Through a cold, as needed. If symptoms worsen or breathing becomes difficult, seek medical advice.