Sap ‘n’ Salvy
This is Balm of Gilead with a twist! Sap ‘n’ Salvy is a combination of balsam poplar leaf bud extract (Populus balsamifera) and white spruce (Picea alba) sap. Both are known for their anti-microbial properties and abilities to promote healing. In addition, white spruce has a history of being used to draw out infection. This wonderful, forest-scented salve has been used effectively to heal raw, open wounds, burns, and dry, chapped skin. It also provides quick relief from insect bites and stings, poison ivy, psoriasis, “weird” rashes and other itchy skin conditions. Extra virgin olive oil helps to draw the active components into deeper tissues, thus promoting healing from the inside out.
Sap ‘n’ Salvy is hand-crafted in small batches using locally and sustainably harvested white spruce sap, balsam poplar leaf buds and beeswax. Ingredients: Organic extra virgin olive oil, white spruce sap, balsam poplar leaf bud extract, beeswax.
The Story Behind the Salve
Several years ago, I took a nasty spill and split my shin open. The gash was deep and I could see my bone. Since I freak out at the sight of needles, stitches weren’t an option for me. At first, I used butterfly bandages to hold it together, but these clearly weren’t enough. A friend suggested I use spruce sap on it, so I immediately went out and harvested some from one of my trees. With sap in hand, and fingers sticking to everything I touched, I quickly realized that applying this sticky mass directly to an open wound was a bad idea, and I cringed at the thought of removing it! I knew there had to be another way, but not knowing what it was, I put the sap aside and reached for the acorn shells. I made a strong tea from them and poured it over the gash. Within 30 minutes, the tissues started to dry out and pull together. It was a good start, but I needed something else to follow this process – something that would continue to mend the tissues without drying them out completely. I knew the spruce sap was the answer, but I didn’t know how to use it. My leg healed with a big scar. For years, the desire to find a way to use the spruce sap for healing wounds stuck with me. When the topic of spruce extracts came up on an herb mentoring website, I asked my question. It was ignored. I finally realized that I needed to figure out how to use it, myself. I spent the rest of the day concocting a balsam poplar and white spruce ointment and was ecstatic about the result! I just knew that this salve had amazing potential, and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. Every time someone tells me what Sap ‘n’ Salvy has done for them, I am grateful to the point of tears, and I thank the trees again for their amazing medicine.
What people are saying:
“I also wanted to pass along a huge thank you and appreciation for your products. Your Sap ‘n’ Salvy has SAVED my skin. I have incredibly sensitive skin and often react to most products. I’ve been struggling with a very dry but oily face, and I was getting these very bad cyst-like breakouts. I tried so many different products and was literally at my wits end, but in a last ditch effort I put your Sap ‘n’ Salvy all over my face and it WORKED!!! My skin has calmed down and I no longer get those ugly breakouts. THANK YOU for your amazing salve 🙂 I won’t look at a spruce tree the same way ever again! I’ve always loved them, but I now have a new appreciation for them!” — Bonnie
“[A]s a nurse, I have never seen such an effective, all natural, versatile product to keep in my medicine cupboard. It smells like a forest-in-a-jar. I use it for myself and family on small cuts /scrapes, chapped skin, sinus congestion (a little dabbed under the nose), bug bites–just about anything. I don’t even have to keep it away from my toddler nor do I need to wash it off my hands when I’m finished applying it–just rub it in to my hands!” — Connie
“My dad is using Sap ‘n’ Salvy for his dry skin condition. It is the only thing that works for him. He tried medicated creams etc. and well… Sap ‘n’ Salvy works. He use to wake up in the middle of the night all itchy and the only thing that was working was to take a shower. Now with your salve he can get through the night.” — Michelle
“When Dave arrived [by canoe], he was in pain with heat rash. Over a few days [Sap ‘n’ Salvy] healed him and he found relief quite quickly so he could play that night at our Summer Folk Fest.” –Linda
“My thumb was raw and seeping….it had blistered after it had burned, and the blister had now popped. It was actually quite nasty. I put on Sap ‘n’ Salvy, and overnight it formed a completely new layer of skin! It is still slightly tender but it is totally dried up and I have been able to put pressure on it. [Sap ‘n’ Salvy] really is amazing stuff!” — Wilma
“Huge praise for Laura’s Sap n’ Salvy – I woke up without a lot of pain, and the redness is really down. Just one massive blister to baby for a while and I’ll be good as new.” — Kris (after dumping ~3 cups of boiling water on her hand and wrist the night before).
“Everyone was nervous when Harold got stung by a wasp. (The last two times, he had severe swelling that lasted several hours.) This time, he rubbed Sap ‘n’ Salvy into the sting, which was already swelling up and turning red. Within 10 minutes, the swelling was completely gone, and over the next two hours, the redness disappeared, too.” — Laura
“For two weeks, our dog, Taffy, kept scratching at a sore on her face until it was a raw, bloody wound. I applied Sap ‘n’ Salvy and within a minute, she stopped scratching. Within a couple of days, the sore had dried out and was healing nicely.” — Carol
“Your salve is wonderful. If I feel mentally fatigued, stressed from too much work I put a bit under my nose and it really clears my head. Racing thoughts disappear, so add one more beautiful thing about your healing salve. Thank you.” — Tangi
“It’s awesome stuff! We use it on ourselves, our dogs, cats, chickens and goats! Heals everybody!” — Aagaard Farms
“A gardener’s delight for dry and cracked cuticles. Great stuff!“– Liz
“The sap ‘n’ salvy worked amazing! Took care of my husbands head cold! He was able to breath clearly again. Totally cleared his sinuses!” — Carole
“My son had a small patch of heat rash between his legs that was getting progressively worse. After a day, he was walking oddly and by day three he was in tears. One treatment of Sap ‘n’ Salvy fixed it overnight.” — Michelle
“Just wanted to mention again that your spruce schmeah works very well on poison ivy itch. This is the 3rd time I’ve used it on poison ivy. This spot of poison ivy is small (size of a loonie) but intense! No it does not spread the rash and sometimes I have to wait about 3 minutes for it to kick in. I make sure I wash it with soap a couple of times a day and I reapply the schmeah as needed which is not a problem ’cause it smells delightful.” — Lydia
“I purchased your Sap n’ Salvy this past Saturday. I just wanted to say how amazing it is! My allergies have caused excessive nose blowing, to the point where it was cracking and bleeding. Your product in 3 applications has almost completely taken away the cracks and all of the pain. Thanks for making such a great, natural product!” — Michelle
“When I showed Sap ‘n’ Salvy to my wilderness survival instructor, he said, “This is exactly what you want in your herbal first aid kit!” — Christina
“I used your salve before and after work and you NEED to go on Dragon’s Den and market this stuff. The cut I showed you is sealed, doesn’t hurt any more and is healing nicely (and I am not a paid spokesperson! ) It’s far superior to anything in a pharmacy. Best prize ever!” — Dave (Dave’s fingertips have persistent, painful cuts from constantly handling cold items at his job. He sent me this email the day after I gave him the salve, which he won for his participation in my Winter Plant Identification Quiz.)
“I’ve never had a salve work so well!!! It is so great!! My daughter got into poison oak at the lake, my son got hives at the lake, and my husband reacted to surgical tape. (My daughters poison oak was terrible, the doctor said it was the worst case that she had ever seen and it cleared it up within days.) I also use it on my feet for cracks. It is so versatile!! It’s our go-to salve!!” — Kelly
“To date, we have only discovered the magic of Sap ‘n’ Salvy on mosquito bites. The bites swell and itch like crazy on me but this salve immediately calms the swelling and takes away the itch. It’s like magic. 🙂 … I LOVE IT! Will now pick up your book and several small gift jars of Sap’n’ Salvy for friends.” — Lynda
“It heals the deep fissures I get around my nails (from dryness) like a charm. It’s quite amazing. Fissures that took 10 days to heal in the past (i.e. stop bleeding, stop hurting, and start closing up) now take only 2 days, with the bleeding and pain stopping after the first day. It’s like a miracle salve.” — N.G.
“Laura, your Sap ‘n’ Salvy is amazing! Completely healed a cut/infection on my finger that I couldn’t get rid of with weeks of cleansing and Polysporin. As soon as I put the stuff on, I could tell it was helping as it felt so soothing. ❤️” — Jen
“When my mom gave me the salve, I was skeptical. I had two cuts on my hand, so I put Sap ‘n’ Salvy on one and nothing on the other. The cut with the Sap ‘n’ Salvy healed 3 days sooner!” — Josh
“My sister has been battling a staph infection on her skin for some time. She recently tried your salve and found it helped more than anything else she has tried. Thank you! –Naomi
Where can I get Sap ‘n’ Salvy?
Prairie Shore Botanicals:
25 ml – $11.00 (order 5 or more for $10.50 each)
60 ml – $22.00 (order 5 or more for only $21 each)
For shipping, please specify size, quantity, and your postal code and I will get back to you with the total cost, including shipping and GST. You may be able to avoid shipping costs by searching the following locations for a local retailer.
MANITOBA
Winnipeg
Cree-Ations and Artist Showcase (586 Main St.)
FortWhyte Alive! (McCreary Rd.)
Hollow Reed Holistic (3-875 Corydon Ave.)
Motio Massage Therapy (Cityplace shopping centre, downtown)
Organic Planet (877 Westminster Ave.)
Sage Garden Herbs (3410 St. Mary’s Road)
T & T Seeds Garden Centre (7724 Roblin Blvd., Headingley)
The Preferred Perch (4 – 1604 St. Mary’s Rd.)
Beausejour
Spirit of the Boreal Botanicals (Park Ave.)
Boissevain area
Room to Grow Guesthouse (Max Lake Road)
Brandon
Hedley’s Health Hut
Leo Demers (find him at various farmers’ markets)
Clear Lake/Wasagaming
The Nature Shop (Friends of Riding Mountain National Park)
Plum Coulee
Prairie Foods
Roseau River
Reimer Concrete and Building Supplies
Steinbach
Mennonite Heritage Village
Stuartburn
Can-Am Country Corner
Vita
Dueck Drug Store
ONTARIO
Emo, ON
Misty River Alternatives
Prairie Shore Botanicals: 25 ml – $11.00 (order 5 or more for $10.50 each) 60 ml – $22.00 (order 5 or more for only $21 each) Please specify size, quantity, and your postal code and I will get back to you with the total cost, including shipping and GST.