Читать книгу Grow Your Own Drugs: A Year With James Wong - James Wong - Страница 41

Creams are an excellent way to apply plants’ active compounds to skin, being quickly absorbed and moisturizing. They’re also great fun to make, and much more cost-effective than buying in a shop. A cream is basically a mixture of water and oil, held together with an emulsifier. I tend to use a combination of beeswax and emulsifying wax. It’s true that creams are just a little trickier to make than salves, but if you follow a few simple rules, you’ll soon pick up the knack.

To make a basic cream: put 40ml infused oil in a glass bowl with 6 teaspoons of emulsifying wax and 2 teaspoons of beeswax. Heat the bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the wax is completely dissolved. Then it’s like making mayonnaise. Pour in 250ml warm water in a thin, steady stream, while whisking vigorously. Whisk for about 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary, until the mixture forms an emulsion. Take the pan off the heat and keep whisking while the cream cools and thickens, to stop the oil and water separating. You can whisk in a few drops of an essential oil while the cream is cooling, to add medicinal qualities and scent. Essential oils even act as a natural preservative, because of their anti-microbial properties. Then spoon the cream into a sterile wide-mouthed jar and seal. (For very simple instructions on how to sterilize jars, see below.)

Storage Creams last for up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

Getting creams right… These guidelines will help your creams come out successfully:

Make sure both liquids are at approximately the same temperature (about 70°C or slightly higher) before you start mixing – an even emulsion is less likely to occur if one is much hotter or colder.

Dribble the infusion into the oil very slowly – if you blob too much in at a time, it won’t emulsify well.

Keep beating during the cooling process to get a good consistency. The cream thickens as it cools.

Be patient! The cream will thicken upon cooling, so don’t be disheartened if you have a smooth, white liquid that is a little runny. It will thicken up greatly as soon as it cools to room temperature.