Make a Soothing Oil Infusion with Cottonwood Buds

Did you know there’s still things to gather before spring? It’s much less obvious than when there is greenery and blooming buds all around us. Some plants during the colder months offer us medicine that can be much more potent while it is conserving it’s energy during dormancy.

Cottonwoods and other related trees offer these benefits. More than one part of this tree can be utilized for medicine but below I will do a long infusion of the resinous buds. This will produce a topical oil for a variety of inflammation issues.

The Willow Family and Cottonwoods Active Compounds

Cottonwoods are a water-loving tree part of the Willow (Salicaceae) family. Aspens, poplars, and willows are included in this family and contain varying amounts of populin and salicin, precursors to aspirin effectiveness (and famous-ness). The inner bark and leaves have similar medicinal properties as well.

Get your snow boots on, gather, and macerate!

In the middle of February, after a windy day, I went to one of my favorite spots near the Colorado river and was able to gather a cup of the sweet smelling buds from fallen branches. If possible, try not to gather too much from live branches. Since the buds are resinous it is also a good idea to gather on a colder day so you don’t end up with sticky fingers.

I gathered enough for a two to one ratio.

There may be a little more than a cup in there...

What I used for my infusion:

good quality olive oil

cottonwood buds

mason jar with lid

masking tape and a sharpie

After gathering my materials, I poured the olive oil to the top and gave it a stir, labeled it with the date and contents and put the lid on top. Easy!

I have noticed that bubbles keep forming even after I thought I got them all out initially. I assume air in the buds continue to be released. Also, there are a few floater buds that are not sinking. I will probably put one of my fermentation weights on top to make sure there will be no molding from the buds being exposed to air.

I could start to smell the sweet scent of the buds after a week. It smells sooo nice. I plan on letting this infuse for at least six months, maybe a year. After that I want to use it as a massage oil and possibly to be made into a salve.

There are gentle heating methods that will allow you to use the oil sooner. On Mountain Rose Herbs blog, there are directions on how to do this.

Six months to a year from now, watch for a post on the results of this!