Botulism in infused herb oils

[JoelleStudent]

I know that in cooking, infused oils can be risk for botulism poisoning. Now, medicinal herbal oils are usually applied externally. However, some of the vulnerary herbal oils (comfrey) or salves made from infused oil (calendula) I like to use on open wounds (I’ve used it on some pretty big wounds). If that did harbor botulism, isn’t it possible to contract it via an open wound?

On a similar topic, if oil is capable of extracting medicinal value from plants (like the process for making salves with infused oils), would it be logical to take an infused oil internally and expect to see results from the herb if you did not have the herb dried or tinctured? In this case, the botulism could be even more of a risk I suppose.

But, thinking about the way botulism grows, it probably needs moisture to grow on. So, when my herbs are completely dried, maybe that is a safe-guard against botulism being able to proliferate. Anyone’s thoughts are very welcome on this subject!

[Ruth BecklerStudent]

Botulism requires an anaerobic environment to grow. If you make sure there’s some air in the jar when you make your infused oil, and maybe even open the jar a few times during the process, you will ensure that there is airflow and thus a hostile environment for botulism.

Hope that gives you peace of mind.

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Joelle

[JoelleStudentTopic Author]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. My understanding was that anything submerged in oil does make and anaerobic environment because air does not naturally mix into the oil. Maybe if you shake it, that would be better. Or maybe oil has some oxygen in it like water does? But with air not being able to circulate into the oil, it would seem that anything submerged in oil has an anaerobic environment.

Appreciate your thoughts!

[Lisa BatemanStudent]

I’ve read that you should be sure herbs are dry before using them to infuse an oil or honey to help reduce chance of botulism.

Lisa Bateman

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Kelly Clemmer

[JoelleStudentTopic Author]

That makes sense! Thanks for sharing.

[Ruth BecklerStudent]

Also to reduce the chance of mold.

[Olivia TimmermanStudent]

In a YouTube video from “The Honeystead” it said you could put the mullien flowers in oil but you put a coffee filter on the top so the moisture could escape from the oil. I had never heard of that before. I feel more comfortable to continue to use dry herbs when adding to oil but just thought I would mention it.

Olivia Timmerman

[JoelleStudentTopic Author]

Thanks for that idea, Olivia! I’ll have to find out more about that.

 

[Lisabeth SeverinStudent]

I vote for using dried herbs instead of fresh as the best way to avoid botulism.

Coconut oil and jojoba oil are supposed to be anti-fungal and antibacterial, but unless you are going to use the infused oil, salve, or lotion quickly, I’d still think dried herbs are safer.

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Joelle

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