Oil infusions and fermentation

[Jodie Hummel]

Usually, I’m a tincture gal.  However, so many herbalists lauded cottonwood leaf buds in oil (to be used in salve/balm of gilead preparations), I decided to try it.   I heard a few different people say that a little bit of fermentation is to be expected (define “a little”…oy), because the buds are fresh and have a bit of water in them, but to ignore the ferment, as it won’t hurt anything.  I love the scent of the buds, but now it kind of smells like jasmine flowers were seduced in a beer garden.  The alcohol smell dissipates pretty quickly, and it isn’t my favorite, but when the bud smell comes through…ahhhh!

Has anyone else used an oil infusion and experienced fermentation?  Is it inherently a bad thing?

Is oil infusion restricted to dried material because of the water content/fermentation?

Is oil with some fermentation okay to use? (topically…I’d never ingest an oil infusion unless I wanted the trots).   Is it going to contribute to skin fungus or anything?

For cottonwood specifically, would it be better to dry, then prepare the oil?

Thanks, friends!

[Kim Gilstrap]

Hi Jodie, sounds like the oil has went rancid. When making infused oil with plant matter it has to be dried.  Water and oil don’t mix well, mold starts to grow.  Now if you are infusing honey, fermentation does happen and you have to open the lid and “burp” it , or put coffee filter on it and secured with rubber band.

But with plants yes always dried ….   So don’t use the oil you made.    Fresh plant matter can only be done in tinctures.  Hope this helps.  Good luck in your journey

KIMBERLY A GILSTRAP

[Tracey Haddock]

I’ve successfully done quite a few oil infusions with different fresh herbs and flowers (ie. nettle, mullein flowers, goldenrod, rose petals) with no fermentation or mold. However, it’s only successful after letting the plant material sit in a dry, dark location for a minimum of 24 hours to air-dry. Also, the time of day and weather when picking the herbs/flowers is considered regarding moisture content I might be dealing with. So harvesting or foraging after the dew has dried (or in a dry spell of weather) will ensure more success. I’ve found that an extended period of drying will be necessary if there has been a lot of wet, humid weather in my area at the time of harvesting or foraging. Hope this bit of info helps you in your oil infusion journey! 🙂

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Jodie Hummel

[Jodie Hummel]

Thanks for the answers!  The herbalists I was watching (there were several) all used fresh materials, and more than one said there would be some fermentation, but not to worry.  It’s fermentation, not mold.  The oil doesn’t seem to have thinned nor does it have that nastiness that rancidity brings.  Hmmm.  I froze some leaf buds so I could experiment a bit…perhaps I’ll give them a grind in the food processor while they’re cold (to minimize stickiness) and then dry.  The resin is the medicine.  I’d tincture if I weren’t using for topical balm.  Thanks to all for input…keep it coming!

[Lila Nelson]

Jodie, I have been infusing some cotton wood buds this year. Did you ever find out if the salve is okay to use if it ferments? What best practices did you learn?

I found they have to sit for a few day with the lid off, and burp them occasionally. I have a friend that had a quart of olive oil with the buds, and it bubbled like crazy! and foamed up and over the top of the jar like a can of root beer.

[Jodie Hummel]

Mine bubbled and foamed a bit too, then after a month or so, it cut that out, but I can still smell some hints of fermentation.  I haven’t attempted to use it in anything; however, I did cap it well and put it in a dark place for several months, thinking if it had some sort of biological friends, that would multiply.  I opened it up the other day, and it is clear of any ick at all.  In fact, the oil itself is a really pretty clear oil!  I tried to think it through (think Winnie the Pooh pondering something), and well, if it had some alcohol form from fermenting, perhaps the alcohol will assist in extracting all the goodies, just like it does in a tincture.  The whiff of alcohol has not changed at all.  Maybe it’s just how that particular tree’s buds want to smell.

I collected a new round of buds this spring, so I’m going to bite the bullet and press this oil and attempt at least a salve from this oil.  Might make both a lotion and salve.  I’ll come back with the results as life permits!  Thanks for joining me in this little experiment!

[Lisa Derksen]

That seems strange to me.  I’ve made poplar bud salves for years and never had it torment.   I use  cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil was my oil and pour that on top of the buds right after they are picked.  Maybe cheap or counterfeit olive oil?

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Jodie Hummel

[Lisa Derksen]

….AND all 4 of my quarts of poplar buds in cold pressed extra virgin oil are fermenting this year.

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