Botanica Erotica
Slippery herbal unguents for female sexual health and pleasure
Jiling Lin - 2015 - www.LinJiling.blogspot.com
(Note: This handout combines info from sweet medicine, oils, and aphrodisiacs classes. Just skip over what you know already... and move on to the juicy bits. Enjoy!)
Lube Options
- Water-based lubes (safe, but may need reapplication)
- Silicone-based lubes (unsafe with silicone devices)
- Oil-based lubes (lasts longest, but deteriorates latex)
Water- based lube suggestions
- Aloe vera gel
- Demulcent teas
- Flax seed decoction
Oil-based lube suggestions
See “Oils and Salves” section
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Herbal Lube Considerations
Demulcent
Elm Mallow
Oats Chickweed
Vulnerary (skin healing)
Comfrey Calendula
St. Johnswort Roses
Chickweed Plantain
Gotu kola
Anti-bacterial
Yarrow Mugwort
Wormwood Artemisia spp.
Estrogenic (not for pregnancy)
Wild yam Black
cohosh
Aphrodisiac, and other Actions/ Considerations
(See next section)
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Aphrodisiacs
(Experiment, explore, enjoy!)
Nutritive
Chickweed Elm
Milky Oats Marshmallow
Violets Maca
Nettles Red
Clover
Burdock Raspberry
leaf
Adaptogen
Tulsi Ashwagandha
Astragalus Licorice
Ginseng Eleuthero
Shatavari Schizandra
Mushrooms (Reishi, Maitake, Shitaki, etc)
Warming Stimulant
Cacao Cayenne
Cinnamon Dang
gui
Ginger Cardamon
Aromatic Relaxant
Damiana Jasmine
Rose Vanilla
Nervine
Hawthorne Lemon
Balm
Motherwort Kava
Kava
Skullcap Passionflower
Sends blood to genitals (use with care)
Muira puama Horny
goat weed
Yohimbe
Female Sexual tonic
Dang gui White
poeny
He shou wu Shatavari
Fruits/ Berries
Goji Jujube
Cranberry Strawberry
Essential Oils
Sandalwood Vetiver
Ylang ylang Patchouli
Rose otto Jasmine
Turn it Red
Add 1 tsp Alkanet powder, per 1 C oil
Other Considerations
Lifestyle (ie. diet, exercise, breath, hydration)
Relationship (ie. connection, goals, trauma)
Setting (ie. candles,incense,ceremony,massage)
Pregnancy (ie. communication, choice, safety)
Flower essences (ie. Bach, Mimi Kamp, etc)
Other oils (ie. Jojoba, Almond, Avocado, Olive)
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Making Oil Infusions and Salves
Oil Infusions
Oil Infusion Methods
- Long/ slow infusion (2 weeks)
- Solar/ Lunar infusion (can do with slow infusion)
- Hot infusion (faster. For mucilaginous, or thicker plant materials ie. Barks, roots, and seeds)
- Crock pot (on low, 2-12 hrs)
- Stove top/ Double boiler (1/2- 1 hr)
- Oven extraction (120 F, 8-12 hrs)
Making Oil Infusions: folk method
1. Prepare the plant. Collect fresh plants. Depending on the plant and your preferences/ access, you will use it fresh, freshly wilted, fresh dried, or dried.
2. Process the plant. Chop it into small pieces. The smaller the better, to expose more surface area to oil. If using dried plant materials, you can even
powderize the plant, though I find that difficult to strain afterwards.
3. Fill a glass jar with your prepared plant material. Leave two inches at the top. Pack the jar so that it’s firm, but not tight.
4. Fill the glass jar again with oil. Completely cover the plant material. Poke it all with a stick, to release any air bubbles.
5. Cap, and use your desired oil infusion method (see above).
6. When finished infusing, strain out the plant material, and rebottle your remaining infused oil. I like to keep old natural-fiber clothing, and cut it
into squares to place over containers as strainers, then just throw away the cloth afterwards.
7. If you infused a plant with higher water content, then let sit for 2-4 days. Any remaining water from the plant will sink to the bottom. Pour off oil
from the top, to separate that from the watery mix. Use the watery oil up first, separately. The “pure” oil will last longer.
8. Label, and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Oils to Infuse into
(Other oils may work, too)
Heavier oils:
- Olive oil
- Jojoba oil
- Sesame oil (raw)
Lighter oils:
- Almond oil
- Apricot kernel oil
- Grapeseed oil
Solid at room temperature:
- Coconut oil
- Animal fat
(Note comodogenic vs. non-comodogenic oils, for sensitive skin types)
Oils/ Waxes to add
Butters:
- Cocoa butter
- Shea butter
Oils:
- Avocado oil
- Argan oil
- Castor oil
Antioxidant oils:
- Rosehip seed oil
- Carrot seed oil
- Evening primrose oil
- Vitamin E oil
Waxes:
- Beeswax
- Carnauba wax (from the Brazilian palm tree)
Salves
Salve Proportions
Adding more wax creates a harder salve; adding less wax creates a softer salve. Experiment with what consistency you like.
1 oz wax (weight): 4-8 oz oil (volume)
Making Salves
1. Prepare your oils. Measure out how much salve you want to make, and blend our oil infusions and other oils accordingly. Pour into a glass jar with a pouring
spout (I love beakers), and place into a metal pot. Fill water around your glass jar, to create a double boiler.
2. Heat it up.
3. Add wax, at your chosen proportions. It’s easiest to have pre-grated beeswax, and a dedicated grater just for beeswax.
4. Mix it with a spoon. Take out a small amount on the spoon and put into the freezer, to test its consistency texture. Modify as necessary, adding small
amounts of wax or oil, until satisfied. It’s easier to slowly add more wax, instead of oil.
5. Once ready, remove it from the stovetop. If you want to add vitamin E or essential oils, then let it cool a little bit, then stir it in at the end, before
it solidifies. The essential oils can explode, if the temperature is too high.
6. Pour into the awaiting jars.
7. Let cool. You might have to top off the salve as it dries, as it can create a funnel in the middle of the salve, as it dries.
8. Cap and label.
9. Store in cool areas. Enjoy!
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Some Lube Recipe Ideas
Basic Vag Salve
1/4 C liquid oil ((ie. jojoba, almond, olive, or infused oils)
1/2 C cocoa butter
1/2 C coconut oil
1 T vitamin E oil
2 tsp beeswax
1 tsp lanolin
(optional) essential oils (ie. Lavender, rose otto, rose geranium, chamomile, sandalwood)
Flax Seed Decoction
- 1 T flax seeds
- 1 C water
Boil, then simmer on low heat for ~20 minutes, until it’s reduced by half. Strain, and it’s ready to use! Can store in
the fridge for 2 months.
Yoni Butter (aphrodisiac/ lube, by Aviva Romm)
- ½ C cocoa butter
- ½ C coconut oil
- 4 oz unsweetened dark chocolate
- 2 T marshmallow root powder (or slippery elm root powder)
- ¼ tsp lavender essential oil (or other essential oil)
Ride and Glide (a nourishing lube, by Margi Flint)
- 0.8 oz grated beeswax
- ¼ C infused oil (with black cohosh, comfrey root, calendula, wild yam)
- ¼ C coconut oil
Combine and heat the above ingredients, then add:
- 1 T wheat germ oil
- 1 T vitamin E oil
- 1 tsp emulsified vitamin A
- essential oils of 30 drops lavender, 30 drops rose geranium, 10 drops rose otto
Coconut oil suppositories
Coconut oil with your choice of other oils (ie. Jojoba, vitamin E, wheat germ, evening primrose, borage, black currant seed
oil). Warm and mix the oils together, then freeze in ice trays to harden. Cut each cube into 2-3 sticks. Use a stick before sex or before sleep.
Herbal ointment (a post-menopausal possibility, by Rosemary Gladstar- in equal parts)
Oil infusions, with:
- Comfrey leaf and root
- St. Jonswort
- Calendula
Heat oils, then add grated beeswax (1/4 C beeswax for each C oil), until beeswax melts.
(Optional: vitamin E, cocoa butter, coconut, etc. oils)
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Chocolate
Making Chocolate from Scratch
¼ C cocoa butter 4
T cocoa powder
2 T sweetener ¼
tsp vanilla extract
1. Melt cocoa butter in double boiler on low heat.
2. Stir in cocoa powder.
3. Add sweetener/ vanilla.
4. Add herbs/ nuts/ seeds/ fruits/ etc. (Optional)
5. Pour into molds.
6. When solid, release from molds… and enjoy!
Using Existing Chocolate
1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Add in what you want. Here’s options:
- Add in nuts, berries, solid/ powdered herbs/ tinctures/ sweet preparations, let resolidify.
- Layer herbs (infused into sweet menstruua) onto melted chocolate that has solidified a bit. The herbs can be swirled in lightly, or completely mixed in.
- Use marc from coconut oil infusion to make chocolate. 1 Coconut oil marc : 1 Chocolate. Melt together, and mix. (ex: rose petal marc). Can also use herbally
infused coconut oil.
3. Mix thoroughly, and let resolidify. (Optional: If you have molds, such as ice cube trays, then you can pour into them, and skip the next step.)
4. Score or cut in desired shapes, once chocolate is hard enough to hold its shape.
5. Let dry slowly and completely. Do not refrigerate, as elements of the chocolate may separate.
6. Enjoy.
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Flying Ointment
(Note: use only under the guidance of a trained herbalist, in small quantities, and well monitored. Not for recreational use.)
Traditional plants:
- Belladonna (Atropa belladonna)
- Datura (Datura stramonium)
- Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)
- Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum)
Traditionally used poisons (do not use):
- Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
- Death hemlock (Conium spp.)
- Monkshood (Aconitum spp.)
- Foxglove (Digitalis spp.)
Other considerations:
- Poplar buds (Populus spp.)
- Calamus root (Acorus calamus)
- Cannabis (Cannabis spp.)
- Sages (Artemisia spp.)
- Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
- Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
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Other Considerations
Ingredients to Avoid in Commercial Lubes
benzene derivatives (sodium benzoate, methyl, ethyl, propylparaben, benzoate of soda, boric acid), propylene glycol, parabens,
salicylates, anammic aldehyde, synthetic fragrances, glycerine (for irritation/infection-prone folks)
Food as Medicine
- Essential fatty acids (from fish, olive oil, hemp, flax, walnut, almonds, dark leafy greens, whole grain foods)
- Seaweed (and other iron sources)
- Healthy fats (unsaturated fats, only)
- Phytoestrogenic foods (ie. Soy, beans, flax, etc)
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Resources
Online
Some simple aphrodisiac recipes
My oils/ salves class handout
My sweet medicine class handout
Past "Botanica Erotica" and "Botanica Aphrodisiaca" class handouts
Flying ointment
Book suggestions
“Herbal Healing for Women,” by Rosemary Gladstar
“Anatomy of Arousal,” by Sheri Winston
“Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health,” by Aviva Romm
