Hi, Deb, I can give you the "recipe" for that cream if you want it, that's no problem, but I wonder if you'll even want to. Here's how I make it, and you can decide.
First, make an herbal extract with devil's claw root. Take 1 tablespoon of dried root bits in one cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat so it's barely simmering, cover and leave for 10 minutes to "cook" all the goodness out of the root bits. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off, leave it covered, and let it steep for at least an hour. Longer is better, but no need to go more than overnight. When it's done steeping, strain through a paper towel into a 2-cup measuring cup. Squeeze it to get all you can out. You'll have a little less than 1 cup of extract. Add enough water to bring it to 1-1/2 cups. This is my "standardized extract" method, so each batch is virtually the same.
The cream is made by weight, so you'll need a scale that measures ounces. You'll want 6 ounces of this extract (I use a short drinking glass for this part), to which you now add 1 rounded tablespoon (just slightly rounded, not heaping) of MSM crystals. These are water soluble, but it takes a while to dissolve them in cold liquid. You can warm it up a bit if you're in a hurry and want it to dissolve faster, but read below about the temperature of the herbal extract when you're "assembling" the cream.
Next, melt 1 oz. of cocoa butter in a bowl set over a pan of hot/simmering water, then when melted, add 1 oz. of emulsifying wax beads until they're melted, and stir well. Remove from heat and add 1 oz. of emu oil (this .... is VERY expensive, be warned), and stir well. Add 1/2 teaspoon of grapefruit seed extract as a preservative, stir well. Next add about a heaping teaspoon of DMSO gel (this is totally personal preference, but that's how much I use - not enough to smell bad, but enough to get everything below the surface of your skin to where it's needed). Now add the herbal extract mix slowly while whisking. At this point, just after the initial whisking, add 1 teaspoon of wintergreen essential oil. If the herbal extract is warm, it will take a while to thicken and cool, all the while whisking it. OR, if you have a stick blender (this is what I do), chill the extract and when you pour it in and whisk it, it will get clumpy, but the stick blender for a few minutes will smooth it out and whip a bit of air into it to help it keep its shape and the texture is much nicer (less greasy).
That's it, now spoon it into a jar and use it. This recipe will make about 12 fluid ounces of cream (not by weight, but by volume) if it's whipped with the stick blender, and slightly less if it's hand-whisked.
What all that stuff does:
Cocoa butter is extremely moisturizing and skin-softening.
Emulsifying wax allows the water portion to blend with the oil portion, making a non-greasy cream.
Emu oil reduces inflammation in a big way.
Grapefruit seed extract is antimicrobial (reduces but does not completely prevent the formation of mold).
Devil's claw root is extremely anti-inflammatory.
DMSO is the carrier to get all the good stuff down into your joints and muscles where it needs to be.
Wintergreen encourages circulation, blood flow, and warmth.
(Did I forget anything? I think that's all of it... I'm doing this out of my head, and it's still early, so I hope I got it all right...)
Anyway, this won't last forever, but you don't need to use a whole lot of it at any one time, so if you make a batch, put it in smaller jars and keep them in the fridge except for the one you're currently using. Check the inside of the lid frequently for condensation and wipe dry if you see any - this is the primary cause of mold formation on the surface - the "raining" inside the jar.
So there you go! My "secret recipe!" LOL! I've never used Australian Dream, but I've sold some of this to people who have, and they say it works just as well, if not better, AND there are no unpronounceable chemicals in mine.
DMSO is available at feed stores, because it's an anti-inflammatory that is used on horses.
MSM METHYLSULFONYLMETHANE: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD
More Notes from Lannie
Yes, we get DMSO at the feed store in liquid form (that's for medicating the critters) and we get the gel form online. I use the gel form in my creams, only because the texture is thicker, but it wouldn't matter a bit which one you use, actually, since it's a small amount. It's just used as a carrier in the creams, although in larger quantities it has pain relieving properties itself. It smells bad, though, and gives you bad breath. It's "not approved for use in humans," so that's why it's only available at feed/farm stores and online. It's like comfrey - the medical "profession" doesn't like people getting results on their own, so they try to squash things that work.
And yes, that's the MSM I was talking about. We get ours at msm-msm.com if you want to check there. We get the small flake form (it dissolves easier), and it comes in lots of different sizes, so you can start small.
The emu oil is a pain in the patootie. Rich has been ordering it, so I can't say off the top of my head where from, but it's a good one made in Australia, which is why it's so damned expensive. But it does work very well. ALL the stuff in that cream works well on its own, which is why it's all in there. I just sat down one day and thought of all the things I had that would work to relieve sore joints and muscles, and that's what I had, so that's what went in my experimental batch. Rich tried it out and told me to make a gallon of it - LOL! - so that's been my formula ever since.
Anyway, I think you can get most of the other ingredients for the cream at a health food store. Not sure about the devil's claw root. You might have to get that online, so if you can't find it, let me know and I'll give you a couple links of reliable and trustworthy herb suppliers that I use.
First, make an herbal extract with devil's claw root. Take 1 tablespoon of dried root bits in one cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat so it's barely simmering, cover and leave for 10 minutes to "cook" all the goodness out of the root bits. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off, leave it covered, and let it steep for at least an hour. Longer is better, but no need to go more than overnight. When it's done steeping, strain through a paper towel into a 2-cup measuring cup. Squeeze it to get all you can out. You'll have a little less than 1 cup of extract. Add enough water to bring it to 1-1/2 cups. This is my "standardized extract" method, so each batch is virtually the same.
The cream is made by weight, so you'll need a scale that measures ounces. You'll want 6 ounces of this extract (I use a short drinking glass for this part), to which you now add 1 rounded tablespoon (just slightly rounded, not heaping) of MSM crystals. These are water soluble, but it takes a while to dissolve them in cold liquid. You can warm it up a bit if you're in a hurry and want it to dissolve faster, but read below about the temperature of the herbal extract when you're "assembling" the cream.
Next, melt 1 oz. of cocoa butter in a bowl set over a pan of hot/simmering water, then when melted, add 1 oz. of emulsifying wax beads until they're melted, and stir well. Remove from heat and add 1 oz. of emu oil (this .... is VERY expensive, be warned), and stir well. Add 1/2 teaspoon of grapefruit seed extract as a preservative, stir well. Next add about a heaping teaspoon of DMSO gel (this is totally personal preference, but that's how much I use - not enough to smell bad, but enough to get everything below the surface of your skin to where it's needed). Now add the herbal extract mix slowly while whisking. At this point, just after the initial whisking, add 1 teaspoon of wintergreen essential oil. If the herbal extract is warm, it will take a while to thicken and cool, all the while whisking it. OR, if you have a stick blender (this is what I do), chill the extract and when you pour it in and whisk it, it will get clumpy, but the stick blender for a few minutes will smooth it out and whip a bit of air into it to help it keep its shape and the texture is much nicer (less greasy).
That's it, now spoon it into a jar and use it. This recipe will make about 12 fluid ounces of cream (not by weight, but by volume) if it's whipped with the stick blender, and slightly less if it's hand-whisked.
What all that stuff does:
Cocoa butter is extremely moisturizing and skin-softening.
Emulsifying wax allows the water portion to blend with the oil portion, making a non-greasy cream.
Emu oil reduces inflammation in a big way.
Grapefruit seed extract is antimicrobial (reduces but does not completely prevent the formation of mold).
Devil's claw root is extremely anti-inflammatory.
DMSO is the carrier to get all the good stuff down into your joints and muscles where it needs to be.
Wintergreen encourages circulation, blood flow, and warmth.
(Did I forget anything? I think that's all of it... I'm doing this out of my head, and it's still early, so I hope I got it all right...)
Anyway, this won't last forever, but you don't need to use a whole lot of it at any one time, so if you make a batch, put it in smaller jars and keep them in the fridge except for the one you're currently using. Check the inside of the lid frequently for condensation and wipe dry if you see any - this is the primary cause of mold formation on the surface - the "raining" inside the jar.
So there you go! My "secret recipe!" LOL! I've never used Australian Dream, but I've sold some of this to people who have, and they say it works just as well, if not better, AND there are no unpronounceable chemicals in mine.
DMSO is available at feed stores, because it's an anti-inflammatory that is used on horses.
MSM METHYLSULFONYLMETHANE: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD
More Notes from Lannie
Yes, we get DMSO at the feed store in liquid form (that's for medicating the critters) and we get the gel form online. I use the gel form in my creams, only because the texture is thicker, but it wouldn't matter a bit which one you use, actually, since it's a small amount. It's just used as a carrier in the creams, although in larger quantities it has pain relieving properties itself. It smells bad, though, and gives you bad breath. It's "not approved for use in humans," so that's why it's only available at feed/farm stores and online. It's like comfrey - the medical "profession" doesn't like people getting results on their own, so they try to squash things that work.
And yes, that's the MSM I was talking about. We get ours at msm-msm.com if you want to check there. We get the small flake form (it dissolves easier), and it comes in lots of different sizes, so you can start small.
The emu oil is a pain in the patootie. Rich has been ordering it, so I can't say off the top of my head where from, but it's a good one made in Australia, which is why it's so damned expensive. But it does work very well. ALL the stuff in that cream works well on its own, which is why it's all in there. I just sat down one day and thought of all the things I had that would work to relieve sore joints and muscles, and that's what I had, so that's what went in my experimental batch. Rich tried it out and told me to make a gallon of it - LOL! - so that's been my formula ever since.
Anyway, I think you can get most of the other ingredients for the cream at a health food store. Not sure about the devil's claw root. You might have to get that online, so if you can't find it, let me know and I'll give you a couple links of reliable and trustworthy herb suppliers that I use.
