I hand-pick cottonwood buds in the spring and steep them in tallow to extract their beautiful anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and antimicrobial qualities from the flavonoids, tannins, and salicin present. I then combine the tallow with organic coconut oil, organic beeswax, and touch of essential oils for grounding. I have a limited amount of this salve, as I can only pick a certain amount of buds in the spring.
