Comfrey is a powerful healer, working both at the skin surface and deeper into the muscle. We harvest comfrey leaf, stalk, and flower three times per year, partially dry it, and then extract the herb in organic sunflower oil before adding it to Green Wonder, Après Sun, and Après Ski & Sport salves.

For those who have heard that you should avoid comfrey, be assured that we use only aerial parts of purple flowering comfrey (not the root or the yellow flowering variety), which are generally considered safe for topical use. We do not recommend using any of our products on deep puncture wounds, comfrey included. And, as always, please consult a medical professional if you have any questions about which herbs are appropriate for you.

Symphytum spp.

We are rehabilitating the reputation of goldenrod here at Half Wild Farm. Although unfairly maligned for causing seasonal allergies, goldenrod is pollinated by insects and not the wind. It has so many gifts for us: beauty, food for pollinators, tea for humans.

Goldenrod is anti-inflammatory and boasts more antioxidents than either green tea or Vitamin C. Used topically, it offers relief for aching muscles and joints and support for damaged and aging skin.

We harvest the top third of goldenrod plants from our fields just as they start to flower, and then extract the plants in organic sunflower oil or alcohol for at least six weeks before adding them to our products. The plants remaining in the field feed the bees in the fall and the goldfinch all winter.

You can find goldenrod in our Gentle Hands, Après Ski & Sport, Clear Skin Toner, Facial Serum, and Herbal Body Oil. We hope you’ll join us in switching to bountiful goldenrod and leaving arnica to grow in peace.

Solidago spp.

St. John’s wort has so much to give to us. Blooming just after the summer solstice here in northern New England, it is imbued with the heat and strength of the midsummer sun. We harvest the flowering tops and immediately infuse them in organic sunflower oil to be used in our products to relieve sunburned skin and sore muscles and joints: Après Sun, Après Ski & Sport, and Herbal Body Oil. St. John’s wort is a true ally for anyone who works hard and plays hard.

Hypericum perforatum

White pine is our only ingredient that we harvest in winter. The pine trees are well adapted to cold weather and retain their leaves and their medicine all year. We cold-infuse pine needles in alcohol or organic sunflower oil for at least six weeks before mixing up Après Ski & Sport, Aftershave, and Beard Oil.

Pine needles are high in Vitamin C, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and warming. Ally to inflamed skin and hardworking bodies.

Pinus strobus (Eastern White Pine)

Organic, high-oleic sunflower oil forms the base of all of our salves and oils. Sunflower oil is excellent for skin and hair, and unlike the more exotic oils that you’ll find in mainstream cosmetics, it can be grown in our region.

Sunflower oil is packed with Vitamins A, B, C, E, beta-carotene, iron, calcium, and oleic acid — all wonderfully nourishing for your skin and hair from a natural, whole-plant source.

We source our sunflower oil as close to Half Wild Farm as possible. With the recent closure of FullSun in Vermont, we currently work with Century Sun Oil in Wisconsin, but we are always looking out for new sunflower oil producers closer to home.

We use beeswax from White Mountain Apiary in Littleton, NH, in all of our salves. Beeswax is great for the skin on its own, and it also helps our herb-infused oils stick around longer on your skin, so you get a greater benefit from the herbs.