bitsorf, CC 2.0.

by ‘Road Dawg’

Kådsalva (meaning ‘resin salve’) is a traditional preparation hailing from Sápmi, the land of the Sámi peoples. Sápmi stretches across the northern parts of what is also known as Scandinavia and Russia’s Kola Peninsula, having been colonised by and now separated by the state borders of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.

A key ingredient of kådsalva is resin collected from the evergreen tree Picea abies; Guassa in ubmejesámiengiälla/ Ume Sámi, Gran in Swedish, and in English commonly known as ‘Norway Spruce.’

Sámi languages, via native-land.ca

About nine Sámi languages are still spoken, all of which are included in the UNESCO’s Atlas of the world’s languages in danger.¹

Some Ume Sámi words for tree medicines:

Gaussa – Spruce

Gássie – Resin

Njïdtjuos – “chewing resin”, the white, clean, grainy resin of spruce, used as chewing gum

Some Southern  Sámi words for tree medicines:

Goese – Spruce

Goesen-gássie – spruce resin

Njohke – thin flowing resin from wounds on the trees, used on wounds

Bietsien-gássie – Scots pine resin

‘Spruce Cone’, by Hedera Baltica, CC 2.0.

Picea abies grows throughout Sápmi, and in Swedish Sápmi, where the author has lived, it is the most common tree.² However, where these trees would naturally have occupied a niche in the species-rich old growth forests that provide sustenance as well as reindeer pasture for the Sámi, a large proportion of these are now plantations.

Despite the Swedish state’s public relations project that claims otherwise, commercial forestry management in Sweden is not sustainable – contributing to climate change, habitat destruction and decreasing biodiversity.³ Skogsupproret (Forest Rebellion) – a grassroots movement of Sámi and environmental activists state that:

“Since 1950, about 60% of Sweden’s forests have been clear-cut at least once and replaced with fragmented and species-poor woodlands. Only 10-15% of Swedish forests can now be classified as natural forests (i.e. forests that have developed naturally and therefore have high natural values) and 900 forest-dwelling species are now threatened with extinction.”⁴

The “dense, even-aged pine and spruce stands” that emerge through state forestry practices are less resistant to to forest fires, storms and insect attacks, sequester less carbon, and do not offer the sustenance needed support the reindeer herds that are integral to the way of life of the Sámi who herd reindeer. ⁵

 Thus they consider that “Sweden’s current forestry is a continuation of the colonial policy that the Swedish state has carried out for over 400 years in Sápmi, where Sámi lands have been stolen.”⁶ This in addition to continued settler colonialism⁷ and corporate-driven colonialism, taking the form of both traditional industrial extraction (see here,⁸ here⁹ and here¹⁰ for information on resistance movements to British and Norwegian mining in Sápmi – the book No Mine in Gallok is also excellent) and new ‘green’ industry such as wind turbines.¹¹

‘blockad Nr2’ at Camp Gállok, via Kolinierna.se

On the Swedish side of the border, the Sámi were divided into four groups – Reindeer herding Sámi, Forest Sámi, Mountain Sámi and Fishing Sámi. The book, in Swedish, När Vi Var Samer (When we were Sámi) by Mats Jonsson explains the history of the Swedish cultural genocide project by way of his own lived experience, but a summary in English can be found here.¹²

Kari Chan, CC 4.0

Resin is a sticky aromatic substance produced in epithelial cells of conifer trees as a defence mechanism and immune response to wound. Just like how in trees the resin tends to surface wounds, it has traditional external use for conditions affecting the skin, including “acutely and chronically infected wounds, sores, pressure ulcers, punctured abscesses, suppurating burns, onychomycosis, and paronychia”.¹³ Compounds known as ‘diterpene resin acids’ may be responsible for increasing re-epithelialisation (the formation of new skin cells in the final stage of wound healing).¹⁴ It has had use within the region for hundreds of years.¹⁵ In a film exploring Sámi Culture, Natural Remedies and Foods,¹⁶ the late Laila Spik of Girjas Sameby, Saltoluokta¹⁷ explains that the ointment “can be used for eczema, to pull out splinters and if you have dry or chapped skin. It is also good if you have sore lips.”¹⁸

^{This tree also has usage amongst indigenous people in other parts of the world: in Turtle Island, for example, the sap and gum was used by the Mohegan peoples as an analgesic and healing aid for boils and abscesses.19}

Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen (1880)

Spruce is an evergreen tree of triangular shape, reaching up to 30m tall and 10m across.18 Its branches have singular, needle-like leaves which are square in cross-section, unlike Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière (Sitka spruce), which are diamond in cross-section.²⁰ It could also be confused with Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine), with which it often grows together and which also has food and medicinal uses, however this tree has pairs of needles, a different shape, and orange, more papery, bark.

In the ‘UK’, Picea abies is best known as the ‘traditional’ Christmas tree (the tradition dating back to Prince Albert in 1841, who introduced this custom from Germany), and together with Nordman firs, it makes up 90% of the 6-8 million trees grown in high density plantations and annually felled for this usage,²¹ of which a majority end up in landfill.²² Although if sold potted with their rootstock intact, Spruces used as Christmas trees can be replanted with a little care.²³ It is also grown in plantations as a softwood timber.

Despite our contemporary cultural relationship with this tree being largely defined by these two industries, “it is thought the Norway spruce was native to the UK in the last interglacial period”, and it provides food and homes to many wildlife including spruce carpet, cloaked pug, dwarf pug and barred red moths, and red squirrels.²⁴ Which can also help with identification: “Look for spruce cone ‘mittens’ – piles of discarded cone scales where squirrels have eaten a cone like a corn-on-the-cob.”²⁵ 

This page²⁶ has lots of information on conifer differentiation and foraging considerations  in the ‘UK’ – be sure in particular that you have acquainted yourself with the poisonous Yew tree before attempting to harvest any conifers.

In gathering the resin be careful to look for trees that are already wounded and to not re-open wounds. Be considerate and follow usual foraging rules, and think of the resin as forming a protective scab on the tree, and take only what is excess to the tree’s own healing process. Although it probably never gets sufficiently cold enough in the ‘UK’ for the resin to harden completely, the colder months do aid harvesting as less leaves on the trees make it easier to spot the resin, however trees will produce resin year round which will then stay on tree for a long time. To harvest, scrape the hardened resin off with a knife – a glass jar is good to store the collected chunks or beads. You can also take resin from cut or felled trees, but it is extra important to make sure that you take care to ID the tree correctly. It can also be stickier from the log stacks and it can be harder to gather the liquid sap than the hardened resin.

The following recipe was given to the author by some forest punks. In accordance with the proclamation of the lineages of DIY and punk: you can also find your own best method to filter out the bits of bark and dead spiders from the resin. Also, be warned that the resin will not come off the pots, knives, sieves etc you use, so choose wisely which of your utensils you would like to sacrifice to the resin gods!  

It uses four ingredients: Picea abies resin, Calendula officinalis (calendula) flowers, olive oil and beeswax. Traditional recipes often use animal fat instead of olive oil beeswax.

The addition of Calendula flowers complements the wound healing actions of the Spruce resin, adding their own special profile of constituents into the mix. Calendula flowers also contain a sticky ‘resin’, and their compounds have action against a broad range of bacteria and microbes and help speed up the resolution of the inflammation phase of the wound, as well as increasing the production of granulation tissue in acute wounds.²⁷

The beeswax and olive oil also act synergistically together, enhancing their respective antimicrobial effects.²⁸ Beeswax is traditionally used in medicinal preparations as a hardening agent and preservative and can also help heal inflammation, bruising and burn injuries.²⁹ Olive oil, from the olive tree Olea europaea L. also has anti-fungal properties, and it is relatively cheap and easily available.³⁰ It has applications for other conditions such as diabetic ulcers, atopic dermatitis and episiotomy wounds.³¹

In less scientific blah-blahs, the author has been very grateful for their experiences with kådsalva. At one point they knocked off their bike (it was fine) and had bits of grit and dirt in the wounds that wouldn’t come out with a wound wash. The kådsalva acted as a drawing agent and pulled the gack out over night, the antimicrobials stopped the wounds from getting infected, and the wounds healed well and with minimal scarring. It is also helpful on whitlows, and it works very well when smeared on the face and lips to protect against cold winds, even though it does make you quite shiny (which who knows, is maybe the look we’re going for).

Safety note: Although in Sweden Spruce resin is regarded as gentler on the skin than that from Pine species (some of which can contain irritative levels of turpenes), both calendula and spruce can cause contact dermatitis in some people³² – a patch test before use is advised. 

Equipment:

• • Whole flowerheads of Calendula officinalis, stalk removed
  • Large sterilised wide-mouth glass jar
  • Dry, sterile butter knife
  • Muslin
  • Rubber band
  • Sunny windowsill
  • Olive oil

• Method:

1. Pick the flowers on a sunny, dry day. Leave in the shade on brown paper or muslin for a couple of hours so bugs can escape. Set the bugs free. 
2. Sterilise the glass jar by washing with warm soapy water and baking in the oven (160ºc for 15 minutes) 
3. Place flowerheads in the jar, until about two thirds full. Fill the rest of the jar with olive oil, leaving space to the rim. Ensure all plant material has sunk, is covered by olive oil, and that there are no air bubbles by gently poking them down with a sterile, dry butter knife. 
4. Cover the opening of the jar with a clean piece of muslin, secure with a rubber band. Label and date the jar.
5. Leave on a sunny windowsill for 2 weeks, ensuring the muslin isn’t covering the sides of the jar, checking occasionally to ensure the flowers are submerged. 
6. Separate the flowers and olive oil by straining with clean muslin, putting the oil into a new sterile jar. Do not squeeze the muslin with flowers in it. Let the oil drip. 
7. Let the oil sit for a few hours – if there is any brown liquid at the bottom, move the oil into a new sterile jar making sure to not transfer the brown liquid. Discard the brown liquid (which contains water, amongst other things, and increases the chances of the preparation going rancid).
8. Put an airtight lid on, label jar with ingredients and date, and leave in a cool dark place such as a cupboard. Can keep up to 18 months if prepared and stored well. 

Equipment:

• Scales
• 3-4 sterilised, dry wide-mouth glass jars (large enough that the resin fills the jar half way max)
• Sterile, dry metal butter knife and spoon
• Clean muslin
• Saucepan or bain-marie. Flat stone or old plate if using saucepan
• Funnel
• Heatproof gloves
• Containers (e.g. sterilised glass jars or tins)
• Clean tea towel

Ingredients:

• Picea abies resin, about 80g, collected in dry weather. Remove larger pieces of bark. 
• Local beeswax 10g or more
• Prepared calendula infused olive oil, 70ml (recipe above: allow two weeks in the Spring/Summer time)

Method:

1. Weigh the jars and unrefined resin, making a note of the weights. Use about 80g unfiltered resin.
2. If using a saucepan, place in the flat stone or old plate so that the jar can sit on top of this safely. Fill the pan with enough water so it comes half way up the side of the jar. If using a bain marie, fill both chambers with water and place the glass jar in the upper chamber, again so it can be half submersed in water.
3. Use glass jars to make the salve as the resin is very sticky and sets hard, and is difficult to clean off.
4. Take the jar out and bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat so it is just below simmering.
5. Place the jar with the resin inside in the water. Wait 10 mins and stir with the sterile knife. Stir until fully melted.
6. Once melted, place a piece of muslin over a second clean jar.
7. Slowly add 70ml prepared olive oil infused with calendula flowers, mix, and keep on the heat until incorporated.
8. Using heat proof gloves, lift the jar out of the water and use the tea towel to wipe any water off the outside of the jar.
9. Weigh the jar and the contents. Subtract the weight of the jar and the weight of the oil (70g=70ml oil). The result is the approximate amount of filtered resin.
10. Transfer the mix into the muslin on top of the second clean jar.
11. Wait until it cools slightly and squeeze the muslin, using clean hands (you can also use clean marigold gloves here if the mix is still hot to touch!), so the filtered resin and oil goes into the jar. Discard the muslin and its contents.
12. Place the jar with the filtered resin and oil back in the heated water and add 5g beeswax as pellets or shavings. Add up to 10g, then more beeswax if a harder consistency is desired.
13. To test consistency, drip the product onto a plate and wait for it to harden.
14. While warm, add the finished product into containers, making sure to leave lids off until fully cooled to allow moisture to escape.
15. Secure lids when fully cooled, label product with date and ingredients.

This recipe creates approximately 60g of final product. Take it as a guide for your own processes and experiments! If you wish, you could cross-reference this recipe with others, for example here, here and here!

2. Skogen, Gran (n.d.) 

3. ‘About the Forest’ (2021) 

4. Skogupproret, ‘The Forest Emergency‘ (n.d.).

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Åsa Össbo, ‘On Colonial Past and Present in Sápmi: Considering Ideas of the Land of the Future in

Northern Sweden‘, Journal of Northern Studies, 17:1 (2025), 13–29.

8. @Reddrepparfjord, instagram profile 

9. ‘About’, Kamp i Kolonierna 

10. The Gallok Rebellion, Vimeo (2014)

11. Johanna Zilliacus, ‘Green coloniality of power over Sámi in Finland?‘, Åbo Akademi University Social Exclusion Masters Programme blog (30/3/2022).

12. Petra Broomans, ‘Lost Heritage and Reconstructing Sámi Roots in Mats Jonsson’s Comic Novel När vivar samer‘, Deshima, 17 (2023), 27-42. Article 2.

13. Janne J. Jokinen & Arno Sipponen, Refined spruce resin to treat chronic wounds: Rebirth of an old folkloristic therapy, Advances in Wound Care, 5:5  (2016), 198–207. 

14. Thomas Goels, Elisabeth Eichenauer, Ammar Tahir, Paul Prochaska, Franziska Hoeller, Elke H. Heiß, & Sabine Glasl, ‘Exudates of Picea abies, Pinus nigra, and Larix decidua: Chromatographic Comparison and Pro-Migratory Effects on Keratinocytes in vitro‘, Plants, 11:5 (2022), p.599. 

15. Jokinen & Sipponen, ‘Refined Spruce Resin‘

16. Rosander Produktion, ‘Laila Spik – Saami Culture, Natural Remedies and Foods‘, YouTube (2009) 

17. Which community recently won a victory against the Swedish state, see: Øyvind Ravna, ‘A Sámi Community Wins Case against the Swedish State in the Supreme Court‘, Arctic Review on Law and Politics, 11 (2020) 19–21.

18. Rosander Produktion, ‘Laila Spik‘  

19. Native Americal Ethnobotany Database, ‘Pinaceae Picea abies (L.) Karst.‘ (n.d.). 

20. Plants for a Future, ‘Picea abies‘ (n.d.).  

21. Forestry Commission, ‘Guidance: Christmas trees and forestry regulations‘, Gov.Uk (Oct 2025).

22. Gem O’Reilly, Leyla Hayes and James W Kelly, ‘How Christmas Trees are Getting a New Lease of Life‘, BBC news (Jan 6th 2025).

23. Bonnie L. Grant, ‘Can You Replant A Christmas Tree After The Holidays? Here’s How To Do It Successfully, Gardening Know-How (Dec 2024).

24. Woodland Trust, ‘Norway Spruce‘ (n.d.)

25. Woodland Bushcraft, ‘Norway Spruce (Picea Abies)‘  (n.d.)

26. Galloway Wild Foods, ‘Forager’s Guide to Conifers‘  (2021)

27. Or Givol, Rachel Kornhaber, Denis Visentin, Michelle Cleary, Josef Haik, & Mori Harats, ‘A Systematic Review of Calendula officinalis Extract for Wound Healing‘, Wound Repair and Regeneration’, 27:5 (2019), 548–561. 

28. Filippo Fratini, Giovanni Cilia, Barbara Turchi, & Antonio Felicioli, ‘Beeswax: A Minireview of its Antimicrobial Activity and its Application in Medicine‘, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, 9:9 ). (2016), 839– 843. 

29. Ibid.

30. Mahdiyeh Taheri, Leila Amiri-Farahani, ‘Anti-inflammatory and Restorative Effects of Olives in Topical Application‘, Dermatol Res Pract, (2021) 

31. Jokinen & Sipponen, ‘Refined Spruce Resin‘

‘Road Dawg’ is a ‘free spirit of the open road’.