Small BatchHerbal Balms
Bug Bite Balm
Calm. Powerful. Natural. A botanical balm that soothes, comforts, and calms irritated skin.
$37.00
2oz / 57g
Botanical Ingredient
Sweet Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Sweet basil is sacred in Ayurvedic tradition and has been used medicinally across South Asia, the Mediterranean, and Africa for centuries. Its leaves contain eugenol — the same active compound found in cloves — which functions as a natural COX-2 inhibitor with documented anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects comparable in mechanism (though not in potency) to pharmaceutical NSAIDs. It also contains significant linalool, which has calming effects on skin receptors and reduces the sensation of itch and discomfort.
Anti-inflammatory (eugenol, COX-2 inhibition)AnalgesicAntimicrobialAntioxidantCalming (linalool)
Infused into 1 InVine formula
Traditional Uses
- Reducing skin inflammation from insect bites
- Topical analgesic for stings and minor wounds
- Antiseptic wound care
- Headache relief (applied to temples)
- Ayurvedic medicine for skin diseases
- Antimicrobial first aid
Key Properties
Anti-inflammatory (eugenol, COX-2 inhibition)AnalgesicAntimicrobialAntioxidantCalming (linalool)
Did You Know
The word 'basil' derives from the Greek 'basileus' — king. In ancient Greece and Rome it was considered the king of herbs and was used medicinally long before it became a kitchen staple.
Our Sourcing
Sweet basil is a warm-season annual and one of the most generous producers in InVine's Florida garden through the summer months. We harvest the leaves just before the plant begins to flower — when eugenol and aromatic oil content is at its highest — then dry them gently before an eight-week infusion in cold-extracted organic oils. Florida summers are ideal for basil: the heat and humidity bring out a richness that temperate-grown basil simply cannot match.
Why We Use It
I grow basil for cooking and for the balms, and it was an observation in the kitchen garden that led me to include it. Years before I understood the chemistry, I noticed that rubbing a crushed basil leaf onto a bite brought real, rapid relief — faster than I expected. When I learned that eugenol, basil's primary active compound, works as a natural COX-2 inhibitor — the same anti-inflammatory pathway pharmaceutical NSAIDs target — the reason became clear. It belongs in the Bug Bite Balm because it works, and because it grows right outside our door.
Found In These Products
Sweet Basil is a key ingredient in this InVine Botanicals formula.
Small Batch