Whether you have stress-driven soreness or you spent too many hours at the gym yesterday, this muscle soothing bath recipe can help. I blend calming, anti-inflammatory essential oils with those amazing magnesium sulfate crystals that are a dream for relieving muscle soreness, a stiff neck, and minor back pain; epsom salts! Yes I advocate them all the time, but they are inexpensive and amazing.
Eucalyptus has a warming effect when it comes to bathing for muscle soreness. It stimulates blood flow and quickly eases aches and pains. I also love the aroma of eucalyptus. I actually use it to make a homemade after-cooking-dinner room freshener. Eucalyptus combined with peppermint, you get the perfect combination of warming and cooling. Mint cools, refreshes, and revitalizes. Adding it to your bath is a great way to relieve soreness while also helping your mind focus; perfect for reading after your bath. I keep the peppermint dose low, while non-irritating, I find menthol to be a little too much. I also add chamomile essential oil to this mix. The scent is really overpowered by the eucalyptus and mint, but you still get the anti-inflammatory benefits of this essential oil.
To make this muscle soothing bath, you will need:
- 8 drops chamomile essential oil
- 5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 3 drops peppermint essential oil
- 1 teaspoon carrier oil, such as sweet almond, sesame, or avocado
- 2 cups epsom salts
Run very hot bath water. While it is filling, stretch your muscles, hydrate with a cup of juice or water. Swirl in the epsom salts. Two cups seems like a lot, but with muscle soreness, you want a lot. Add the essential oils to the teaspoon of oil and then add this to your bath water right before getting in (wait until the water cools to a tolerable temperature for you). Try to stay in the water for at least 20 minutes to really get the benefits. Relax after your bath and sip some herbal tea, juice, or water. You will sweat with two cups of epsom salts, so rehydrate!
Sit back and relax this summer with a cool, fragrant glass of iced passion flower tea. This herb is great for calming the nerves and really allowing you to enjoy the sultry days of summer. According to The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal by David Hoffmann, passion flower has sedative, hypnotic, anti-spasmodic, and nervine benefits. Try one of these recipes, take a sip, and relax.
Tropical Passion Juice
- 1 teaspoon dried passion flower leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried chamomile blossoms
- 1 cup mango juice
Brew the herbal infusion with the passion flower and chamomile and two cups of boiling water, infusing for a full ten minutes, covered. Let the tea cool to room temperature. Fill your glass with ice. Pour half of the mango juice and half of the tea. Store the leftover in the refrigerator or share with a friend.
Strawberry Passion Smoothie
- 1 teaspoon dried passion flower leaves
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
- 5 or 6 ice cubes
Brew your calming passion flower tea and let it cool. Throw all ingredients in the blender. Blend for a full 30 seconds. Sip through a colorful straw.
Iced Passion Mojito
- 1 teaspoon dried passion flower leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons honey, depending on how sweet you would like your drink
- juice from one lime
This is an amazing twist on a classic summer cocktail. Brew the passion flower mint tea with two cups of water, steeping for about 10 minutes. Melt the honey in your tea while the water is still hot. Cool the infusion in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Pour over ice and squeeze in the juice of a lime. Stir. Garnish with a mint leave. Serves two.
Making homemade aromatherapy bath salts is remarkably easy. Make them for yourself, we all deserve a little luxury. They also make excellent gifts, especially if you use pretty pink Himalayan sea salt or vibrant Hawaiian salts and cool glass jars. You can re-purpose jelly jars to make your bath salt mixes a little more eco-friendly.
What are the benefits? Well, aside from the instant stress and tension melting from soaking in an aromatherapy bath, you get a dose of minerals from the salts. This is why you do want to use high quality sea salts and epsom salts, nothing processed! This is one of the big reasons that I am such a big fan of epsom salt baths, the magnesium and sulfates, which are both important anti-aging minerals. Magnesium helps to prevent calcification and sulfur (found in onions, garlic, and eggs), helps to 'protect against the harmful effects of radiation and pollution,' thus slowing the aging process (Balch's Prescription for Nutritional Healing). I don't know how effective my idea is, but I figure epsom salt baths are a win-win. They are relaxing, I sweat out a few toxins, and they do really help with sore, stiff muscles.
Here is the basic recipe for aromatherapy bath salts and a few suggestions for different essential oil combinations. You will love having plenty of ready-to-use salts for luxurious baths on hand; so much better than paying $15 or $25 dollars for a small container of aromatherapy salts. Plus, you get to have fun with the ingredients.
To make natural bath salts, you will need:
- 2 cups epsom salts
- 2 cups coarse sea salts
- 1 tablespoon jojoba, sweet almond, apricot kernel, or any other carrier oil that you have around
- 20-25 drops essential oil
- 1 cup milk powder (optional)
First combine the epsom salts and sea salts. Add your blend of essential oils to the tablespoon of oil. Then, stir this super fragrant oil into your salts until well-mixed. If using the milk powder (try goat's milk or coconut milk powder), add to the initial salt mixture. Fill your jars. Seal tightly. Label. Essential oils do degrade over time when exposed to light, heat, etc, so don't be afraid to use your salts quickly.
Essential oil blends for aromatherapy baths:
Calming:
- 10 drops lavender
- 8 drops chamomile
- 7 drops neroli
Rejuvenating:
- 10 drops sandalwood
- 10 drops frankincense
- 5 drops carrot seed
To clear the mind:
- 5 drops geranium
- 5 drops peppermint
- 5 drops clary sage
- 5 drops rosemary
Uplifting:
- 10 drops bergamot
- 10 drops rose
- 5 drops jasmine
Swirl a full cup of your blended salts and essential oils into running bath water.
Nothing calms me, body and mind, like a hot soak in fragrant waters. For me, this is the best meditation preparation technique; to melt away my worries and concerns with a sandalwood bath. If you are new to meditation or have trouble relaxing and entering a meditative state, then get a little help with this bath recipe. Relax in the tub for 15 minutes, slip into a comfortable towel or robe, get into your relaxed position, put on your meditation cd's, and go for it.
Sandalwood is one of the best essential oils for meditation. It is warming and grounding, which helps to create feelings of serenity and security. The centering properties of sandalwood are perfect for preparing the mind for meditation. I combine sandalwood with cedarwood, for strengthening and comfort, and lavender for the gentle, calming effect.
To make this meditation bath, you will need:
- 7 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 2 drops cedarwood
- 3 drops lavender
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Add the essential oils to your carrier oil. Sesame is great, but you can also use sweet almond, avocado, or even virgin olive oil. Disperse into warm bath water. Dim the lights, or if you have a few aromatherapy candles use them to set a more relaxing space. Enjoy your meditation bath for about 15 minutes. Sip some water, herbal tea, or room temperature juice when you get out. Make sure you are comfortable and start meditating.
Chamomile tea is a calming herbal tea classic, great for relieving stress, but do you know that it has a few other wellness benefits? Find out why you should sip a therapeutic cup of this apple blossom aromatic infusion for your
health, unless of course you have a ragweed allergy!
1. Eases digestion
A cup of chamomile is a great natural digestive aid. These daisy like blossoms are rich in volatile oils that can help to relax and reduce indigestion and gas. Drink after heavy meals to soothe your stomach.
2. Insomnia remedy
With sedative properties, chamomile is good for promoting restful sleep. A double bag of tea after a warm lavender and chamomile bath is a dream formula for perfect sleep.
3. Diminishes headaches
Calming, but also an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory, this is a great go to herb for tension headaches. I brew a cup when I notice that a headache is creeping up.
4. Fighting a cold
Chamomile has long been known to have antiseptic benefits. Could drinking this tea help your body defend itself from bacterial infections? According to research published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, drinking five cups a day for two weeks increases the level of phenolics in the body - these compounds exhibit antibacterial activity. Five cups of any one tea may be too much for anyone, but there is no harm enjoying a golden, fragrant infusion from time to time during cold season.
5. Menstrual cramps
This herb may be particularly beneficial for women. The same research also found increased levels of glycine in the body after drinking chamomile; glycine is an amino acid that relieves muscle spasms.
6. Body aches
Try soaking in a chamomile and epsom salt bath while you have a stiff neck or other aches and pains. I add three tablespoons to a muslin tea bag and add to bath water, while the hot water is running. You can also use three or four chamomile tea bags. Swirl in a cup of epsom salts and relax.
7. Puffy eyes
Cooled, used chamomile tea bags are an amazing remedy for puffy, tired eyes. Brew your tea and then throw the bags in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Placed over closed eyes for 15 minutes. This reduces inflammation and swelling, and it feels great.
Add some chamomile benefits to your world. Whether you soak in fragrant, gentle chamomile waters, sip a warm cup of tea, or even have fun making delicious chamomile smoothies, this is a great herb to make a part of your life.
Warm milk and nutmeg makes a delicious, creamy sleep aid. Milk mixed with aromatic spices to treat the mind and body veers into the realm of Ayurvedic medicine. This natural insomnia remedy is, in my opinion, a treat. It takes a minute to prepare, but on those cool, rainy nights, it is a mystic drink to sip before slipping off to sleep.
A word on nutmeg benefits and risks. This fragrant spice has quite a few interesting properties. Gently calming, it is a fantastic remedy for late night restlessness, aka, insomnia. It is warming and stimulating. Rich in volatile oils, nutmeg helps to relieve stomach problems like gas and indigestion. It also has hallucinogenic properties and can be toxic in large doses. As lovely as the aroma is and as delicious as a nutmeg milk can be, this is a sleep aid that probably shouldn't be given to children. Taking more than one teaspoon will likely make you feel sick and it can be dangerous in large quantities.
That being said, here is my warm milk and nutmeg recipe:
- 1 cup milk, soy milk, or almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon water
Add the spices to your mug (I warm my cup with hot water to start). Add just enough water to make a paste. Slowly heat your choice of milk to just under boiling and then pour over the nutmeg and cinnamon paste. Stir well and let the drink cool to a reasonable temperature. Sip and enjoy as you drift off to a peaceful sleep.
Chamomile and lavender is the quintessential calming flowers combination. This is one of my favorite soothing bath recipes. I love the fragrance, the color, the cleansing feeling of chamomile and lavender against my skin, and I love the deep relaxation.
Start with very hot water to infuse your herbs, but then let the water cool to a comfortable temperature. I also add sweet almond oil to this recipe to moisturize and soften - I feel like a gleaming flower blossom when I get out!
Chamomile and lavender bath recipe:
- 2 tablespoons dried chamomile blossoms
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
- 1 tablespoon lavender flower powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet almond oil
- 2 drops spearmint essential oil
Add the dried herbs to a muslin tea bag and tie shut. Hang this bag over the faucet so the water runs over it or simply put in your tub as the hot water is filling. Add the lavender powder while the bath is filling and disperse well. Finally, swirl in the sweet almond and spearmint. Soak for at least 15 minutes to get the full serenity effect. Repeat indulgence as desired!
Disclaimer
I am not a health professional, but a tea drinker! My goal is to share my experiences with teas and soothing baths. This website does not intend to diagnose or treat any disease. If you need medical advice, consult with the professionals!!!
