December 18, 2018
Herbal tea isn't just for drinking!
Make your own herbal tea bath and enjoy the benefits.
An herbal tea bath is simply made with 1/2 to 1 cup of dried loose herbs. You can create your own blend or do a "simple".
A "simple" simple means to just use a single herb. Steep the dried herbs in 2 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the herbs, cover with lid, turn off heat and let steep until lukewarm. Strain the herbs and pour the liquid into a full tub of warm water. Soak as long as you like. This is the preferred way to maximize the herbs and their properties.
Herbs for bathing:
Chamomile, peppermint, green tea, lemongrass, oregano, rosehip, rose petals, lemon thyme and lavender.
Do NOT use herbs that could stain such as hibiscus or turmeric.
If you grow your own herbs and have a boon crop, simply harvest a handful of stem and leaf and toss it into your warm bath water. Herbs like peppermint, lemongrass, thyme and rosemary are wonderful in the bath water. Toss in whole stems and get in!
Peppermint grows like crazy here in Florida and its very refreshing in a foot soak. Toss in the fresh herb whole stem with leaves and use your feet to press and bruise them while your soaking to release the natural essential oils.
You can make a mild herbal bath by just tossing in the actual tea bags that you would normally use to make yourself a cup of tea. Make sure that you purchase a quality tea bag and that it is fresh. Some store bought teas are not as fresh as they should be. Smell the tea bag and if it is very faint to where you really have to put your nose on the bag to smell it, then it really isn't that fresh and has most likely lost most of its therapeutic benefits.
Squeeze the tea bag to try and break up the herb inside without ripping the bag. You may be able to get a few more of the plants essential oils out by bruising the herbs.
March 03, 2022