Herbal Pillows

October 17, 2009 by HerbalDigest  
Filed under Herbal Remedies

The concept of herbal pillows existed since the olden days as the fragrance of herbs was captured in pillows and sweet bags for the purpose of purifying and scenting the home. For many ages, herbal pillows are known as the best aids for good health, as dream makers, beauty treatments, and as just about anything that you can think of.

Herbal pillows were renowned by European mothers who are concerned to entice their babies into a restful sleep, and by those who are looking for some relief from the onset of depression and headache, and by those loners who longed to find true love. The aromatic herbs were then sewn into pillows and placed at the head of the bed or even between the linens. Their smell would then be carried from where there is an open doorway or windows where they were usually hung.

In the medieval era, herbal pillows as well as some sachets were basically more than fanciful decorations. They are considered as somewhat a necessity that herbal pillows are developed to prevent the consequences brought by the poor sanitary conditions of that time.

Herbal pillows are greatly prepared by the lady of the house. There were times that they designed small pillows of fragrant herbs to scent their linen and fine article of clothing. They even placed it near their heads upon sleeping to protect from nightmares and assure a good night sleep. But today, herbal pillows are just but neglected as sleeping aids.

There are so many effective herbs to use in pillows. One of those is agrimony. This is in fact a well known herb since it was though to be soporific or sleep inducing. The dew collected from the leaves of the mantle (alchemilla vulgarus) is also known as one of the great sleeping aids, and so it was administered by means of sprinkling on the bed linens.

Essentially, herbal pillows are designed by means of sewing the dried herbs into a square of bag or cloth. However, it should be sewed with a fixative since without it, their fragrance is short lived. Fixatives in the herbal pillows are essential for preserving and enhancing the fragrant combination of herbs that is applied in making potpourri, which is the base stuff for designing herbal pillows.

And speaking of fixatives used for herbal pillows, the orris root and benzoin are among the suitable plant fixatives that are widely available anywhere in the world. In particular, the orris root is derived by means of sun-drying as well as by peeling the fresh root of an herb known as Iris florentina. Once the root is dried, it is then stored for two years to produce a delectable violet scent.


Herbal Bath Teas

June 14, 2009 by HerbalDigest  
Filed under Herbal Remedies

Herbal bath tea is one of the hottest herbal items in the market these days. It is probably for the fact that herbal bath teas really work. But what really is herbal bath tea?

Herbal bath tea is actually one of the best and enjoyable methods of therapy and recreation. Many people considered it as essential as revitalizing and invigorating skin treatments. Why? It is because herbal bath teas are designed to promote healthy skin and it aids in the improvement of the scalp and hair conditions. Aside from that, herbal bath teas are believed to be effective in the treatment and prophylactics of several skin and scalp conditions such as acne, dermatitis, psoriasis, scalp itching, eczema, and even dandruff.

Considerably, herbal bath teas exist since the ancient times. In fact, it is commonly noted that these form of herbal teas are traditionally applied for the treatment of skin problems, back pain, arthritis, rheumatism, spasms, insomnia, and other health conditions. These uses still remain as it is these days. However, traditionally these medicinal baths are used to be prescribed by physicians and is taken in a form of therapy ranging from numerous to numerous dozens of treatments.

Besides, herbal bath teas are evident during the medieval days as herbal bath teas are prepared in a separate kettle and the brewed result was poured into the bath before or at the start of the treatment. And these herbal medicinal bath treatments were notably employed by the Egyptians, Romans, Indians, Chinese, Turkish, and some other traditional medicinal schools.

The herbal bath teas are proven effective for many centuries for the reason that the herbs that are being used contain active constituents that are released during the brewing process. Such active constituents on the herbs include saponins, phenols, polyphenols, alkaloids, peptides, and a lot more. It is interesting to know that these ingredients contained in herbal bath teas may exercise therapeutic effects by means of acting on the skin receptors, while others are acting as absorbers through the skin and then absorbed by the body, just like some of the pharmaceuticals in the modern skin patches, which are being assimilated through the skin in order to bring pleasing therapeutic actions.

Herbal bath teas are sometimes prepared with some herbal essences. This method is being employed in the preparation of herbal bath teas in order to promote action and combine bath treatment with aromatherapy. Today, herbal bath teas are also called as tub teas and they are offered in the market in convenient cotton sachets, and greatly they are applied for body baths, hip bath, foot baths, herbal wraps, hair rinses, and even herbal pillows.