Soothing Herbal Bath For Irritated Muscles & Nerves

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Frustrated, angry muscles and nerves plagued me over the past few days leaving me all sore and aching.  When I am sore I always try to fit in a nice hot soak in the tub.  Even with just epsom salts and hot water, I usually feel so much better after soaking.  This time I made my bath even more soothing with the following blend of salts and herbs ~ oatstraw to ease my nerves and rosemary for muscle soreness.  It worked wonders!

Make Your Own ~

In a cloth or muslin bag wrap:

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried rosemary leaf
  • 1/2 cup oatstraw
oatstraw filled bag
oatstraw filled bag

Toss the bundle in the tub and fill with the hottest water from your faucet.  Let the herbs steep in the tub until the water is cool enough for bathing about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the heat of your water.  The water will turn a buttery light yellow.

Next Add:

  • 1 to 2 cups Epsom salts
  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 5 drops ginger essential oil
  • 5 drops rosemary essential oil
  • 2 drops vetivert essential oil

My vetivert essential oil has turned into a thick syrup oil so I had to patiently wait for each drop to slowing make it's way out of the bottle but it was so worth it!

After this bath I felt relaxed, centered and less soreness.  I took my bath quite hot and only stayed in for about 15 minutes, it was like soaking in an herbal hot springs.  Then I got out and laid on the floor with my feet on the sill of an open window.  I laid there breathing deep and relaxing.  As my body cooled down the tension drained out of my muscles.  I felt so calm and peaceful.  My muscles and nerves are finally nourished, letting go of tension...

Relaxedly yours.....

Back To School Tea

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Lucky am I, my kids love school.  We have a wonderful local school for them to attend with caring attentive teachers, excellent technical resources and lots of friends.  One of my kids loves school so much that she bounced into the car as we headed home from the last day of school and immediately asked, "Can we go back to school shopping?"

Even so, about two weeks before school is set to start I can feel it creeping in... anticipation and unrest.  My kids are ready for and looking forward to school but nervous.  And let's face it, waiting for anything can be tough.   We have had everything from nervous upset tummies to sleep disturbances to the daytime crazies.  This year to help ease the transition we are all drinking a calming infusion of wonderful herbs and it seems to be keeping things in check.  Everyone is a bit calmer and sleeping well at the moment.  And Mommy is also keeping her cool.

This infusion (strong tea) nourishes the nervous system, calms digestion, encourages restful sleep and eases stress.  It is simple and easy to make with a bit of forethought.  Really any combination of these herbs would work great.  I use dried herbs but fresh would work fine though you may wish to increase the amount you infuse as dried herbs are more potent than fresh.

Ingredients:

  • Oat Straw
  • Oat Seed
  • Chamomile Blossoms
  • St. John's Wort Flowers

I make this infusion in 2 parts because oat straw and oat seed need to be infused for a long time to bring out their nourishing properties, vitamins and minerals.  While the chamomile becomes bitter when steeped to long and the St John can become a bit strong in my opinion.

Instructions:  Place a  palmful each of oat straw and oat seed to a quart jar.  Fill the jar half way with hot water.  Let sit for 4 to 8 hours.  I start this in the morning when I am making breakfast.  Then strain the resulting liquid into another jar or tea pot and add a palmful each of chamomile and St. John's wort to the quart jar.  Fill again half way with hot water and put a lid on top to keep the chamomile's essential oil from escaping.  Let sit for 3 to 6 minutes, no more as it will get bitter.  Strain into the container holding your oat straw/seed infusion.  I add a little bit of honey, maybe a 1/2 teaspoon (more or less to taste), to the infusion and serve it at the dinner table in fancy tea cups.

The result is a mild flowery tasting tea calming to the nerves that my kids love!

About the herbs in your tea:

  • Oat Straw and Oat Straw~  Often used as a long-term nervous system tonic, oats are extremely nourishing to frazzled nervous.  They ease stress, irritability and anxiety.
  • Chamomile Blossoms ~ Chamomile is soothing for the nerves and supports healthy digestion easing that nervous tummy some kids get.  It is high in vitamins and minerals which strengthen the nervous system.
  • St. John's Wort Flowers ~  St. John's Wort is most commonly known for its usefulness in easing depression.  I find it is also useful in easing acute stress when drunk as an infusion and something about combining it with Chamomile enhances its sunshiny properties.  My kids have responded time and again to St. John's and Chamomile combined for nightmares and night terrors.  Please note that there are some contradictions when combining St. John's Wort with pharmaceuticals, consult your doctor.  St. John's Wort is also reported to increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun.

Enjoy and best wishes for a beautiful school year.

Herbal Infusions for Children

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Herbal infusions are great for all people and are especially wonderful for
children because infusions are high in vitamins and minerals which growing bodies need.
The best herbs to use for infusions are like healthy foods and each have their own set of characteristics.  To appease children many herbs can be made into very yummy beverages.  You can serve infusions warm, at room temperature or iced.  Feel free to add lemon, agave nectar, honey or even juice to taste.  Below is a quick reference list of a few favorite herbs for children's infusions.  For further information about these herbs please visit the Materia Medica section of Mama Rosemary.
Chamomile ~ Tastes appley, bittersweet… kids say: great!
  • calming, relaxing
  • good for digestive stuff (tummy aches especially related to nervousness)
  • promotes rest
  • useful for complaining and whininess.
Contraindications ~ A very few people are allergic to chamomile and other plants in the Asteracea (daisy) familyImportant ~ Only steep chamomile for 3 to 8 minutes as it gets very bitter if left to steep any longer, my kids won't drink chamomile if I infuse it for longer than 4 minutes.
Lemon Balm ~ Tastes lemony, yummy …. kids say: delicious!
  • refreshing and cooling so great during hot weather
  • calming for hyperactive children
  • helps relieve nervousness and crying
  • good for digestive stuff
  • antiviral and bacterial so great during cold and flu season
Lycium Berry ~  Tastes fruity, super yum… my kids love them soaked in apple juice!
  • high in bioflavonoids and polysaccarides
  • tonic for blood, eyes, kidneys and immune system.
  • Can use as a substitute for raisins.
Mints (Spearmint/Peppermint) ~ Tastes yummy, classic mint taste… kids say: great!
  • centering
  • helpful for digestive stuff, eases gas and cramping
  • antiviral
Nettle ~ Tastes green, milky, kinda like soup… kids say: not bad
  • extremely high in vitamins and mineral
  • whole body tonic especially for  mucus membranes and blood         
Oatstraw ~ Tastes bland… kids say: great
  • soothing to nervous system
  • high in vitamins and minerals

Rose Hips ~ Tastes yummy, kinda sour… kids say: great!

  • high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids
  • tones and nourishes mucus membranes
  • Soak the hips in juice or water to make a super yummy "jam".

Note:  Taste ratings are mostly taken from Kids, Herbs & Health, this is a great reference book for parents!

 Yummy Combinations ~
 Equal parts spearmint, peppermint & lemon balm, add nettle or oatstraw for even more nutrients.
 Equal parts lemon balm, oatstraw and rose hips
  Equal parts lemon balm and chamomile
  Equal parts rose hips and lycium
  Equal parts nettle and oatstraw
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Another Fun Drink for Kids: 
Almond Milk ~ high in calcium and protein, hypoallergenic (most kids do great with almonds)  To make fresh, simply soak 1 cup of  raw almonds overnight in water in the refridge.  Drain and rinse the almonds . Place in a blender with 1 quart of water and blend for 1 to 5 minutes.  Strain thru a jelly bag and enjoy!  Almond milk will keep for 2 days in the refridge.  Use the left over nut meat in baked goods, casseroles etc…
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 A Couple Great Books for further study:
  • A Kid's Herb Book by Lesley Tierra 
  • Kids, Herbs, and Health by Linda B. White and Sunny Mavor