Hot Herbal Compress for muscle and joint issues
A decoction-based compress recipe that provides relief in muscular aches, pains and stiffness and aids recovery from inflammation.
Servings: 1 Days worth
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Small towel
- 1 Hotplate
Ingredients
- 20 grams dried Ginger root
- 6 grams dried Lemongrass
- 3 grams Chamomile flowers (dried)
- 1 cup Viriditas Bath Salts (see the Shop to buy) Plain epsom salts can be used also
- 3 grams Myrrh resin (ground)
- 3 grams Frankincense (ground)
- 5 mL Eucalyptus essential oil
- 5 stems fresh Peppermint or Mint Around 15cm long each
- water
Instructions
- Gather your root and bark herbs, fresh or dried, and place into a large pot filled with warm or hot water. I used 50g herbs (mostly dried,so the equivalent of 100g fresh herbs roughly) in this recipe, with around 2L water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or longer, or use a slow cooker if you prefer
- Remove the pot from heat and throw in any leaves and flowers. Cover and leave to sit for 30 minutes. You might like to strain this decoction now, and then return to a clean pot. Otherwise, it can get fairly messy (!).
- Always test the temperature before using, so that you don’t burn yourself. When the temperature feels warm enough to feel pleasantly hot on the skin, dip a towel into the pot, and squeeze out firmly before applying to the skin for around 5 – 15 minutes.
- Check the skin is not becoming too red or reacting adversely to the compress. Be on the lookout for rash, raised skin, very red (scalded) skin or allergy appearance. If you have reactive skin, put a layer of material between the compress and your skin.
- The towel can then be removed and dipped in the herbal water again, and applied over and over again. I recommend repeating every 30 minutes. Discard the water after 24 hours. It’s likely to build up microbial and bacterial growth by that point