Homemade hot herbal compress

29/08/2010 by admin.

Shopping :

• Buy 3 cotton or linen tea towels and rope.
• Buy fresh peppermint (2 large bundle), eucalyptus leaves, fresh ginger root , fresh lemon grass (3 or 4 staks otherwise one dry pack), tamarind preferably in the shell (one box otherwise 2 packs in both cases with the seed as this keeps the heat), turmeric powder, rock salt, cloves and bran rice (to keep the heat and make the compres bulky).

Note: if you buy Tamarind in the box or in the market removing each shell takes time (Advice : remove the shells the day before or use Tamarind in packs). To find eucalaptus leave you may need to order them in advance at your local florist. An alternative is to add 1 eucalyptus essential oil drop on each herbal compress after the the steaming process.

 Preparation:

• cut each tea towel in 2 and lay them side by side
• take a wooden board to cut your ingredients
• place the tamarind divided into chunks in the centre of the tea towel 
• rinse the peppermint and divide the 2 bundle evenly and place them in the centre of each towel on top of the tamarind
• add 3 to 4 pieces of pealed ginger cut in pieces the size of the tip of your thumb by pack
• cut the lemon grass stalks in piece less than 1cm and divide them evenly (for the dry version use a full pack that you divide evenly)
• add a small tea spoon of turmeric in each herbal compress
• add 3 to 4 granule of salt in each herbal compress
• add 3 to 4 cloves in each herbal compress
• add one hand full of brown rice on top (the brown rice keeps the compress warm longer and it will absorb fragrance and oils from the fresh ingredients)
• eat up the largest kitchen pot or wok you have on the stove or use a steamer pot or rice cook to steam your pack 10′
• close each pack with the rope while the steamer heats up
• steam all the compresses together for 10′.

Recommendation: The first time I prepared the homemade hot herbal compress I used a mortar and a pestle. To keep the medicinals properties, the potency, the fragrance and oil of all fresh ingredients I recommend not to use it.  I also recommend to do the compress as bulky as possible to allow the compress to remain warm longer and to be able to cover one or two chakras simultaneously.

Comment: Herbal massage ball is widely used in Thailand. Nowadays you can find them in ordinary spa, luxurious spa or buy them on line. What I propose here is a homemade version for self healing therapy which you can repeat as much as you wish. The purpose of this post is to motivate you to do it yourself. We should not feeling discourage by the thought of having to find the ingredients or to spend the time doing them. I confirm that I found all the above listed ingredients in Bethnal Green. The preparation should not take longer than 20′. Also you can reuse them up to 5 times. Unless you have a spa at your door step, it will take more than 20′ to go to the spa, meet the receptionist, pay for your treatment and lay on the treatment table. *smile*.

Suggestion on how to use them:

• After taking a shower wear a soft, warm bath robe and have a large heavy bath towel handy
• Lay in Supta Baddha Konasana with support
• At first test how hot the herbal compress feels when it feels save to place them on the body place them one by one starting between the first and second chakra.
• If you are aware of one organ weaker than the others, place one compress there from the start of the treatment.
• As long as the compress are too hot you will need to move them around
• When the temparature of the compress allows it, slide the heavy towel above you and rest in stillness

With 6 compresses you can cover all chakras. Laying down you will not be able to place a hot compress on Sahasrara chakra. 

When the temperature decreases you can place one compress under each kidney and one one each groin. I keep one on the third eye for the full session. Holding one on the spleen and one on the liver is also good.

Variations: Heat them up in the microwave for 2 minutes and use them while watching TV.

When exploring you will quickly find what suit you best, what to put inside, when to use them and how. Enjoy!

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