An Herbal Bath Recipe to End the Week

Today I decided to take an herbal bath. This is something I’ve done millions of times, but since being in herbalism school, I feel as though I’m doing it the proper way. Before, I would take my herbs and make a little sachet with cheesecloth. I’d maybe use a 1/2 cup of herbs and throw the sachet into the water as the tub filled up. Now, I realize that this wasn’t nearly enough herbs. You can still do a sachet method, but I feel like it may be smarter to do what I did today.

Today, I gathered my herbs. I used a handful of dried calendula, some lemon balm, and some lavender. I tossed these three herbs into the pot, covered it, and simmered it for about 20 mins. Using the cover allows you to keep those important volatile oils that get released in the steam. Once the 20 mins was up, I filled the tub with water as hot as I could stand, held my strainer over the water, and poured the tea into the tub. The water turned this beautiful golden brown and smelled so aromatic. These herbs together create a blend that is aromatic, nervine, sedative, relaxant, and antimicrobial to name a few herbal actions. They’re mostly warming, but lemon balm adds a cooling effect.

Right away, I noticed my body calm down. My body REALLY LOVED this blend. So much that I fell asleep for a bit. This bath left me feeling calm, warm, relaxed, and rested. All things I needed today.

Recipe

• 1 Cup Calendula

• 1/2 Cup Lemon Balm

• 1/2 Cup Lavender

• At least one cup of Epsom salt

Feel free to do more if you’d like!

Simmer the herbs in a covered pot for about 20 minutes. Strain the herbs and pour your tea into your hot bath. Then soak, relax, and meditate for at LEAST 20 minutes or longer. The longer the better though because sometimes it takes the skin a little bit.