Cooling Summer Epsom Salt Bath
posted by Melissa Breyer Jul 20, 2011 9:01 amfiled under: Bath & Shower, Depression, General Health, Health & Wellness, True Beauty, bath, depression, epsom salt, essential oils, headache, peppermint, summerEpsom salt baths are the best. They make your skin soft as silk, and have an amazing array of health benefits. My favorite perks from soaking in Epsom salt include detoxification, stress reduction, and muscle pain relief–and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Seriously, if there ever was truly a miracle cure, I do believe Epsom salt might be involved.
So I like Epsom salt baths and since I’ve been taking them regularly I feel great. But do I like taking a bath in 95F degree weather? Eh. So I’ve concocted a cooling Epsom salt bath that is the perfect antidote to a steamy, stressy summer day. It’s a bath that incorporates cucumber, fresh mint, and a hint of floral essential oil. Mmmmm.
Cucumbers are a great treat for the skin. They have the same pH as the skin so they help restore the protective acid mantle–they also possess hydrating, nourishing and astringent properties.
I like to throw in a handful of fresh peppermint because it’s growing like bonkers in the garden and I know it’s cooling. What I didn’t know was that, according to University of Maryland Medical Center, peppermint has has a soothing and cooling effect on skin irritations caused by hives, poison ivy, or poison oak; it reduces headache symptoms; and it can be used in the treatment of depression. (So if you’re hot, itchy, depressed and have a headache …)
For some extra summery flower flavor, try a few drops of ylang ylang pure essential oil in the mix.
Here’s the how-to:
To a tub of tepid water add 2 cups Epsom salt, stir in 1 sliced cucumber, a handful of torn peppermint leaves, and 3 drops ylang ylang pure essential oil. Step in, relax, and await small miracles.related stories
42 comments add your comment »
'); $("#Care2CommentPageLinkContainer").append(p); var curOffset = $(document).height() - $(document).scrollTop(); $.ajax({ "url" : sPath + servlet, "dataType" : "xml", "success" : function(data) { data = $(data); if($("value[key=comments]", data).length) { var data_comments = $("value[key=comments]", data).text(); data_comments = data_comments.replace('&', '&'); data_comments = data_comments.replace('<', 'Unknown error. Please try again.' + oldHTML); } }); } function reloadPaginationLinks(cPage, nPages) { var html = ''; if (nPages > 1) { html +='view all 42 comments »'; }else{ html += 'view fewer comments »'; } $('#Care2CommentPageLinkContainer').html(html); } $(function() { reloadPaginationLinks(1, 5); }); function display_abuse_form(element) { document.getElementById("report-link-"+element).style.display='none'; document.getElementById("report-"+element).style.display='block'; } function cancel_abuse_form(element) { document.getElementById("report-link-"+element).style.display='block'; document.getElementById("report-"+element).style.display='none'; } function display_response_to_abuse_form(commentID, success) { document.getElementById('report-buttons-'+commentID).style.display = ""; document.getElementById('report-submitting-'+commentID).style.display = "none"; if(success) document.getElementById('report-'+commentID).style.display='none'; var d = (success) ? "success" : "failed"; document.getElementById('report-response-'+d+'-'+commentID).style.display=''; setTimeout(function(){blinkText.start(document.getElementById('report-response-'+d+'-'+commentID), false);}, 5000); } function report_abuse(itemID, commentID, msg) { document.getElementById('report-sbmtbtn-'+commentID).blur(); document.getElementById('report-buttons-'+commentID).style.display = "none"; document.getElementById('report-submitting-'+commentID).style.display = ""; blinkText.start(document.getElementById('report-submitting-'+commentID), true); var sPath = '/greenliving/cooling-summer-epsom-salt-bath.html'; var charForQueryString = (sPath.indexOf("?") != -1) ? "&" : "?"; var servlet = charForQueryString+'itemID='+itemID+'&Care2ReportCommentAJAX=1&commentID='+commentID+'&abuse_msg='+escape(msg); $.ajax({ "url" : sPath + servlet, "dataType" : "xml", "success" : function(data) { data = $(data); if($("value[key=abuse_report]", data).length) { display_response_to_abuse_form(commentID, true); } else { display_response_to_abuse_form(commentID, false); } }, "error" : function(data) { display_response_to_abuse_form(commentID, false); } }); } var blinkText = { start: function(elmnt,bleenk,speed) { var _self = this; this.o = 100; this.u = 'down'; this.a = speed||4; this.d = elmnt; this.b = bleenk; this.changeOpacity(elmnt,this.o); this.intvl = setInterval(function() { if(_self.d.style.display == "none") clearInterval(_self.intvl); if(_self.u == "down"){ _self.o -= _self.a; if(_self.o 100) { _self.o = 100-_self.a; _self.u = "down"; } } _self.changeOpacity(_self.d,_self.o); }, 50); }, changeOpacity: function(d,o) { d.style.opacity = o/100; d.style.MozOpacity = o/100; d.style.KhtmlOpacity = o/100; d.style.filter = "alpha(opacity=" + o + ")"; } }
Loading...
42 comments add your comment1.9073486328125E-6 [render:contentloaded] => 0.042352914810181 [render:tokensbuilt] => 0.042387008666992 [render:end] => 0.042392015457153 ) -->
- Past Member says
- Jul 25, 2011 5:07 AM
I think I will soak in Epsom salt tomorrow. I don't know about sloshing around with cucumbers though . . .
- Santanita G. says
- Jul 22, 2011 8:13 AM
I love epsom salt baths, I have read the science behind the salts, but can not remember enough to share. The fact that the epsom salt bath is calming and relaxing was enough for me to try. Sometimes you just gotta try it. What have you got to lose? A few dollars for the purchase of the salts and the time to soak in a tub of relaxation. The salts have helped me get through many a migraines, and other aches and pains. Dont need no science geek to tell me how the salts work, just need to enjoy the benefits.
- Nola g. says
- Jul 22, 2011 6:40 AM
Epsom salts is really good in the garden also. Potatoes & raspberries & roses love it.
- Catherine B. says
- Jul 21, 2011 7:15 PM
Kristi Cook says it is magnesium in Epsom salts - so maybe I should try taking it when I get 'restless legs' instead of the expensive Magnesium Powder I reach for in the throws of kicking! That helps calm the legs very quickly - I'll let you know how I go!
- Catherine B. says
- Jul 21, 2011 7:12 PM
I just loved Epsom salt baths however I cant use the bath any more. so I make a delicious foot bath for tired aching feet and just lap it up.
I also take Epsom salts with lemon in a drink to keep me regular. My grandfather, who I never met, was an alcoholic and died at 63 of gangrene having injured himself in a drunken fall. He took Epsom salts twice a day for most of his life and when an autopsy was done, they couldnt believe that his liver was so healthy. So it must have a lot of benefits if it looks after the liver.
who's talking about this story?
Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.
1010520
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Cooling Summer Epsom Salt Bath
via care2.com
Warning: Ubertan hidden health costs
Ubertan, if you haven't heard of it, is a fake tan which you use by inhaling it! Sounds strange, but the product claims to contain herbal components which darken the skin naturally. The product is banned in the UK, and for good reason - it might give you a heart attack. This article from the Mail Online tells how several users had nasty and in some cases extremely serious side effects from using it: Ubertan fake tan nasal spray
Herbal remedy beats brain cancer - Times Of India
Who would have thought that Indigo - that's right, it's the plant that used to be used for dying clothes blue back before they discovered coal tar dyes - would turn out to be a remedy for brain cancer? Well that's what they're saying. Read more here...
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Sandalwood Oil Benefits and Uses
Sandalwood essential oil, also sometimes called sandalwood Mysore, is extracted from the heartwood of East Indian sandalwood trees (Santalum album). The oil is present in trees of 10 years and older, but the trees are only regarded as mature between the ages of 40 and 80 years. The tree is a native of India and Indonesia, but unfortunately has been harvested at unsustainable levels in its natural habitat and is a protected species. However, as sandalwood oil is so popular, not just for
Cumin for digestive problems and griping pains [updated]
Cumin, Cuminum cyminum syn. Cuminum odorum, is also known as cummin and jeera. It is not closely related to anise (sometimes called sweet cumin) and not related to Roman coriander (sometimes called black cumin) at all. Another plant also sometimes called black cumin is the black caraway, which is not closely related. Cumin is another member of the huge family which includes the carrot and hemlock, and should always be grown from seed bought from a reputable seed merchant. It is a half-hardy
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Roman Coriander for abscesses and hemorrhoids [updated]
Roman Coriander, Nigella sativa, is also called Fennel Flower, although it is no relation to either Fennel or Coriander and does not look like them. It's used as a spice in many countries, where it is known by various names, including Onion seed, Kolonji and Black Cumin (not related to cumin, either, lol). It's closely related to the cottage garden flower, Love in a Mist (Nigella damascena), and is a member of the buttercup family. Note that the name black cumin is used for this plant in
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Coriander tastes great and aids digestion [updated]
Coriander, Coriandrum sativum, is also known as Cilantro and Chinese Parsley - though the only thing it has in common with Parsley, another Umbellifer, is a superficial resemblance of the leaves. It's not related to Roman Coriander either. It is a hardy annual, and prefers a warm sheltered position with not too much sun in the middle of the day, or the plants will quickly run to seed. Coriander is one of the five bitter herbs which should be eaten at Passover in the Jewish religion (the
Coriander tastes great and aids digestion [updated]
Coriander, Coriandrum sativum, is also known as Cilantro and Chinese Parsley - though the only thing it has in common with Parsley, another Umbellifer, is a superficial resemblance of the leaves. It's not related to Roman Coriander either. It is a hardy annual, and prefers a warm sheltered position with not too much sun in the middle of the day, or the plants will quickly run to seed. Coriander is one of the five bitter herbs which should be eaten at Passover in the Jewish religion (the
Friday, 22 July 2011
Caraway is a great general digestive remedy [updated]
Caraway, Carum carvi, is a hardy biennial which reaches a height of about 2' (60cm). It's a member of the Umbellifer family, and should not be collected from the wild because of its superficial resemblance to Hemlock. It's sometimes called Persian cumin or meridian fennel, but is not closely related to either cumin or fennel. If grown for medicinal use, it will be necessary to sow seeds 2 years in a row, after which the plant will most likely self-seed. DO NOT use seeds bought for the garden
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Star Anise for digestive problems and cold-related conditions [updated]
Star anise, Illicium verum, is sometimes called Chinese star anise. It's important to distinguish it from Japanese star anise, Illicium anisatum, which is highly toxic. However, it is so difficult to achieve this that it is best not to rely on a seed merchant or nursery (who may be selling it is an ornamental, where toxicity is fairly irrelevant), but instead to source supplies from a Chinese herbalist (where it may be known as ba jiao hui xiang), who presumably can be relied on to know the
Monday, 18 July 2011
Anise is great for coughs, colds and gas [updated]
Anise, also known as aniseed or sweet cumin, Pimpinella anisum (sometimes labelled Anisum vulgare), is the herb from which aniseed is collected. It's a member of the same family as cumin, but that's about as far as it goes. It is not related to anise hyssop or anise root (another name for the American Sweet Cicely) or to star anise. Back in the days when herbalists used to make sweets from local herbs (possibly to deliver medicine in a tasty form), aniseed would be boiled in sugar to make
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Angelica - always grow seed from a reputable source [updated]
Angelica, Angelica archangelica (but may be labeled Archangelica officinalis), is also known as European Angelica, Garden Angelica, Angelique and Archangel. There is another herb also sometimes called Archangel, the white deadnettle. It's important to grow Angelica using seed from a reputable source, and never collect from the wild, as it is easily mixed up with Hemlock, which is deadly. When I was a child, angelica stems were often candied and used to decorate cakes and confectionery.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Globe Artichoke leaves for liver disease [updated]
Globe artichokes (so called to distinguish them from the unrelated Jerusalem artichoke), Cynara scolymus, is also known as the garden artichoke or just artichoke. It's a hardy perennial and will reach a height of 6' (2m) by about 4' (130cm). Most people who have it in their garden grow it for the flower buds, which are eaten petal by petal with melted butter or other dipping sauces. Globe artichoke is a big strong, sturdy perennial plant which is reputed to be invasive, though I think you
Monday, 11 July 2011
French Tarragon for insomnia [updated]
French tarragon (so-called to distinguish it from the inferior subspecies Russian Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus dracunculoides) is also sometimes called estragon, little dragon or dragonwort (a name which is also used by 2 other plants, the dragon drum, Dracunculus vulgaris and bistort, yet another illustration of the importance of using latin names for correct identification). The latin name is Artemisia dracunculus. There is a similar herb, for which seeds are often sold with the name
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Thyme is a truly multi-purpose herb [updated]
(A video containing the main points outlined here is available here) The thyme I am talking about here is Thymus vulgaris, the common or garden thyme. It's a low growing, fairly tough plant that likes a sunny situation. It comes in the standard green leafed and also in variegated forms, which some people consider to be more attractive, but the important thyme oil (which is the source of all thyme's goodness) is found in both. Thyme is closely related to lemon thyme, but not to basil
Friday, 8 July 2011
Geranium essential oil benefits and uses
Geranium essential oil is offered in two types. Rose geranium oil (which you will often find called just geranium essential oil), Pelargonium graveolens, is the one most easily sourced, and also the most expensive. You may also find a product called geranium essential oil which is actually the essential oil of the apple geranium, Pelargonium odoratissimum. This is cheaper, but also does not have all the same properties. Both types are extracted from the leaves and stalks of the appropriate
Winter Savory for nausea and diarrhea [updated]
Winter Savory, Satureja montana, is an evergreen shrub which reaches a height of around 40 cm (16"), and a close relative of Summer savory, which which it shares many properties. It is not related to Spring savory (another name for basil thyme). Winter savory needs well drained soil and will not grow in the shade, but otherwise is not a fussy plant, tolerating poor soil, drought and even very alkaline soil. Winter savory is usually seen as a culinary herb, and is used in the kitchen in
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Summer Savory for nausea and lack of appetite [updated]
Summer Savory, Satureja hortensis, is also called bean herb and sometimes just savory. It is closely related to Winter savory, with which it shares many of the same properties. It is not related to Spring savory (another name for basil thyme). Summer savory is a hardy annual which reaches a height of around a foot (30 cm). It may turn purple when it reaches maturity, depending on the conditions it is grown under. It prefers light to medium soil in full sun, and will tolerate very alkaline
Monday, 4 July 2011
Parsley as a medicinal herb [updated]
Most people have parsley (Petroselinum crispum) growing in their gardens somewhere - it can be quite invasive if allowed to set seed, so if you're starting from scratch with this herb, it's best in a large pot, rather than sown directly in the ground. This will also help to prevent attacks from the carrot root fly (carrots are a close relative), if you plant it about halfway down, leaving the rest of the pot empty, and put it on a wall or pot holder. It's said that carrot flies travel about a
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Sage in the herbal medicine cabinet [updated]
Sage (Garden or Kitchen Sage), Salvia officinalis, is the last member of the big four immortalized by Simon and Garfunkel (based on a folk song of unknown age). Leaf colors vary from green to greenish gray, which are most likely to be seen, and purplish-red (var. purpurascens). The red variety is traditionally preferred for use in herbal medicine, but you can use green sage if that is all you have. There's also a Chinese red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and a Spanish sage (Salvia
Friday, 1 July 2011
Special Offers and Deals from HerbsPro
This isn't something I usually do, but I just had to let you know about these great offers from HerbsPro, for those of you who can't or don't want to grow your own, and for items you just have to buy in anyway, like minerals. HerbsPro's prices are pretty good, anyway, but every little helps, especially nowadays. All these offers are valid for the whole of July 2011, but I generally find I forget stuff like this if I don't act straight away - so that's what I recommend, if you don't want to
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)