A fragrant warm bath is a wonderfully luxurious and relaxing way to take herbal and homoeopathic medicines and a very easy way to treat babies and children. You can hang a muslin bag filled with fresh or dried herbs under the hot pot. Alternatively you can add strong herb infusions or diluted tincture to the bath water. Soak in the water for 15-30 minutes. You can also add a few drops of your chosen essential oil to the bathwater - always dilute the oils first for babies and children, or if you have a sensitive skin.
In an herbal bath plant constituents are absorbed through the skin's pores which are opened by the warmth of the water. Volatile oils are carried on the steam to be inhaled through the nose and mouth into the lungs and from there into the bloodstream. From the nose, the oils send messages via nerve receptors to the brain and have a rapidly relaxing and soothing effect, easing mental and emotional strain.
Lavender, chamomile and ylang ylang are wonderfully relaxing and smell lovely, while rosemary is also relaxing but has a stimulating edge sending blood to the brain and enhancing alertness.

Hand And foot Baths

Our hand and feet are very sensitive areas, with plenty of nerve endings. Despite some thickening of the skin from use, herbal constitutes pass easily from these areas into the bloodstream.
Mustered foot bath are an old English remedy for all afflictions of cold and damp, from colds and flu to poor circulation and arthritis. The famous French herbalist Maurice Messegue advocates this therapeutic pathway for the use of herbs in his several books on herbal medicine and recommends foot bath for eight minutes in the evening and hand baths for eight minutes in the morning.
Hand and foot bathes are excellent ways to treat babies and children who only need to remain in the water for half the time recommended for adults - four minutes in the morning and again in the evening.

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