Sometimes really strong herbs cannot be taken internally, that is when a fomentation, or as it is more commonly called, a compress, can be used. To make one is simple, make a strong tea, dip an absorbent cloth in it and place it over the affected area as hot as you can tolerate. A flannel blanket can be put over that and even a hot water bottle. Using heat allows for these herbs to be absorbed by the body slowly and in smaller amounts. I remember making compresses using my daughters cloth diapers, they worked better than anything else I used. I also used her little flannel baby blankets when she was done with them. Fomentations are used to treat superficial ailments like swellings, pain, cold and flu. Generally speaking you wouldn't want to use a hot treatment like this in a hot condition but it's great to stimulate the blood and lymph and reduce inflammation to restore warmth to cold joints. If some part of the body has been weakened and you are trying to build it back up you can alternate this heat treatment with a shorter application of cold. Heat will relax the body and open the pores, cold will stimulate the body and cause contraction. This alteration revitalizes the area. A compress can also be made a little more mobile by wrapping the cloth around the herbs and tying it off, it may not penetrate as deeply but for a sprain or something like that, it's perfect.
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Hanna Maxwell
All knowledge starts with self knowledge. Archives
July 2021
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