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I LOVE a good soak in the tub with herbs and salts, and during this month of detox, your body will appreciate it too! While you are busy getting into working out and eating healthier, your muscles are probably feeling all of your hard work. One of my favorite natural ways to soothe muscle pain and help my muscles to recover faster, after a good workout, is with a rosemary lime herbal salt bath.
Bathing for medicinal purposes has a VERY long history
The use of baths has been around for as long as civilizations have been around. Baths have been recorded for medicinal use as far back as 3,000+ years ago, during the Yin Dynasty, when it was common for members of the imperial family to bathe in hot water mixed with medicine. Bathing became highly developed by the 1600's (during the Qing dynasty) and practitioners in all sorts of disciplines were able to help people with many different ailments. The Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Israelites all used cold and hot water baths for religious and medicinal purposes. While the ancient Romans loved bathtime more for the Spa value and built great spa houses so that they could partake in the social aspect of bathing, the ancient Greeks loved baths more for their medicinal value, developing many medicinal therapies including bathing in the ocean for medicinal purposes. Hippocrates (aka "the father of medicine") even dedicated a large portion of his work to studying the therapeutic properties of bathing in heated water.
Rosemary and lime for muscle pain relief
There are many great herbs that can be used for muscle pain relief and anti-inflammatory purposes, but nothing works quite so well as rosemary. Rosemary is a well-known muscle pain reliever and can help reduce swelling in strained muscles. It has four anti-inflammatory properties that work together to help calm inflamed muscle tissue and speed healing. Lime peel and essential oil (which comes from the lime peel) have shown to reduce joint and arthritic pain by relaxing the blood vessels and producing an anti-inflammatory effect that significantly reduces painful sensations. Together they make for a fantastic herbal infusion in your bath, and they smell UH-mazing!
Get your daily dose of magnesium with Epsom
The majority of the population is magnesium deficit, causing a whole host of problems from muscle pains to sleeplessness. Getting more magnesium isn't as hard as it seems, besides the obvious diet options, you can also get more magnesium by taking Epsom salt baths! Magnesium is the primary component in Epsom salt. It is a mineral that the body needs and, unlike other minerals, can be absorbed through the skin as you soak in the bath. Magnesium helps relax skeletal muscles by flushing lactic acid buildup in the muscles, which may occur during physical exertion, such as an intense workout. Soaking in an Epsom bath after an intense workout can really help soothe sore and tense muscles and aid in a speedy recovery.
DIY Rosemary Lime Herbal Salt Bath
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Epsom salt
- 1 cup Dead sea salt (optional - You can substitute more Epsom salt instead)
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaf, chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon balm, dried
- Zest of 1 Lime
- 3 drops juniper berry essential oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops lime essential oil
- large cotton muslin tea bag or large mesh produce bag
DIRECTIONS
- Combine salts and essential oils, stirring until completely combined. Add in the rest of your ingredients, and stir until all mixed together.
- Pour ingredients into a mason jar to store for later use or pour mixture into a large mesh produce back to hang off your bathtub faucet!
- Soak and enjoy!
