How to Make Herbal Packs

Many herbs give off distinctive and mood-altering aromas.

Herbal packs are growing in popularity, riding on the trend toward using alternative remedies. Complementary medicine techniques that use herbs for their aroma and in which they do not even touch the body can do no harm. Even if you don't believe in their alleged health benefits, they harmlessly fill the ambient air with a pleasant, natural fragrance. Herbal packs can be applied hot or chilled, depending on the ailment. The heat or cold helps to relieve aches and pains while you inhale the therapeutic herbal scent. Herbal packs are expensive, relative to the cost of their actual materials. Make your own, especially if you keep an herb garden, to reduce costs and ensure quality herbs.

Things You'll Need

• 2 to 3 lbs. long-grain rice (wheat or other grains can substitute)
• Cup of dried herbs or an essential oil
• Scrap material
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Stitch-removing tool

Instructions

1. Find or buy some fabric for your pack. These herbal packs are ideal for recycling material like old clothes and towels, for example. Different size packs are useful, depending on where you want to apply them on the body and a range of fabrics are suitable for making herbal packs. So, it is likely you will have something appropriate lying around the house. Fleece, cotton flannel, toweling, muslin, cotton or any soft, washable and reasonably thick material work for herbal packs. If you choose a thin fabric like muslin, create a double layer.

2. Cut two rectangles of fabric slightly larger than you want your herbal pack to be.

3. Pin the shapes together with the inside of each piece showing on the outside.

4. Sew around around three sides of your rectangle, making a 1/2-inch seam -- leave a short side until last. On the fourth side, leave a gap in the middle about a third of the length of the whole side.

5. Pull the fabric through the small hole that you left until the seams are on the inside and the pack's covering material is facing the right way.

6. Mix the rice and the dried herbs and pour into the fabric parcel.

7. Hand-sew the remaining opening securely, so the contents can't fall out.

Tips & Warnings

• Heat the packs for three or four minutes in your microwave; they should stay warm for 30 minutes or more. Put them in the freezer to chill, if you want cold packs.

• Fat, wide rectangles are good for making packs to place on your lap or under your feet. Longer, thinner rectangles make shapes ideal for putting around your neck or wrapping around arms and legs.

• When the herbal aroma starts to fade a few months after first use, splash some of your favorite essential oil over the pack or reopen the small gap with a stitch-removing tool, replenish the herbs inside and resew.

• For a quick hot or cold pack in an emergency, fill a clean, tube-style, athletic sock with rice and herbs and sew the top closed.

• Don't use acrylic or polyester-type materials for packs that will be microwaved. These man-made fibers could scorch, if they get too hot.

References

• AllFreeCrafts.com: Rice Hot Pack (or Cold Pack) and Rice Buddy 'Faux Hot Water Bottle'
• CancerLynx: More Ways to Make Rice Bags for Comfort
• Find Articles: Soothe a Stiff Back - Ask the Experts: Answers to Your Questions From the Leaders in Natural Medicine