Sea Salts & Soaks
Research from The University of Edinburgh (2019) suggests that sea salt can reduce symptoms of the common cold by boosting the immune system's antiviral defenses.
Minerals and salts are buffers that bind and neutralize acids in your body. When there is a high amount of acid in your system, these minerals are unavailable for bone and muscle tissue maintenance and repair. Instead, you end up with alkalosis (too little acid) or acidosis (too much acid), which triggers stress-related symptoms. Acidosis triggers herpes outbreaks by causing inflammation, which the virus exploits for reactivation.
You can obtain the minerals and salts your body needs from your food. However, typical American foods rarely contain enough magnesium, and magnesium and calcium are necessary to balance your pH (along with a slew of other natural minerals). One way to take in essential minerals is to use them in a bath.
Whether you’re using salt to flavor your food, for bathing in, or to protect your home from negativity, you should always use natural sea salt. Your average "run of the mill" table salt contains no medicinal or metaphysical benefits whatsoever. Throw it away. It will only serve to give you hypertension. On the other hand, natural sea salt contains minerals your body needs to survive and thrive. There are many types to choose from, including Dead Sea, Himalayan, French Sea, and Alaea.
What to Toss in the Tub
You can ease conditions causing aches, pain, and itch by sitting in warm to hot water in the bath 2-3 times daily (for at least 20 minutes). However, it can help to add natural ingredients to the tub, such as Dead Sea salt (or any natural sea salt), for added benefit.
Dead Sea Salt contains many minerals, including magnesium chloride, which is easily absorbed and metabolized in the body.
You can use Epsom salt in the bath. However, Epsom salt is a singular ingredient, magnesium sulfate, which is excreted by the body much more quickly, so its effects don't last as long.
Baking soda and ground oatmeal in the bath are also helpful. Both work well to relieve itch. Add 2-4 tablespoons of each, or a combination of these, to a shallow bath.
Adding Seaweed to the Bath
Because minerals are absorbed through the skin, adding seaweed flakes or powder to your bath will help you heal faster than sitting in plain water. Seaweed is packed with minerals your body needs for optimal immunity and for your skin to heal correctly. Break up or crush a handful (or two) of dried seaweed flakes into your bath or use the powdered form. These are available at most stores. You can powder dried seaweed at home using a coffee grinder.
How to Keep Your Drains Clear
To keep from clogging your pipes, you might place dried pieces of seaweed in a mesh bag or tie them in cheesecloth to keep them from going down the drain, which helps with tub-ring cleanup.
Sea Salt Compress
If you don't have a bathtub, you can repeatedly apply hot, moist cloths soaked in a bath salt solution as a compress to the skin or the area of pain for up to 20 minutes.
Adding Essential Oils to Sea Salt
You can also add a few drops (6-12) of your favorite essential oil to your bath to help you relax. Oil and water don't mix, so very little oil will be absorbed topically, if at all. The purpose is to inhale the fragrance. Vanilla, sweet orange, lavender, and rose come to mind.
Another way to incorporate essential oils into the bath is to add them to your bath salt recipes.
The Herpes Witch Bath Soak Recipe
The Herpes Witch Bath Soak recipe offers more relief than just plain water ever could. It helps to ease bodily complaints. This soak is excellent for anyone suffering from Shingles, a cold or flu, mild to moderate skin infections, eczema, psoriasis, bacterial vaginosis, or yeast infection. It also softens the skin and soothes eczema, psoriasis, itching, irritation, and inflammation.
You'll need a large bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a clean dish towel, and the following ingredients.
- Sea Salt: Dead Sea, Pink Himalayan, Mediterranean, Epsom (one or a combination of natural salts)
- Seaweed: Irish moss (specifically targets the herpes virus), kelp, or dulce
- Essential Oils: Essential oils for calming the emotional nerves are lavender, vanilla, rose, and sweet orange (or any scent that relaxes you). Patchouli has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Clove, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon balm or lemon, myrrh, oregano, ravensara (not ravintsara), rosemary, and tea tree essential oils also have antiviral properties.
Mix 2 ½ cups of the sea salts of your choice and two tablespoons of kelp powder (or any powdered seaweed) in a large bowl. If you aren't going to use it within a week or two, hold off on putting in any seaweed. It will take over the smell of your recipe. Instead, place the seaweed in your bath directly during your soak.
Add 20-30 drops of essential oil (30 drops of a single oil or a combination totaling 30 drops). Gently mix the oils throughout the salt.
Cover the bowl with a light towel or a paper towel. Allow to dry out for 24 hours. When dry, place in a container with a tight-fitting lid for storage.
Dispensing
Run 1-2 scoops (1/2 - 1 cup) of salt mixture under running water while filling your bath to dispense. Swish the bathwater to dissolve the salt and release the healing properties of the seaweed and essential oils.
Close your bathroom door to keep the aroma inside the room. Breathing it in is healing as well. Relax and soak for 20 minutes. Then, rinse and pat dry. Treat yourself once a week.
Note: NEVER immerse children under two or animals in water containing essential oils. Also, while peppermint is known to help with headaches and pain and has antiviral properties, you should never use it for children under 30 months or for people with heart conditions.
The Herpes Witch Smelling Salts Recipe
The Herpes Witch Smelling Salts recipe can come in handy for relieving stress throughout your day. Your amygdalae, which regulate your stress response, respond to smell more quickly than any other sense. Certain smells, like smoke, can alert you to possible danger (stress), and smelling salts can instantly calm you down. How? They relax your amygdalae, which are responsible for managing your emotions.
What You’ll Need
- A small jar with a tight-fitting lid
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil or any combination of essential oils
Place your salt in a small, dry bowl, add the essential oils, and mix well. Cover with a cloth and let it dry for a couple of hours. Stirring every so often will speed up the process. You don't want your salts damp when transferring them to your container. Once dry, pour into a small glass jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Storing your jar away from heat and bright light will make your smelling salts last longer.
Directions for Use
Reopening a container often allows the scent to escape more quickly. I suggest pouring a teaspoon or two into a smaller container for regular use and storing the rest in an airtight container for later use. Whenever you feel tense, uncap your bottle and inhale the salt's fragrance to redirect your emotions toward feeling calmer, more peaceful, and more focused. I particularly like wearing a tiny cork jar pendant necklace, so it's handy to inhale while working. You could also inhale your smelling salts directly from the original recipe container.
