With the health warnings we have received during these unusually high temperatures in the UK, I thought I would share some simple ideas on using readily available essential oils and garden herbs to help keep cool.
It may seem obvious, but also easy to forget, to stay hydrated in this warm weather. I like to have a pot of cool tea or jug of herb and crystal infused water on the go all day.
Cooling herb infused drinking water
Place garden mint or lemon balm leaves plus a slice or two of cucumber in a large jug of water along with ice and allow the flavours to seep into the water. You may also wish to add a few blue lace agate or lavender amethyst crystal tumble stones into the jug too for their cooling energy.
The water soluble compounds of these herbs are beneficial for health as well as tasting deliciously cooling.
Iced Nettle & Mint Tea
I like to make fresh nettle and mint tea from my garden (be conscious of where you are picking the nettles from in terms of car pollution and passing dogs!).
Pick the young nettle leaves near the tips (wearing gloves) and garden mint, place in a saucepan with a little water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes to stew, then strain the mixture and allow to cool. Add water, ice and honey to taste.
Peppermint and Lavender Footbath
It’s lovely to soak one’s feet in a cool (not too cold) footbath after a really hot day. Prepare a suitable container of tepid water. Add two drops of Peppermint oil and two of Lavender to approximately 20mls of full fat milk and stir (this is so that the oils will disperse in the water) and mix the milk into the footbath. You can also add fresh mint, lemon balm, rosemary or lavender herbs. Soak, relax and follow with a foot massage with cream, balm or oil.
It is lovely to finish with the yoga pose, ‘Legs against the Wall’ in a cool space, perhaps with curtains closed and a lavender eye bag that has been placed in the fridge to cool.
Cold Flannel Compress
Using the method of mixing essential oils into full fat milk (above) in order to disperse the highly concentrated plant oils (which can otherwise irritate your skin if not dispersed), add one drop of Palmarosa and one of Lavender essential oils to milk, mix and then add to a bowl of cool water. Soak a flannel in the water and wring out. Use this on the nape of your neck, across the chest and to clean your feet etc.
Essential Oil Information
Palmarosa is a grass (botanical name Cymbopogon Martini (var maritinii) grown typically in India, Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar and Africa. It has a beautifully subtle and cooling aroma with a rosy note. Energetically this oil is great for setting a space for healing work and I use it in the ‘Yogi’ Sacrosanct blend partly for this purpose.
Lavender essential oil (botanical name Lavandula angustifolia) typically comes from France, England and Bulgaria. As well as feeling cooling physically, it is a sedative and as such cools our emotions too. Energetically, lavender balances all the chakras and brings us into a state of calm. I use a beautifully fine High Altitude Lavender from France in the ‘Arise’ Sacrosanct blend which feels very refreshing mentally and emotionally.
Peppermint oil is cooling and refreshing (botanical name Mentha Piperita) and some of the best peppermint originally came from Mitchum, Surrey, UK. This oil can be an irritant if in contact neat with the skin so do be careful with counting your drops and mixing with full fat milk. However, you can use a drop neat at the nape of the neck, in the hairline rather than on the skin, to treat a headache.