DIY Beauty: herbal bath for postnatal recovery
I’ve been wondering if I should put this post under DIY Beauty as I did not have to mix any of the ingredients. But as you see, I did because well, I’ve had to boil this stuff and that definitely qualifies as do-it-yourself! Heh. Anyway, I thought this is very interesting to feature because I used this during my confinement period years ago; not the same brand, but similar herbal bath for postnatal recovery. I was told that while it is traditionally used by women during confinement, this herbal bath can also be used to promote blood circulation, relieve pain, ease gassy and bloated abdomen, and strengthening the abdominal muscle.
Used up to two packs each time
In fact, it’s okay for us to use this herbal bath once awhile and that’s what I recently did. It’s only $2 per pack (from Hock Hua) but granted, you’ve got to boil the pack in a big pot of water and wait for the herbal water to cool down before using. During my postnatal period, I used two each time. So yeah, I had one big bag of these back then, which lasted more than 30 days. Okay, for those who are not familiar with the Chinese confinement period, it’s a month long of postnatal recovery during when women are nursed back to health after childbirth.
Easy to brew
You just need to brew the pre-packed herbal bag in a big pot of water for around 10 to 15 minutes. It’s a bit hard to get enough water for a bath really and so back in my confinement days, I used two packs each time and added more hot boiling water. If you’re not using this for postnatal recovery, you only need to boil one pack and use the herbal water as a final rinse in your shower. I guess it would be good if you can soak in the water but since I don’t have a bathtub at home, this was out of the equation.
Improve blood circulation
The herbal smell is very strong but it does not stick. Back then, I was just thankful to have been able to bathe with the herbal water than not bathing at all. Honestly, I have no idea how effective such herbal baths are. They are said to improve blood circulation in meridians, expel wind, dampness and coolness in body, as well as abdominal wind. But when you’ve just delivered a baby, chances are, you’re quite overwhelmed that you don’t detect much of a difference. I felt fresh each time after bathing but that was about it and have no idea if I would have been worse off not using this.
So is this something new to you or have you tried it before?
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Awesome timing! I am about to deliver baby #2 in less than 2 weeks!! I have been quite interested in herbs lately; and I’d love to try this post-delivery, but I doubt I can buy it locally. Can you list some of the main ingredients?
I couldn’t figure out the ingredients…not even the Chinese words. But here they are: fructus viticis negundo 4.2g; folium perillae 1.2g; rhizoma acori calami 1.2g; herba blumeae balsamiferae 39g; retinervus luffae fructus 1.2g; folium artemusiae argyi1.2g; smf herba cymbogpogonis citrati 12g. All looked alien to me.
I know some women do not bath or wash their hair (very unhygenic) during their confinement period. Bathing or showering with herbs is definetly a better alternative.
Hi,
I delivered my girl 4 months plus ago but I still have bloated tummy (I never gone for the postnatal massage)! Any remedy that I can take to get rid of the wind in my stomach? I hope that I don’t need to go to beauty salon to do treatment.:-(
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somehow reminds me of my herbal detox foot patch, now i feel like getting a herbal bath too ?
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They all look brown right? Heheh.
Do you breastfeed? That’s the fastest way to reduce the tummy. Otherwise, a massage might help but not sure how many times you need to do it.
It’s probably rare in this age and time…how can pple stand not bathing. Yikes!
wow…that’s a great thing!!! but, don’t you bathe after the delivery for one month????
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Yes, no bathing a month after delivery. LOL. No, not me…I bathed every day! Most pple bathe daily now but some may bathe once in a few days.
I’ve never heard of this herbal bath. I do recognize one of the ingredients. Perilla is shiso in Japanese, of the mint family, used as a flavoring – often with umeboshi (pickled plums) or alongside sashimi.
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Oh I have no idea…the names are foreign to me.