After a walk on a freezing winter’s day, my favorite thing to do is to slip into a hot bath. And one of my favorite additions to my bath are Citrus Spice Bath Salts. The recipe, filled with the essences of lemon, orange, fir trees, and pine trees is the perfect scent for this time of year. Because these kinds of baths were common during the later 18th century, Sarah Munro added this recipe to her collection of herbal remedies (Sarah, a PhD historian, is the heroine in book 2 of the Deadly Force series, ONE DARK WISH.)
While it is perfectly safe to add pine needles and cedar leaves to your bath, I don’t forage them. I purchase dried, ground leaves from a health food store that I trust either online or in my neighborhood. While you can purchase non-ground leaves, it’s much easier to buy them already ground up. It’s worth the little of extra that you may pay. Cloves and lemon essential oil can be irritating if you have sensitive skin. So if that’s something you deal with, especially during the winter, then just leave out those two ingredients. And if there are ingredients you can’t find, that’s okay too. There are so many in this recipe that you may or may not notice if you leave one out. But my favorite way to make these salts is with all the ingredients, whenever possible. I sometimes add the salts to a cotton muslin bag and let it steep in the bath. That way the leaves don’t go down the drain and it makes cleaning the tub easier.
Why so many ingredients? Because they add warming properties (pine, cinnamon, & cloves, and other essential oils), anti-inflammatory properties (cedar, rosemary, and lemon essential oil), and calming properties (orange peel, oil, baking soda, and Epsom salts). While the list looks daunting, they are easy to find online. Mountain Rose Herbs is one of my favorite online sources. I hope you find that slipping into a bath steeped with Citrus Spice Bath Salts melts away all your stress and eases your sore muscles on a cold winter day.
Sarah Munro’s Citrus Spice Bath Salts
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large glass bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients, including the cinnamon and cloves.
Stir in the essential oils, one at a time, making sure to stir well in between each oil. Let sit for 30 minutes and stir again. Store the salts in a large glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
For each bath, use 1 cup of the salts. You should be able to get 6-7 baths out of this recipe. Or you could stir the salts in smaller jars and give them away as gifts.
Note: If you can’t find the leaves and needles already ground, use a coffee grinder or a tiny spin blender to grind up the ingredients.
While the salts will dissolve, the leaves and spices will go down the drain. If you prefer that not to happen, place the salts in a cotton muslin bag that you can tie closed and toss that into the bath. The salts will still dissolve and the rest of the ingredients will steep in the water, like a giant cup of tea!
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER ABOUT WILD PLANTS, FORAGING, AND MAKING HERBAL REMEDIES:
I am not a medical professional and nothing written on this blog is medical advice. None of my statements have been evaluated by the FDA (I am legally required to give you this disclaimer).
It is important to do your due diligence before foraging, harvesting, and/or consuming any type of medicinal plant.
- If you are taking any medications, talk to your doctor about any potential drug interactions.
- If you are allergic to anything, make sure whatever you are foraging is not in the same family. Example: While dandelions are typically considered safe, those who are allergic to ragweed, latex, daisies, or any other plants in the same or similar families, may not be able to consume dandelion.
Always research potential side effects, dosage recommendations, and how to properly prepare and consume each medicinal plant.
Always make sure you are foraging what you believe to be. Fully prepare and study the anatomy before harvesting wild plants.
Always make sure your kitchen/work area is clean and that all materials are sterilized.
Do not forage plants from areas that have been sprayed within the past 2 years at the very least.
I am not legally or morally responsible for the health of any of my readers. Please do your own research!
