Common Herbal Remedies for Steaming and Sauna Treatment of Colds
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Perilla Leaves |
Preparation of Herbal Ingredients
Use approximately 40-50 grams of bamboo leaves; 40-50 grams of perilla (10-15 grams if using flowers); 30-40 grams each of patchouli, perilla leaves, lemon leaves, camphor leaves, and pigweed; 2-3 cloves of garlic; and 20-30 grams of fresh turmeric.
Add the herbs to a pot, pour in water, and boil until fragrant.
Steaming at a Steam House
The patient should sit comfortably and allow the herbal steam to envelop them for 5-20 minutes. The temperature should be maintained at 25-30 degrees Celsius for the first 5-10 minutes, then gradually increased to encourage sweating, allowing the herbs to absorb into the body. When the green light appears, it indicates that the temperature is at the recommended level, which should be maintained.
After steaming, dry off with a warm, damp towel, followed by a dry towel, and change into clean clothes; then it is advisable to eat a bowl of onion porridge or drink warm water or take medication, followed by rest, ensuring ventilation in summer and warmth in winter… This should be adjusted according to specific conditions and the physician’s recommendations.
Home Steaming
Once the herbal mixture has boiled and is fragrant, bring it into the bathroom, cover yourself with a cloth, or cover your head, and open the lid of the pot to let the steam envelop you. The steaming duration should be 5-15 minutes; stop when sweating evenly occurs throughout the body.
Benefits of Herbal Ingredients for Steaming
– Bamboo Leaves: Cold nature, spicy, bland, sweet, affecting the heart and lung meridians, helps to relieve heat, calm the heart, and expel phlegm.
Indication: Induces sweating, disinfects, treats infections, edema, and fever. The recommended dosage is 20-30 grams daily in decoction (for drinking or steaming).
– Lemongrass: Treats colds and fevers: 10-20 grams of the whole plant, boiled in water for steaming. It is also used to treat facial eczema (crushed roots for juice applied to the affected area), bloating, vomiting, and poor digestion.
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Patchouli |
– Perilla: Warm nature, spicy, fragrant, affecting lung and spleen meridians. Perilla leaves induce sweating, treat cold symptoms, relieve pain, address bloating, poor digestion, vomiting, and abdominal pain due to food accumulation. The daily dosage is 3-6 grams or 3-10 grams in decoction.
– Patchouli: Use the whole plant except for the roots; gather it when it flowers or when some flowers have fruited. Slightly warm nature, affecting lung and stomach meridians.
Effects: Clears heat, releases the exterior, moves qi, relieves pain, and dispels dampness; treats colds, headaches, induces sweating. Commonly used for sunstroke, fever, headaches, and diarrhea. Can be used fresh (crushed to extract juice) or dried (decocted or powdered). The recommended dosage is 3-8 grams or 4-12 grams in decoction or infusion.
– Camphor: Hot nature, pungent, toxic, affecting heart and lung meridians.
Effects: Opens the orifices, disinfects, reduces inflammation, relieves pain, and stops bleeding; treats stroke, locked jaws, convulsions, coma, fever; sore throat, abscesses, and ulcers. The daily dosage is 0.05-0.2 grams in powdered camphor (for oral use). Topical use depends on the specific condition and herbal formula.
