Many people have the habit of soaking their feet, especially in the cold seasons of autumn and winter. After soaking their feet before going to bed, they feel very warm and comfortable. You can add some Chinese medicinal materials when soaking your feet, which can play the role of traditional Chinese medicine. , foot soaking has more effects, so what kind of traditional Chinese medicine is good for foot soaking? What are the effects of traditional Chinese medicine foot soak? Let me introduce it to you below.
1. The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine for foot soaking
1. Ginger - dispelling cold
In Chinese medicine, ginger is a pungent and warm medicine that can relieve cold and relieve symptoms. The effect of table, and the toxic and side effects are small. Modern medicine believes that ginger can stimulate capillaries and improve local blood circulation and metabolism. People who are afraid of cold and prone to cold hands and feet can use ginger to soak their feet.
It should be noted that using ginger to soak your feet does not mean soaking the ginger in hot water for a while. Instead, you generally take 15-30 grams of ginger (about half a medium-sized piece of ginger) and put it into the Pat it flat, put it into a pot, add half a pot of water, cover the pot and boil with hot water for about 10 minutes. After cooking, pour out all the ginger water and add an appropriate amount of cold water to about 40°C (generally it is better not to feel hot). When soaking your feet, the water should cover your ankles. It is best to rub your feet while soaking.
Many of the medicinal ingredients in ginger are small molecular substances, and cooking with the lid on can prevent them from evaporating. The amount of half a piece of ginger is equivalent to the amount of water in a basin used for foot soaking in ordinary households. If a large amount of water is used to soak the feet, or the symptoms of cold sensitivity are severe, the amount of ginger can be increased as appropriate. After soaking your feet in ginger water for a period of time, the symptoms of cold sensitivity can generally be improved to a certain extent.
2. Cinnamon - Reduce swelling
Cinnamon, also known as cinnamon, cinnamon or fragrant cinnamon, and Chinese prickly ash are both commonly used spices in the home, both of which warm the kidneys The role of Yang. Using them to soak your feet has a better effect on alleviating edema caused by kidney disease.
Nephrogenic edema is edema caused by kidney function problems or disease. Generally, it first occurs in areas with loose tissue, such as eyelids, face, and ankles. It is most obvious when you get up in the morning. Pressing the skin of the edema area with your fingers may cause depressions. If nephrogenic edema occurs, you can boil 15 grams each of peppercorns and cinnamon (a handful or a small piece) and soak your feet. The cooking method is the same as cooking ginger. Continuously using this method to soak your feet can reduce swelling to a certain extent.
If edema symptoms begin in sagging parts of the body (such as legs) and gradually develop to other parts of the body, it may be cardiogenic edema caused by heart function problems. For this kind of edema, you can use the ginger boiled water mentioned above to soak your feet, which can promote blood circulation in the lower limbs and thus help reduce edema.
3. Mugwort - warms the lungs
According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", mugwort is a medicine that is warm in nature, bitter in taste, and non-toxic. It has the effects of restoring yang, regulating qi and blood, removing dampness and cold, stopping bleeding and relieving miscarriage. It is also often used in acupuncture, so it is also called "medical herb". Soaking feet with mugwort can also improve lung function, which is very beneficial for people suffering from chronic bronchitis and prone to coughing up white phlegm.
The method of soaking feet with mugwort is similar to that of soaking feet with ginger. Generally, 30-50 grams (a small handful) of dried mugwort are boiled in water to soak the feet. The cooking method is the same as mentioned above.
Patients with severe cold and dampness can use mugwort to soak their feet once a week. You can also drink a cup of ginger and red date water (10 dry red dates plus 2 slices of ginger, add 10 bowls of water and boil for 2 hours) while soaking your feet in mugwort water.
Be careful when soaking your feet with mugwort. At the same time, you should drink more warm water, eat less cold food, and pay attention to rest. Discomfort of the head, face, throat, and chronic bronchitis caused by deficient heat and excess fire can all be relieved to a certain extent.
People with fever, hypotension, and diabetes should use mugwort to soak their feet under the guidance of a doctor. Moreover, you can use moxa to soak your feet 2-3 times a week, but it should not be too frequent. Because soaking feet with mugwort can induce fire to descend, sometimes it can cause insufficient qi and blood in the head and face, which can easily lead to dizziness, headaches, and emotional changes.
4. Safflower - prevents frostbite
Safflower is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in gynecology. It can activate blood circulation, stimulate menstruation, remove blood stasis and relieve pain. People who are prone to frostbite and skin chapped in winter should soak their feet with safflower in advance in autumn, which can play a very good preventive role.
Take 10-15 grams of safflower (about a handful), boil it in water and soak your feet as mentioned before, which can prevent and improve chilblains. Every winter, some people's hands and feet often get chapped and broken skin, but once this happens, it takes a long time to recover.
Choosing to soak your feet with safflower can also prevent this from happening to a certain extent.
If you use 30-50 grams of dry mugwort and 10-15 grams of safflower to boil water for foot soaking, it can also improve blood circulation, prevent and reduce varicose veins and peripheral neuritis.
If the blood circulation is not good, the hands and feet are prone to numbness, or congestion occurs in the lower limbs, you can use these two medicinal materials to soak your feet together. After soaking your feet, you can not only improve blood circulation problems, but also improve sleep quality to a certain extent. Soaking your feet with safflower and mugwort during a cold can also have a certain therapeutic effect.
2. Taboos for foot bathing
1. The time for foot bathing should not be too long
The idea that the longer the foot bathing time is, the better is also wrong. Traditional Chinese medicine foot soaking usually lasts for 40 minutes. 40 minutes can allow the capillaries in the feet to absorb enough effective Chinese medicine ingredients. Moreover, soaking the feet for too long can easily lead to sweating. Excessive sweat loss can be harmful to the heart.
2. The footbath water should not be too hot
Many people choose high-temperature water when bathing their feet. They believe that high temperature will promote the absorption of traditional Chinese medicine ingredients and blood circulation. Circulation helps. In fact, this is wrong, because around 40 degrees is the temperature that people are more comfortable with. Too high a temperature will burn the skin, and if the blood circulation is too fast, it will cause the blood to rush up, which will cause discomfort and even collapse.
3. It is not advisable to soak your feet when you are too full or hungry
Soaking your feet when you are overly full, hungry or eating will speed up blood circulation throughout the body and easily cause dizziness and discomfort. . It is not advisable to soak your feet within half an hour after a meal, as it will affect the blood supply to the stomach. After eating, the blood in the human body flows to the digestive tract. If you soak your feet in hot water at this time, the blood that should have flowed to the digestive tract will flow to the lower limbs instead. Over time, it will affect digestion and absorption and lead to nutritional deficiencies.