herbal pillow /n/
A small pillow containing a combination of dried herbs stuffed inside

Tackling your home, your kids, especially when you have school-aged children, your hobbies and your passion projects leads to exhaustion, feeling pain anywhere in the body. Sometimes, you want to sleep the pain away, so you feel recharged the next day.

I do that—sleeping until I feel completely feel rejuvenated. I try my best to refrain from taking paracetamol for instant relief. But there are moments when I can’t help it until I learned that painkillers and NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Have you heard of herbal pillows? Do you know that it can help in relieving aching muscles and joints? Yep, it can!

Let’s learn more about herbal pillows, shall we?

Where do herbal pillows originate?

Herbal pillows are initially used in traditional Chinese medicine as a drug delivery device. These pillows are regarded as a therapeutic alternative to relieve aching muscles and joints.

An ancient health book reveals how medicinal pillows are made. First, ground medicinal plants—a total of 13 plants—are mixed before being wrapped in a raw silk bag. Next, the bag is wrapped in an outer bag, also made of silk but only thinner, to maintain the fragrance. Finally, the pillow is put in a box when not in use to preserve the herbs’ efficacy.

The early versions of hand-crafted herbal pillows need no heating or freezing because the heat from the head and neck can volatize the essences to release a therapeutic aroma. The essences include chrysanthemum gypsum, tea, ligusticum wallichii, and angelica anomala. In the ancient Western world, chamomile, lavender, valerian, skullcap, and hops. This encourages better sleep.

volatize /v/
Cause a substance to evaporate or disperse in vapor

But before they become pillows, they started as “scented sachets.” It is like a small cloth bag—some are actually pillow-like—filled with dried herbs. They are placed near or under the pillow or hung in the bedroom to promote sleep and overcome sleeplessness. As early as 1606, these pillows are ‘administered’ to patients who have insomnia.

Penny Black, author of The Book of Potpourri: Fragrant Flower Mixes for Scenting & Decorating the Home, creates an original sleep pillow recipe with dried herbs and flowers such as rose petals, violets, rosemary, vanilla bean, and a drop of lemon oil on it.

I think this is the closest we get to the herbal pillows of today.

What are the benefits of using herbal pillows?

Using herbal pillows has several benefits. The pillows can

• Improve blood circulation
• Help relax tired muscles
• Relieves tension and stress
• Relieve swelling, stiffness, and inflammation
• Promote comfort and relaxation

How can herbal pillows help alleviate pain?

Herbal pillows, which contains cassia seeds, ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass, lavender, and peppermint, can be used hot or cold. This makes these pillows unique and actually more effective—they can relieve muscle pain when heated or frozen.

How to use for hot therapy

When relieving pain, it is better to use the pillow as a hot compress. The heat produces a soothing effect that reduces pain and provides relief. It also encourages normal blood circulation.

You may put it in the microwave and use it right away. You need to put the heated herbal pillow above the area where you feel pain. Leave it there for a few minutes and let moist heat does its work of producing steam that penetrates the skin.

So, yes, the pain is tackled at the tissue level.

Use hot therapy for:

1. Muscle pains
2. Stiffness
3. Nervous tensions
4. Cramps
5. Arthritis
6. Flu
7. Colic
8. Asthma
9. Cold
10. Blisters

How to use for cold therapy

The effect is achieved when using a cold herbal pillow. It lowers the temperature of the tissue and numbs the nerve endings.

Use cold therapy for:

1. Inflamed muscles
2. Fever
3. Migraine
4. Headache
5. Sprains
6. Bumps
7. Toothache
8. Nosebleed
9. Sports injuries

Herbal pillows promote natural pain relief, particularly for mild and moderate pain. I wouldn’t recommend it for severe pain, though. It’s still best to consult with your doctor if that’s the case.

Whether you use it hot or cold, it surely guarantees comfort! Bathe in the herbal scent goodness, inducing you to calm down and relax.

*Disclaimer: Herbal pillows aid in the treatment, not meant to replace physician care—no approved therapeutic claim.

How to care for your pillow

The pillow’s scent is strong initially, but the aromas would fade after several uses and repeated heating and freezing. However, you may use the pillow a hundred times before the scent would fade.

Here are some ways to prolong the aromatic scents of your pillow.

• Do not overheat; excessive heating causes the ingredients to lose their aromatherapeutic properties
• Place a half-pilled cup of water inside the microwave with the pillow
• Make sure the pillow rotates unhindered in the microwave; hot spots may burn or melt the fabric
• Heat the pillow for 30 seconds to 2 minutes only (higher temperatures means quicker heating time and vice versa)
• Steam the pillow for 15 minutes only but plastic-wrapped it first so it won’t get overly damp
• Make sure the heated pillow is completely cooled before packing
• Place the pillow insider the freezer for 1 to 3 hours but put it inside a sealed bag first
• Unwrap the frozen pillow gently to avoid any damage
• Do not soak the pillow since it is not washable; wash the pillow cover regularly, though
• Store the pillow in the freezer

Aromatherapy pillows for sale

Herbal eye patch

The eye patch soothes tired eyes—best used after a tiring day at work. It’s highly recommended for workers whose job require them to look at the computer screen for longer periods.

Use it for pampering sessions at home. You may bring it during long trips as well.

Herbal shoulder pillow

The shoulder pillow soothes neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. It was shaped to rest comfortably on the shoulders.

Use it while relaxing or working. It’s very compact you may take it anywhere.

Herbal small pillow

The small pillow is very versatile. You may place it on your chest, abdomen, lower back, legs, etc. You may put it on a table and rest your stiff wrists above it.

It brings relief and comfort just the same.

The pillows are made with washable organic cotton pillowcases in green apple.

You may use the patch and herbal pillows over and over until the herbal scent wears off. That’s the time you need to replace the patch or the pillow with a new one.

About Precious Pillow

Human Nature carries the Precious Pillow brand, owned by Albime Chester Sy. The social enterprise aims to reach the ever-health-conscious Filipino consumers through their all-natural products. The company manufactures herbal pillows that combine 100% natural grain seeds, aromatic herbs, and essential oils released over time.

The profits of the herbal pillows directly help a sewing community located in San Nicolas, Bulacan and the Right Start Community Development Inc. The latter is a non-profit non-government organization (NGO) that supports underprivileged Filipino children through music, dance, and creative arts.

Where to buy Precious herbal eye patch and pillows

1. Go to The Lovegood Shoppe.
2. Click Start Shopping.
3. You may search ‘herbal pillow’ using the search bar.
4. Or, mouse over Home and Lifestyle.
5. Click Wellness to be directed on the social enterprise products.
6. Scroll down then, click on the herbal pillow product of your choice.
7. Indicate the quantity.
8. Then, click Add to Cart if you want to explore the shop more or Buy Now* to proceed to the checkout page.
   *If you click the Buy Now button, you will be directed to the Customer Login page. New customers need to create an account first, while registered customers may login directly.
   You may also login using your Facebook account.
9. Once done with adding items to the cart, mouse over the cart button.
10. You may click the Checkout** or View Cart*** button.
    **If you click the Checkout button, you will be directed to the Customer Login page as well. Proceed with customer registration.
    ***If you click the View Cart button, you will be directed to the Shopping Cart page where you will see all the items added on your cart.
    You may update your cart by changing the quantity and applying coupon if you have any. Click Checkout to be directed to the Customer Login page. Proceed accordingly.

Or, you may order directly through my Facebook page:https://web.facebook.com/thelovegoodshoppe/