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Get rid of your cold with a detox bath
By Anne Davis
What can be more soothing than a hot bath to soak your aches and ease up a stuffy nose? Adding a few simple ingredients to your tub can flush your cold symptoms right out of your body and you probably already have these ingredients on hand.
Please note that these recipes will cause you to sweat profusely, both during and after the bath. You MUST drink LOTS of water to combat this effect or you will become very dehydrated. If you don’t drink water, you will feel sick.
Caution: Do not take hot baths and salt baths (including Epsom Salt baths) if you have heart trouble, high blood pressure or if you are diabetic or pregnant.
The baths should last for 30 minutes at the most. After 20 minutes, you will begin to sweat. Be careful getting out of the tub as you may feel lightheaded or weak. Once you get out of the tub, wrap yourself in a large towel and go lie down (you may even want to lie down on more towels to keep your bed or couch dry). The sweating should continue for about an hour after the bath. These baths will make you very sleepy, so plan to go to bed afterward.
Basic Detox Bath Formula
1 cup Epsom Salts
1 cup baking soda
2 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 cup apple cider vinegar (organic is best)
Add these ingredients to the hottest water you can stand and swirl them around in the bathtub until well mixed with the water. The hot water will draw any toxins in your body to the skin’s surface and ginger and Epsom Salts greatly enhance this effect. Apple cider vinegar works to widen mucus membranes and thin phlegm and mucus so it can be expelled easily.
Alternate Formula
1/8 cup ginger (fresh grated is best, but ground powder works also)
6 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory that increases blood circulation and helps promote the elimination of toxins through sweat. Hydrogen peroxide oxygenates the body and helps purge toxins. It is antibacterial and antiviral as well.
These baths will make you feel much better, but if symptoms persist, you can repeat the baths for up to three days total.
Don’t eat before or immediately following these baths.
Brush your skin with your fingers or a loofah during your bath (helps loosen the toxins).
Add glycerin to the water to help prevent your skin from drying out.
These recipes are from wellness practitioners and are not intended to serve as a diagnosis or prescription. If you have concerns about using these recipes, please consult your doctor.
Anne Davis is a writer, blogger, artist and photography buff. Born in Quebec, she now lives in Kimberley, BC where she is editor of and contributor to the City of Kimberley’s Active Community Guide and webmaster for the City’s websites.
