History of Herbal Baths

Almost every region in the world has a history of herbal baths. The oldest written records that document the medicinal uses of herbs are Chinese, dating back about 5000 years. In 2735 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shen Nong wrote a treatise on herbs that is still in use today. References to therapeutic bathing with aromatic herbs can be found in the Indian Vedas around 1500 B.C.  The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Hebrews also used herbal baths for healing and to maintain a youthful, healthy and vibrant condition of the skin. But because the Chinese constitute approximately one fifth of the world's population and their tradition of herbal remedies dates back longer than any other society, the most effective Chinese herbs and their various combinations have the longest history of successful testing on the largest number of people.

The first official Chinese pharmacopoeia, the Tang Herbal, was compiled by a team of 22 high officials and court physicians to the Emporor in 659 A.D. The Pu Ji Fang (Prescriptions for Healing the Masses) was published in the 14th century and it contained 61,739 herbal formulas. The Ben Cao Gang Mu, compiled by Li Shi-Zhen around 1590 A.D., is considered to be the most extensive work ever compiled by a single author and Li took about 38 years to complete it. The Zhong Yao Da Ci Dian (Encyclopedia of Chinese Materia Medica) was published by the Jiangsu Institute of New Medicine in 1977 and is the most extensive work on herbs ever compiled.

Recently in the United States, a medical study at the Mayo Clinic found that soaking in a hot bath first speeds up the heart to send blood to the surface and disperse extra body heat, but after a few minutes the warm blood causes the blood vessels to dilate, which lessens resistance to blood flow and lowers the blood pressure. Hot water causes toxins and impurities to be extracted out of the body through the skin pores while the expanded blood vessels near the surface of the skin absorb essential oils and other substances from herb baths into the blood stream.

Other research shows that many aromatic herbs contain ethereal oils with anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and analgesic properties, volatile oils, tannins, flavonoids and bioflavanoids, alkaloids, glycosides, vitamins, and minerals that are released when steeped in hot water. Many doctors now recognize that herbal baths can be effective remedies for stress, anxiety, insomnia, rheumatism, arthritis and other muscular aches and pains, and they are also effective treatments for skin problems such as acne, dandruff, eczema and psoriasis.