When you’re feeling achy and sore, there are few comforts better than a steamy-hot, aromatic, herbal rice bag wrapped around your ouch-y places. When you have a migraine, there are few remedies as quick and effective as wrapping a bag of cold rice around your neck.
It’s easy to make your own bag at home. Make two and keep one in the freezer for when you need one cold. Below I will cover the major considerations and options to quickly make your own crafts for yourself or as a gift.
1. Choose your grain
Rice bags seem to be the most common, but other grains can be used. Some use dried beans or beans, mussel kernels or flax seed. All of these works, but there are pros and cons to each.
Flaxseed is light. The seeds are small, so that heat or cold can be retained for a very long time. This can be good for children or those who are very sensitive. Because of its light weight, this option can be good for injuries where pressure hurts. But because of its light weight, it cannot be handled perfectly by molding around the body part.
Buckwheat grains are slightly larger than rice grains, so they retain heat a little longer. They have a good weight for those who do well for treatment.
Dry peas and beans can break down over time and should not be heated as hard grains. They have a heavy weight to them and are very cheap.
Rice grains retain heat very well and have a good cold and weight. Small cores do a good job of figuring out how to effectively manipulate body parts.
Kernel grains (feed the whole crop, not popcorn or split corn) are the largest grains, and therefore retain their temperature the longest. It is much necessary for long treatments, and those who are in chronic pain, this practice is found beneficial to ordinary people. However, the large size of the core means that it does not fit into small corners and cracks as effectively as smaller grains.
My personal recommendation is to use a combination of corn and rice. Both grains are cheap and keep the temperature well for long-term treatment, so it is good for you to keep it for a long time or simply remove it sooner if you do. The larger kernels hold the temperature for a long time and the smaller rice grains mold the pockets to every curve quite effectively. More corn has a very warm smell.
2. Select Device
It is important to use 100% natural fiber material for your bag. Many synthetic fibers use petroleum products in their production, and these petroleum products could cause a fire when heated. Your bag should be made of all cotton or linen material, both the outer and inner lining. And yes, I recommend the inner jacket. It makes the bag sturdier, so that dust like herbs doesn’t break down a bit, and it adds protection to the inside of your bag if the outside gets a little wet. A great lining material for rice sacks are old towels or cloth diapers. All cotton, thick and durable. If you don’t have it, go to a thrift store and pick them up for cheap.
The cover can be any smegma cup print you like, or a nice soft cotton flannel. You can also use linen which comes in a variety of textures from nubby to silky. Just make sure it’s a natural fiber, and make sure it doesn’t have any sparkles or metallic threads woven into it.
3. Choose your herbs
Lavender is popular, wonderful for its lingering scent. Lavender is also a vaso-dilator and as such, it is the best choice if you will use your chilled bag to treat headaches or migraines . essential oils have medicinal properties, as this is what is released when the herb is heated. When you combine your grain with your herbs, the herbs should make up between 1/4 and 1/3 of the total volume of the filling. You don’t want too much, or there won’t be enough grains to hold the temperature. You don’t want a little, the smell won’t last long.
Other good choices for your bag are:
Marjoram Leaves – Marjoram is a member of the same family of Oregano. It has a sweet herbal, floral scent and is useful for treating chronic pain, especially arthritis.
Mintaria – All mints are vaso-dilators and so are good for headaches and migraines when used in a cold pack. Minutes can also be stimulating, so keep this in mind when choosing the ingredients for your bag.
Chamomile flowers – Chamomile has a wonderful apple-like scent and is very calming, but those allergic to ragweed can sometimes also be allergic to this herb.
Cardamom Pods – These have a beautiful aromatic, floral and exotic scent.
Caryophyll – Also for long term medication.
Cinnamon bark – a few pieces in the bag can give a sweet smell, but use sparingly as Essential Oil< The cinnamon sticks can irritate the skin and the pieces can also be sharp and poke-y. Nepeta – soothing, relaxing smell of mint and apple, but it can be your favorite cat. toy
Hops – This flower has a slightly acidic, wheat-like smell and is calming.
Sweet wood – It has a wonderful herb and honey smell.
Sage – Use sparingly in the mixture, it has an astringent, herbal smell.
Rosemary – stimulating, increases cunning. It is also a vaso-dilator so it is useful to treat cold bags for pain and migraines.
Mix your herb in whatever combination appeals to you for scent and effect. do not use essential oils. Most essential oils have a low flash point, so they will burn quickly when you put them in your grocery bag. Not only does this mean that your bag becomes more flammable, but it also means that your smell will go away very quickly.
4. Make your own bag
After you have selected the herbs and grains, it is time to make the bag. Have a friend measure your spine from the base of the skull to the sacrum, or to the tailbone. Add two inches (for the seam allowance) to this number, which will be the length of the side of your rectangle. The width should be about 12 inches. This bag will give you between 5 and 6 inches wide once sewn shut. Cut out a rectangle of your fabric cover and your shirt fabric. Now place the fabric cover over your fabric, with the printed side facing up. After the frame is lined up, press it flat with an iron to make it light. It makes for a better outcome when you sew. When you have pressed the two pieces together, fold the rectangle in half width wise, lining up the fabric on the outside and the fabric in the middle to make a long tube the length of your spine column. Press this flat, then use straight pins to pin the 2 sides of the tube together – one short side and one long side. Join these two sides using a straight stitch, removing the pins that go under the presser foot. You can also do this by hand – it’s not too long. Just make small, straight stitches, and remember to use 100% cotton thread.
Once you have sewn the two sides together, you can turn the rice bag right side out. But the cover must be on the outside when it is out of the track, but the inside contains the mark.
Use a measuring cup to measure out 1/2 cup of your corn and herb mixture and pour it into your bag. Shake everything to the bottom, then fix, using the clamps, to seal the section containing the herbs from the rest of the bag. Add another 1/2 cup of grain and repeat. Continue until you come to the last section. Fill in the last part, seal with a pin, then fold the rough edges of the fabric to keep the inside of the bag contained and the pockets closed. Now removing each of the cut sections, and leaving the pins. This keeps the grain mixture from wandering around too much inside the bag, allowing for even distribution of heat/cold treatment wherever you apply it.
There I go! You are now the proud owner of a custom herbal therapy bag. Keep it or give it away, they are always highly valued and with decent care (which usually means not getting them wet) they will last for many years.
