Herbal Shoulder Pillows

You come back from a rough day at work, and within 10 minutes your shoulders have dropped, a pleasing scent envelops you, warmth has spread through your tight muscles in winter, or coolness has refreshed you at the peak of summer. This is what an herbal shoulder pillow can do for you. It can be reused many, many times and will never fail to make you feel better.

An herbal shoulder pillow is a long, narrow bag stuffed with herbs and seeds that you heat or chill depending on your need. Draped across your shoulders, the pillow melts away tension. Shoulder pillows can be even more stress-relieving than soaking in a bath (especially if you are one of those people who can't sit still in a tub for very long).

They are also an excellent way to use the herbs from your garden or windowsill. Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena can be combined with Bay and Orange Peel for a refreshing fragrance. Lavender, Mugwort, Rose Petals, and Anise Hyssop make an especially relaxing blend. Experiment with different combinations to discover what pleases you. And during the coming gardening season, harvest a bit extra of each fragrant herb -- shoulder pillows make wonderful gifts.

To make the pillow:

Cut out a piece of flannel or other heavy, natural fiber fabric, 22 inches long by 14 inches wide. Sew along two sides leaving a one inch hem and one of the short sides open. Turn right side out. Fill with seed and herb blend (below). Fold in open edge of fabric and pin folded ends together. Stitch across 1/4 inch below folded edge

To fill the pillow, mix well:

2 1/4 lbs. combined rice and flax seeds

1 pint dried herbs, crumbled

30 drops essential oils (optional)

If you are going to add essential oils, try to have at least two of them match the herbs you've used. For example, use bay, lavender and rose oils if those are the botanicals you mixed in with the seeds.

To use:

For warmth and muscle-tension relief, place pillow in microwave at high setting for three minutes, or place pillow inside large brown paper bag, and place in conventional oven preheated to 300 F degrees for 5-10 minutes. Drape over shoulders and sigh.

For a refreshing treatment and relief from summer heat-caused headaches, place pillow in freezer for at least one hour. Drape over shoulders.

Once the pillow is made, this wonderfully effective method of self-care requires only a brief bit of your time. Enjoy! Oh, and a warning: if you decide to show off your herbal shoulder pillow by letting friends try it, expect them to ask you to make them one.

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