This weekend, I plan on doing some major garden clean up…which means, I will have major sore muscles the next day! It is amazing how many muscles I can discover after a big day in the garden. They always complain so loudly! Where were these muscles the day before? Sleeping? Goofing off? Apparently!
In preparation for the lovely pain I will be feeling, I am putting together my secret weapon: Bay Bath Soak. This stuff works and it is so easy to make. Here’s the recipe:
For one bath:
5-6 fresh or dried bay leaves, lightly crushed
4 tbsp. Epsom salts
2 tbsp. powdered buttermilk
1 bottle of wine
Place all ingredients (except wine) in the center of a small washcloth. Pull up the corners and tie closed with cotton string. Drop the washcloth ball into the bathtub as it fills with water. Drag your sorry body into the bath and get in! Squeeze the cloth while bathing or use it as a scrubber on your arms and legs to further release the herbal components. Soak…relax…have a glass of wine. Ahhh!
The bay leaves and the Epsom salts relieve the sore, achy muscles and the buttermilk softens the skin. The wine just makes you forget you were sore in the first place! This recipe was originally developed for my Herbal Garden Calendar (2005) — without the wine part…I added that special for you!
About the Author
Theresa Loe blogs here about taking the garden full circle while striving for a more local, fresh-from-the-garden lifestyle. She is a TV producer, video host, freelance garden writer and a wrangler of chickens and children. (Not necessarily in that order.) For more information on these topics, you can subscribe to her free monthly newsletter.
Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
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Excellent! Thank you! I foresee a soak in the near future when my chest muscles are sore from hacking up a lung (I’m fighting a cold right now).
Oh man…sorry you are sick. Try adding a few drops of pure Eucalyptus essential oil to the water when you take your bath. It will help. I use it on my boys whenever they get sick. The steam and the eucalyptus help open you up and calm the cough.
I added you to my favorite sites blog roll!
Theresa