Traditional Japanese Remedies
Chilli Pepper Foot Bath - Togarashi - for Cold Feet
Togarashi or red chilli peppers can be used to warm
up your feet and stimulate circulation.
Add hot water to a bowl or foot bath and add some dried red
chilli peppers to it. Sit and soak your feet in the water for
about 10 mins. Pat dry with a towel, and moisturise.
Ginger Tea - Shoga no yu for - Colds, Flu,
Arthritis, and General Health
Grate half a teaspoonful of fresh ginger root into a cup.
Add boiling water and some honey if desired. Wait until ginger
sinks to bottom of cup, then drink. Can drink this concoction
daily.
In the traditional remedy for shoga no yu, the thickener
which is called kuzu - a type of arrowroot starch - is
used to make a more glutinous tea, and gives the feeling of having
a more warming effect on the stomach. Cornstarch could be used
as a substitute.
Leek Wrap - Negi - Sore Throat
Wrap a piece of raw leek loosely in a muslin cloth and tie
up the cloth like a scarf so that the leek part is on the front
of the neck. Wear overnight for best relief.
Yuzu Peel Bath - For relaxing
Add the peeled strips of Yuzu fruit to the bathwater when
you start to run the bath. Leave in the bath while you bathe.
Grapefruit or tangerines can be used if you can't find Yuzu.
All citrus fruits aromas have a calming effect on the senses.
It is the Japanese custom to wash yourself clean with soap and
water, or shower before you get into the bath, as baths are thought
as a place for relaxing, and not for washing off the dirt.
These are based on traditional Japanese folklore remedies
for everyday ailments. If you would like to try them, please
use your common sense, and do not use on the children or frail
or elderly people. We bear no responsibility for their uses,
or make any medical claims.
