Once upon a time, humans relied completely on nature. Meadows and woods offered everything people needed to heal themselves. For example, it was common for farmers to rest on beds prepared with freshly cut hay and then to get up full of energy and completely regenerated. So let's bring some ancient knowledge into our modern life. Just a few moves, hay flowers that you can easily find in herbalist's and specialized shops, a gauze bag and your treatment for the well-being of body and mind is ready, able to relax, to improve blood circulation, to remove accumulations of fat, to counteract water retention and to promote tissue detoxification. The strength of this treatment is that it is not only tradition but has an important scientific basis, as shown by several researches. So let's try to understand the properties of hay flowers and how to use this remedy for our well-being.
Hay flowers, properties
Hay flowers are very varied and therefore represent a precious source of volatile compounds, it is estimated at least 50 different types, useful for wellness treatments. Among these compounds, we find a significant amount of terpenes, with an anti-inflammatory action and capable of improving blood circulation, but also coumarins, including imperatorin and umbelliferone, with a calming and sedative action (Buchbauer et al, Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung B, 1990). Thanks to these characteristics, hay flowers are widely used in compresses where, once heated, usually with steam, they combine the properties of their active ingredients with the remarkable ability to release a pleasant moist heat on the area to be treated, resulting in this more effective than other herbs, clays or muds (Froöhlich et al, MMW Munch Med Wochenschr, 1975). Therefore, the result is a treatment that has been shown, already from the first application, to soothe back pain, to relax muscles tension and promote sleep (Ueheleke et al, Physikalische Medizin Rehabilitationsmedizin Kurortmedizin, 2004). Not only that, the heat, combined with massages and the properties of the volatile compounds of herbs also stimulates vasodilation and blood circulation, counteracting retention, accumulation of toxins and cellulite (Ngamdokmai et al, J Evid Based Integr Med, 2018 - Ngamdokmai et al , Pharmaceuticals, 2021).
Hay flowers, how to use them against cellulite and accumulations of toxins
To take advantage of the properties of hay flowers, you can use two treatments, packs and baths. Let's see how to make the packs, very useful for treating cellulite, even old and resistant one, and for eliminating toxins, for a brighter skin. Get a gauze bag and pour the hay flowers inside, which, as mentioned, you can find in herbalist's shops or specialty stores, even online. Steam the bag for half an hour then let it cool down a bit, the heat must be bearable. Place the pack on the area to be treated and keep until it has completely cooled. Alternatively, you can benefit from a relaxing bath, useful for dissolving tension and also capable of improving microcirculation and skin regeneration. Take a gauze bag and fill it with hay flowers. Use this bag as a kind of sponge to massage when you are immersed in the tub.
