How to prepare your own thermal bags and cushions

When we feel pain in an area of ​​the body, we instinctively take our hand there seeking relief from the contact and, above all, from the heat, which has a analgesic and calming effect.

A hot water bottle or heating pad generates more intense heat than your hand, but we can also resort to cushions filled with aromatic plantsseeds or fruit pits, which They have the property of retaining both heat and cold.in addition to presenting a pleasant texture.

And although they are usually purchased ready-made, making them at home is easy: you only need the stuffing material, a bit of fabric, thread and a needle.

How to make thermal bags to soothe pain

in hot, thermal bags are useful in case of muscle pain, menstrual pain, contractures and tendinitis.

in cold, instead, they alleviate headaches, hits yeahsprainsIn addition to contributing to lower the fever. But what can we make them with?

Sachets of cherry stones

The cherry pits They are one of the most common fillers due to their great thermal capacity and their small size. You can take advantage of the season of this fruit (from May to August) to stock up. Before making the bags, bones must be cleaned to remove debriscooking them with water and a little vinegar and letting them dry in the sun.

Another option is to buy them online, for example, on the Cerezas del Valle del Jerte website. When making the cushion, if you want it to be large, it is convenient to make interior separations with backstitching before stuffing with the bones. It’s a simple way to prevent everyone from moving to one side.

A very comfortable option to prepare the cushion is use already sewn garmentssuch as a sock. The cherry stones are inserted, the upper part is sewn and a practical thermal bag.

You can also sew it from a scrap of fabric:

Fold a rectangular piece of cotton in half and sew three of the four edges together. Turn the fabric inside out and insert the cherry pits, without filling it completely so that it adapts better to the folds of the body.Close the edge and cover it with an outer cover, also made of cotton.

To use it, you can heatin the microwave:

It is put for a minute, the seeds are moved so that the heat is distributed well. It is heated again for another minute. If it is not hot, the operation is repeated.

It also can heat in the oven:

It is wrapped in aluminum foilIt is heated to 180ºC for 10 minutes.

To benefit from its cold effects is introduced into the freezer in a plastic bag. Depending on the size of the cushion, it is enough to have it for an hour to cool it well.

Honey grass sachets

Another type of bags is honey grass (paspalum dilatatum), a South American grass that also grows in Europe, where it is called woody hay. Its seeds are used in naturopathic medicine to fill small thread bags, which retain heat very well.

Your local application is especially useful against rheumatic painthe Colic and those produced by urine infections.

To heat it up:

Place it in a pot with boiling water (which we will have removed from the heat), cover and let it rest for ten minutes. Protecting your hands with gloves, drain the bag well. Check its temperature and apply to the painful area, as long as it doesn’t burn too much (to lower the temperature it can be shaken to ventilate).

the little bag It is covered with plastic to keep it warm. and it is wrapped with a cotton cloth and another of flannel or wool on top.

It is placed on the area with pain and left to act for 20 minutes.the skin is removed and cooled with a towel soaked and wrung out in cold water.

aromatherapy sachets

Another option is use aromatic plants as fillers. Aromatherapy helps to feel more active and calm, depending on the species chosen.

The lavender It is one of the most popular for its calming and relaxing power. Making a little bag with your flowers and putting it under the pillow helps to sleep better since its pleasant aroma promotes a state of relaxation and rest. It can also be mixed with other relaxing aromatic plants, such as hop or the orange blossom.

Other easy-to-use-at-home therapeutic fillers

Warm the bed, sleep better either relieve rheumatic pain These are some of the uses that can be given to cushions made with the following fillings.

Making them with our own hands helps us to become better familiar with the materials and their properties. Another advantage is that the choice of fabrics, with their different textures and colors, encourages creativity.

Wheat seeds

They also keep the cold and heat and are a good option to make thermal bags. Can mix them with lavender seeds And the benefit is double: the pain-relieving power of cold and heat is combined with the calming effect of the lavender essence, which is released when the cushion is heated.

hay flowers

The hay flowers They are used as filling following the same procedure as the honey grass sachets. Choose one fine and natural fabric to make the coverlike linen.

Avoid that the filling is thin so that it does not lose heat quickly: the ideal is a thickness between 5 and 8 cm. meters.