This listing is for one Herbal Fomentation Kit (for menstrual cramping, rheumatic pain, swollen and painful joints) from The heART of Ritual.

This kit includes one bag of dried wild herbal blend and one botanically dyed organic cotton compress. The fabric was ecodyed with cramp bark berries and rosehips, giving it its beautiful deep pink and red hues, and is a very generous size, measuring approx 75cm x 45cms.

To use: place one teaspoon of the dried herb mixture into a saucepan. Add two cups of water, cover your saucepan and gently simmer your mixture for 15-20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or unbleached coffee/tea filter, retaining the herbal decoction in a bowl. Once the liquid is at the right temperature for you to comfortably gently apply to your skin, soak your fabric in the liquid, wring out the cloth so it doesn't drip, fold it to the preferred size and shape, and cover the affected area with the cloth (place directly on skin).

It's easiest to do this when laying down and you may want to put another towel or cloth over your compress cloth to protect your clothes from getting damp. Let this fomentation sit for at least 20 minutes. Some people like to place a hot water bottle on top of their compress for additional comfort and warmth if you decide to leave your compress on longer.

You might like to round off your menstrual self care treatment with our Soothe Salve, Womb Oil, 13 Moon Rose Oil, all of which are available in our store along with a wide selection of herbal tinctures, medicinal teas, and womb health offerings.

A little tip - my menstrual pain only really tends to get bad on day one of bleed, and on this day, I wear snug woollen leggings so that I can wear my compress and a child sized hot water bottle tucked inside the belly of my leggings as I go about my day. It's a great way of leaving it in place so that I can get the medicinal benefits over a longer period of time without having to lay down because lets face it, taking a day off is not always possible.

A fun insight - these compresses were folded into downward facing triangles, representing the feminine aspect of BEing (and water element) and were then rolled into spirals at the top while the bottom was made into a shape representing the labia. Why? Why not, I thought it would be appropriate, beautiful and fun.

While this offering was specifically created as a herbal compress for menstrual cramping, it can just as easily be applied to any other muscular and/pr joint pain that benefits from heat treatments. I've successfully used this on my shoulder this winter for stiffness and pain that I was experiencing (a symptom of lymes). I applied it to the shoulder, placed a tea towel on top to keep my cardigan dry, and continued about my day while the herbs infused through my skin and did their magic.

This herbal blend is approx 10-15 portions in each bag. Both the herbs and this botanically dyed fabric can be composted when you are finished using them, although the fabric is so pretty that you may want to craft something else with it!

Please be sure you wash your hands immediately after use - this blend includes hot spices in it and should not be applied to areas around the eyes, mucus membranes, broken skin, scar tissue or sensitive areas of the skin in general.