Herbal pillows have many different uses, in fact we use several regularly around here but call them each a different name such as; Boo Boo Bag, Dream Pillow and Linen sachet. By these names you can see what they can be used for - headaches, owies, aches, pains, stress relief, nightmare prevention, deep sleep and freshening laundry to name a few. Anything you would use an herb or essential oil for, you can use as an herbal pillow.
Boo Boo Bag
Boo Boo Bags can be used like a hot/cold pack for bumps on the head, headaches, aching bones and muscles, bruises and owies of any kind. When a child comes to me complaining of an ailment, I usually toss them the Boo Boo Bag and they are immediately healed. I like to keep our Boo Boo Bag sealed in a plastic bag in the freezer for cooling and soothing aches and pains, as an added bonus it also keeps the herbs fresh. The best herbs for these purposes are lavender and peppermint.
Dream Pillow
Dream pillows are used to aid in a restful sleep, dispel nightmares and calm before bed. I like to use a combination of herbs and essential oils for these purposes. Dream pillows are either placed inside the pillow case or my little guy likes to snuggle right up to it like it is a stuffed animal. The purpose is to inhale the aroma of the herbs and oils during the night.
Herbal Heating Rice Bag
You can make a traditional rice bag herbal, by adding 3/4 rice (or beans or other grain) and 1/4 herbs.
Hot Pillow
A hot pillow is like a poultice and a compress combined. Fill your pillow or cotton draw string bag with your herb of choice then sew or pull tight. Boil some water in a pan and place a rack on top of the pan, place the pillow on the rack. The herbs will swell as they absorb the steam and also release their healing properties. When the pillow is warm and not too wet, remove it and apply to the area of concern (do a heat test before applying to the skin and let cool if needed). You can also apply a hot pad or hot water bottle over the pillow to keep a constant heat going. You can reuse your pillow two or three times if you let it dry completely between uses.
Laundry/Linen Pillows
Laundry pillows are so fun since you can change them up depending on the season and your mood. I use two different kinds, a cotton bag kind to pop in the dryer with each batch of laundry and a sheer drawstring bag type for use in the drawers and closets. These can also be used in storage bins, coats, bags, or anything you want to freshen up or keep fresh. For the dryer pillow I add fresh essential oils directly to the cotton cloth for each batch, my favorite laundry oils are pine, lavender, lemon, lime, and orange. The sheer drawstring bag can easily be refreshed with new herbs once they lose their fragrance.
Herbal Pillow How To
Tutorial
Herbal pillows can be as simple as placing herbs (and I like to add essential oils also) into a drawstring muslin bag, re-usable tea bag, or sheer fabric drawstring bag and pulling the drawstring tight. You could even fill a sock and tie up the end for a super quick and easy pillow. Or you can put a little more effort into them and create your own with a little cotton fabric and a sewing machine. These will be more durable and unique, I also like to make a removable cover so I can launder it, you can find my instructions for making your own here. When mixing herbs with essential oils, like for the dream pillows, I added the herbs first and then pulled apart a cotton ball and put a few drops of essential oil on the cotton, then placed it in the pillow with the herbs. You can also just add the oil directly to the cotton pillow.
