Being on your feet constantly can give them a lot of aches and pains. One of the herbs I like to use to make a foot soak to help ease foot aches and pains away naturally is arnica.
Arnica is a yellowish flower that belongs to the sunflower family and has the name of Mountain Tobacco due to its ability to help people quit smoking naturally. The herb contains many medicinal properties in it such as anti-inflammatory, anti-septic and pain relieving.
However, it is not wise to take arnica internally because they herb does contain some toxicity to it known as helanin which cause heart failure, gastroenteritis, miscarriages, coma and sometimes even death. The good news is when arnica is used properly for external purposes it can be beneficial for healing aches and pains away wonderfully, which is why I use the herb to make a soothing relaxing foot soak for relieving achy feet.
Ingredients Needed to Make Arnica Foot Soak
To make my arnica foot soak I like to use 10 to 15 drops of arnica oil, half cup of Epsom salt, half cup of baking soda, half cup of dried chamomile flowers and 10 drops of tea tree oil. Now, you know the reason why I use the arnica oil, but I bet you are wondering why I use some of the other ingredients as well. The reason the Epsom salt is used because it contains minerals in it that can help relax the feet in the muscles, while relieving aches and pains quickly and safely. Baking soda is used in the soak to help soften up rough dry heals and toes beautifully. The tea tree oil and dried chamomile are used in the soak to help soften the skin, kill harmful bacteria and to draw toxins out of the feet naturally.
The place I go to find all these natural ingredients is my local herbal shop. You may gather these ingredients from wherever you can find them. However, try to make sure all the ingredients are organic so they are potent and contain the medicinal properties in them that are required to help soothe away aches and pains in the feet naturally.
Making the Arnica Foot Soak
My favorite way to make the arnica foot soak is by pouring all the ingredients directly into a footbath with some hot water, but not so hot that the water burns me. However, you do want the water hot enough to draw out the medicinal properties from the ingredients. Then I allow the ingredients to melt into the hot water for 5 minutes before sticking my feet into the soak. Soaking the Feet
Once the homemade arnica foot soak is ready I soak my feet in it for 20 minutes or longer, or until the water becomes cold. I try to soak my feet as long as possible because I want the soothing and healing properties from the arnica and other ingredients to really soak into my feet deeply and relieve any stiffness and aches and pains my feet have completely. If you soak your feet in this soak briefly it will on soothe the discomforts in your feet away temporarily, and trust me you do not want just temporary relief. You want permanent relief for the rest of the day or night.
After the foot soak is complete, I find it best to pat the feet dry with a cotton towel and to apply some arnica ointment or gel to my feet too further promote relaxation and pain relief naturally. However, you may use whatever medicated foot cream you prefer to keep your feet pain free. I just like to use the arnica gel or ointment after a foot soak because it is natural and it does keep the aches and pains away wonderfully.
Using high doses of arnica for internal and external purposes can lead to arnica poisoning so always use arnica in moderation. Women pregnant should not use the herb at all for any healing purposes due to the fact the herb can cause miscarriages. Some of the signs that may suggest you have arnica poisoning are dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion and painful headaches. Overall, arnica is safe to use when used properly and wisely.
