Plants for stuffing pillows crossword clue 5 letters Herbal pillow for a good sleep. How to do it? How to compose a collection to improve sleep

In some outbacks of Russia, in villages and villages, the tradition of stuffing mattresses and pillows with medicinal herbs has been preserved to this day. For us, city dwellers, such a bed is, of course, a novelty. Nevertheless, its usefulness is not in doubt.

In addition to the healing effect, the smell of herbs helps to distract from the hassle and bustle of everyday life. Inhaling the scent, we can be carried away with our thoughts to a carefree childhood, filled with the smell of freshly cut hay or flowers of a summer meadow, remember our first love or a recent happy vacation.

Fond memories create an appropriate emotional attitude, help to fall asleep peaceful, which means wake up refreshed and full of energy.

In the last article, we studied the beneficial properties and contraindications of herbs that are most suitable for sleeping pillows, we learned how to choose the ones we need, in accordance with our needs: from, with a cold, to relieve fatigue, increase efficiency.

Today we are going to talk about how to make an herbal pillow.

If you collect herbs yourself, think about the good, so that your good energy enhances the healing properties of plants. In the old days, it was customary to accompany with prayers and songs any good deeds, especially those aimed at health improvement. It is better to collect herbs away from highways and city smog.

The pillow can be of different sizes, from regular to tiny. The more aromatic and active the plant (rosemary, sage, hop cones), the smaller the pad should be. Your imagination will tell you the shape: round, square, oval. If you have cervical osteochondrosis, the shape of the roller is preferable, fill it with herbs more densely.

For the main pillowcase (cover or pillowcase), use only natural ("breathable") and dense fabrics (cotton, linen, teak) to prevent fillers from seeping and pricking the face and neck.

Sew a pair of removable cambric, poplin, calico, silk pillowcases. They can be put on over the cover and changed for washing.

Herbs that add volume to the pillow

A feature and disadvantage of the aromatic pillow is the rapid caking of herbs. To avoid this, herbs that keep their shape are used - sedge, heather, bracken fern, straw.

The addition of these herbs also helps to avoid overdose in the case when you want to have a large pillow, and the selected herbs are strong (rosemary, sage, hop cones) and strong smelling (mint, oregano, elderberry).

Common heather will not only add volume to our sleeping pillow, but it will also calm the nerves, help recover from respiratory and viral diseases, and facilitate breathing during sleep when coughing. Heather is harvested in August-September (flowering tops).

Sedge is considered a poorly studied medicinal plant, but even our distant ancestors began to use sedge for filling mattresses and pillows, noticing its beneficial effects on health.

Sedge usually grows in damp places, in swamps and occurs with both small and large leaves. Small-leaved mattress turns out to be softer, but cakes faster. Large-leaved sedge will give the mattress or pillow elasticity, will allow you to maintain volume for a long time.

Knowledgeable people advise making 2 mattresses: one with large leaves (put it down), the second with small ones (put it on top). The same goes for pillows.

Pillows and mattresses stuffed with sedge can last for at least a year. They need to be shaken up from time to time. If from spring sedge is constantly mowed in a certain place, then until late autumn it will provide you with excellent stuffing raw materials, without admixtures of last year's blades of grass.

Bracken fern in many areas it is considered a weed that is very difficult to get rid of. Nevertheless, the plant has long gained popularity as a cheap construction (in roofing), bedding material for livestock, as fertilizer and fuel.

In California, the bracken was adapted for weaving baskets, in European countries - for filling pillows and mattresses. The benefits of a fern bed are due to its bactericidal, stimulating, antipyretic, analgesic properties.

Dry, grind, mix, stuff ...

Dry. Dry the plants well before use so that mold and mildew do not interfere with our recovery. Usually herbs are dried in the shade, in a ventilated place, spread out in a thin layer and stirring several times a day. The herbs are ready if they break easily and rustle when touched. If you are using roots, it is best to dry them in the oven.

Grind. We break or cut the plants into pieces of 1 cm. The herbs that give the pillow volume can be left too small.

We mix. Use the recipes from the previous article or be guided by your intuition. At the same time, be sure to listen to your feelings - you should like the smell of grass. Also, take a look at the combination of aromas.

We stuff. For a pillow measuring 20 * 20 cm, you will need up to 500 g of dry filler. If you haven't used up all of the herb, then put the rest in a paper bag or a tightly sealed glass jar, it will be useful for "fresh pillows", for baths, tea (in the absence of allergies and contraindications).

How to use the herbal helper

Herbal pillows are short-lived and last up to 2-3 months: medicinal plants gradually lose their healing properties.

Day rest pillow can be filled with tonic and restorative herbs: wormwood, lavender, geranium.

Before bedtime shake the sleepy assistant well to enhance the aroma of the herbs.

Small pillow placed next to the head, under the main pillow, or in a pillowcase.

Storage: Put the pillow after use in a plastic bag, in a dark place, to preserve the plant scent for longer.

Will last a long time coniferous pillow: its contents are changed 1 or 2 times during the year. Ahead New Year, take the opportunity and before throwing out the Christmas tree after the holidays, collect the needles and use them to fill the pillow. Fir needles are softer and less prickly when harvested like pine needles.

Phytoncides of needles have a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, stimulating effect, have a beneficial effect on the nervous, cardiac and vascular systems. The coniferous pillow will help with insomnia, hysteria, colds, flu, ease breathing during sleep when coughing, improve brain function.

Duration of the course the use of the pillow is limited: from one to three weeks. After that, you can replace it with a new one, with a different composition. The course is repeated 2 or 3 times a year.

Do not store the herbal pillow for more than a year.

In Russia, the procedure for updating their straw beds was necessarily carried out in mid-October, on the day of St. George. By this time the threshing was over, and there was no shortage of straw.

Last year's straw was shaken out of mattresses and pillows. It was customary to burn it. The naperniki were washed and dried, then filled with fresh straw, and fragrant herbs or flowers harvested from the summer were added to it.

If, using a scented pillow for sleeping, you feel unwell, headaches - refuse to use it.

VEGETABLE DOWN PILLOWS

Our great-grandmothers knew how to make them from cattail, willow tea or thistle. This process is quite laborious, but the result was worth it. The pillow turned out to be surprisingly light and could last for more than one year.

The ears were cut cattailwhen they turned dark brown (in September). For drying, they were left in the sun, and in bad weather under a ventilated canopy.

When the tips of the cobs began to bloom, becoming fluffy, they were placed in a pillowcase and immediately sewn up, leaving only a small hole. Dried by hanging the blank pillow by the stove.

When the cobs were completely dry, the fluff bloomed and filled the pillowcase. After that, the stems were carefully removed through the hole one by one. The pillow was sewn up. Moreover, the ears of the spring harvest were never used, because they probably contained insect larvae.

Correctly collected and well-dried cattail down is not susceptible to dampness and mold.

If there was no cattail, they took the fluff thistle... It is quite difficult to procure it. Flower heads were cut immediately after flowering, when white tassels appeared in place of flowers.

The work required patience and perseverance: they pulled the fluff out with their hands, filled the pillowcase, sewn it up and dried it on the oven.

In some places fluff was collected ivan-chai (narrow-leaved fireweed). The seed pods were collected before opening in a bag that was tied in a knot. The bag of raw materials was dried in the sun or put on the oven. Dry boxes burst, light fluff filled the bag.

For better separation of the fluff, the bag was shaken and pounded with wooden sticks, turning it upside down in a knot. At the same time, the boxes fell to the knot of the bag, and the fluff rose up. It remained to untie the knot and pour out all unnecessary.

At the end of the article MASTER CLASS:

How to make a decorative herb pillow with your own hands

We will need:

So let's get started:

1. Put cardboard heart templates on the fabric, outline them with a pencil and cut out. We got three hearts.

2. The smallest heart is fixed on the big one with pins with heads. Sew a small heart to a large hand or machine seam.

3. Sew two large hearts together, leaving a small hole at the top, through which we will lay herbs.

4. Insert a paper funnel into the hole and fill the pillow with fragrant grass. Pictured is lavender. Sewing up the hole by hand.

5. Sew a ribbon loop at the top. Now you can hang the pillow and decorate the interior of the room.

6. Sew a cute bow to the small heart using the same ribbon.

It turned out to be a cute pillow. Sewn with your own hands, filled with the healing power of herbs and charged with your good thoughts, it can become a pleasant and useful gift.

Give your loved ones your care and love!

If you want to sleep in winter, like in a flower meadow, inhaling the smell of herbs and flowers, then you will be interested in how to make a pillow or mattress from medicinal plants.

Far from the city, in old villages, the practice of stuffing mattresses and pillows with herbs has still come down to our days. For us, city dwellers, such a bed is, of course, a novelty. However, its benefits are not in doubt with a variety of herbs.

How to choose herbs and what beneficial properties they exhibit, you will learn from this article.

The scent of herbs and flowers will help distract the daily chores and workdays. We seem to be transported to childhood, where we ran through sunny meadows, or to a recent trip to nature, when, having spread a blanket, you lay in a meadow of flowers, feeling as if in a fairy tale.

Such memories have a pacifying effect on us, we calm down, rest is much better from this, and in the morning there is more vigor and freshness.

How to make an herbal pillow?

If you like picking herbs on your own, then do it in a good mood, think of something good. On was shi, the ancestors accompanied almost all their deeds with songs, especially those aimed at healing. Be sure to collect herbs as far as possible from roads and urban gas pollution.

So, let's make a pillow first.

You can make a pillow of any size you like. But also keep in mind that the more aromatic and richer the plant, for example, mint, wormwood, hops. lavender, the smaller the pillow should be. Which shape you choose depends on your imagination, it can be round, square, or oval. In case of cervical osteochondrosis, we recommend the shape of a roller, it is desirable to stuff the herbs into it more tightly.

Under the main pillowcase - a cover only natural and of good density fabric - cotton, linen, hemp, nettle, so that the herbs filling the pillow do not crawl out and do not scratch the body.

For convenience, you can sew several replacement pillowcases from a softer and decorative fabric... It is convenient to put them on over the main cover, and change them for the duration of the wash.

What herbs will add volume to your pillow?

Among the many advantages of a scented pillow, there is a small drawback - rather quick caking of herbs. It can be minimized by using special herbs, for example, sedge, heather, bracken fern, straw.

By the way, these herbs will help to avoid oversaturation with more fragrant and active herbs, especially if the pillow is large.

To not only add volume to the pillow, but also calm your nerves, fill the pillow with ordinary heather. It will help improve sleep, promote recovery in respiratory and viral diseases. Collecting heather, namely flowering tops, is best in August-September.

The following plant has been little studied from a medicinal point of view. But sedge in the old days was actively used, believing that it has a beneficial effect on humans. Sedge loves to grow in damp swampy places, its leaves are both large and small. A small-leaved sedge pillow or mattress is softer, but will cake faster. Large-leaved sedge gives the mattress or pillow elasticity, helps to preserve the elasticity of the product for a longer time.

People who know a lot about this issue are advised to have two mattresses: the lower one with large leaves, the upper one with small ones. This can also apply to pillows.

Qualitatively filled with sedge pillows and mattresses will last until just until next summer. It is advisable to shake up mattresses and pillows during use. Collecting (mowing) sedge constantly, from spring to late autumn, in the same place, you will get excellent stuffing material without last year's unsuitable blades of grass.

Further, it is good to stuff the pillow or mattress with bracken fern, which many consider almost a weed plant, since it can be very difficult to remove it from the site. But our ancestors found many uses for it, and not only for stuffing pillows. It was also used as an economical building material, as a fertilizer, as a fertilizer.

Fern in bed is useful for its bactericidal, antipyretic, analgesic properties.

How to dry, grind and stuff!

In order for the herbs to work favorably, you need to dry them correctly, always in the shade in a ventilated place, stirring every day so that the drying is uniform. If they do not dry well, mold and fungi can start in them, which is unacceptable. It is easy to check the readiness of herbs - they should easily break and rustle when touched. If you are using roots, then it is better to dry them in the oven or in a special dryer, if available.

What plants are most suitable for making pillows and mattresses, we will now write. Although I read a lot, it is informative and practical.

Yarrowhelps in the prevention of influenza, viral and respiratory diseases, especially in winter, improves immunity. Yarrow contains bactericidal and immunostimulating properties and is a natural antibiotic. Yarrow is harvested during flowering, cut off the top of the stem, 15 cm long.

St. John's wortused in Ancient Rome, it is not for nothing that to this day it is considered a miracle of 99 ailments.

This miracle herb has antibacterial, antiseptic, immunostimulating properties, it improves heart function, blood circulation, and is an effective antidepressant. In the old days in Russia, St. John's wort was added to straw mattresses. Our distant ancestors knew that such a bed soothes and gives healthy sleep... A pillow with St. John's wort will strengthen the immune system, help with colds, flu, and ease breathing during sleep.

John's wort is harvested during the flowering period, cutting off upper part 20 cm long. The dry herb retains the balsamic aroma of the plant.

St. John's wort is contraindicated in pregnant women, lactating mothers, children under 12 years old, with high blood pressure.

Thyme("Bogorodskaya grass", thyme) ancient people considered the divine herb, restoring health and life. Modern medicine recognizes thyme as a powerful antiseptic, mild hypnotic, natural analgesic and antibiotic. With its help, apathy and depression are treated, and immunity is strengthened.

A pillow with thyme will help with colds, it will make breathing easier, will help stop the inflammatory process. It is good to use it as prevention of respiratory and viral diseases. In Russia, they liked to add thyme to children's mattresses and pillows so that children would calm down and have sweet dreams.

Harvested during full bloom, cutting off all the ground part of the grass.

Thyme is contraindicated during pregnancy, nursing mothers.

Common hops.Even prolonged and persistent insomnia is capable of giving way to this fragrant healer. If you are afraid to oversleep at work, then when falling asleep, move the hop cushion away, or better, throw it on the floor.

Hops also help with angina pectoris, hypertension, neuroses and irritability.

If you use hop pillows to calm kids of an inquisitive age before bedtime, then be very vigilant: rustling buds can cause interest and a desire to taste them (babies pull everything in their mouths!). And this is fraught with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

It is better to collect hop cones in the fall.

Men need to be aware of the fact that hops tame intense sexual arousal.

Oreganohas an amazing aroma that soothes the nerves and promotes healthy sleep.

However, it should be used with caution:

• For men. Oregano has long been used to pacify sexual arousal. For example, in a situation where the wife is pregnant: the spouse receives physical and mental peace.
• Pregnant women. Oregano is the oldest abortifacient.

Grass is harvested in July - August. To do this, cut off the upper parts of the plant, retreating 20-30 cm from the root.

Salvia officinalishas a strong sedative effect, strengthens the immune system. It is good to use a sage pad during colds, in inflammatory processes, as the prevention of viral and respiratory diseases.

The entire ground part of the sage is harvested during the flowering period.

Sage should not be added to a pillow for pregnant women, nursing mothers, or epileptics.

Meadow geranium(not to be confused with pelargonium) is recommended for colds, flu, otitis media. It has antibacterial and antiviral effects, strengthens the body's resistance to various infections. A pillow with geraniums is good for soothing and helps you fall asleep.

Geraniums are harvested at the time of flowering: from June to September. Moreover, medicinal properties are inherent in almost all types of geraniums (meadow, blood-red, forest, etc.).

Red clover("Gruel", red clover) has been used in aromatherapy since ancient times. It has antiviral, antibacterial, stimulating properties. It is useful for headaches, especially migraines, for hypertension, facilitates breathing when coughing, for asthma. To fill the pillow, the flowering heads of the plant are used, which are harvested in June - September.

Peppermintimproves heart and brain activity, soothes during stress, depression. Being an adaptogen, mint normalizes the nervous system: relieves excessive excitement, tones up in a depressed state. A pillow with mint is especially useful for hypertensive patients, it is used to prevent myocardial infarction. Peppermint (cultivated) and wild mint (field, spikelet) also have medicinal properties.

The leaves and flowering tops of the mint are harvested during flowering (from late June to September), preferably in the morning.

During pregnancy, nursing mothers, children under 7 years old, such a pillow is not recommended.

Birch leaveshave antibacterial properties, strengthen the immune system. A pillow with birch leaves is an excellent prevention of colds, helps with headaches.

It is best to harvest the leaves in May when the tree is in bloom.

Contraindications: pregnancy.

Elderberry flowersblack was also used for treatment primitive people. Different nations attributed to this plant directly opposite magical properties... Black elderberry phytoncides have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The elderberry pillow will help with colds, flu, ease breathing, relieve headaches.

Inflorescences are harvested at the time of flowering.

Contraindications: gastrointestinal diseases, pregnancy.

Melissa(lemon mint) has unique medicinal properties: antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidepressant. The lemon balm pillow strengthens the immune system. It is good for insomnia, neuroses, headaches, colds, flu, as prevention and treatment of heart disease, makes breathing easier during sleep.

Melissa was used for healing as early as the first century BC. Avicenna called her "delight of the heart", dispelling melancholy. Paracelsus equated it with gold and considered it the best remedy for heart pains.

Melissa is harvested during the flowering period.

Low blood pressure is a contraindication.

pharmaceutical camomile- the oldest medicinal plant, has sedative, antiseptic, antibacterial properties. A pillow with chamomile is used for insomnia, neurosis, depression, for heart diseases, as a prevention of colds, facilitates breathing during sleep, eliminates headaches and other pains.

It should be noted, like any medicine, chamomile requires a competent attitude and, in case of an overdose, can cause headaches, coughing, hoarseness, depression of the central nervous system and muscle tone.

Collect flowers-heads for pillows or the entire aerial part of chamomile during flowering from May to July.

Contraindications: schizophrenia, mental disorders, pregnancy, heavy and painful menstruation, inflammation of the bladder and kidneys.

In the absence of a pharmacy chamomile, it will be successfully replaced by tongueless chamomile, it is also called fragrant chamomile, "kitty blush" or "dog's".

Wormwood(Chernobyl) - the oldest medicinal plant. It is an anti-inflammatory agent, strengthens the immune system, restores efficiency, soothes the nervous system, makes breathing easier during sleep. A pillow with wormwood will help with insomnia, neurasthenia, depression, cramps, headaches. It can be used to prevent and treat colds and viral diseases.

There is an opinion that wormwood opens the "third eye", that on such a pillow dreams are prophetic. Dry wormwood retains its woody aroma well, which, by the way, repels insects and mice.

The tops of the plant are harvested with a length of about 20 cm during flowering, the stems should not be thicker than 5 mm.

Wormwood is contraindicated during pregnancy and in children under 7 years of age.

Narrow-leaved lavenderis one of the oldest medicinal herbs... Researchers found it in Tut's sealed incense urn, lavender has retained its scent for three millennia!

Lavender is a powerful antiseptic, natural antibiotic, analgesic. A pillow with lavender will improve heart function, relieve headaches, strengthen immunity and physical endurance, improve mental performance, calm nerves, and help cope with depression and insomnia.

The flowering tops of the plant, about 12 cm long, are harvested in late June - early July. The most healing lavender is considered, collected on the Day of Ivan Kupala.

Lavender is contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women.

Motherwort hearttibetan and Chinese medicine has been used for more than 2000 years. "There is no better herb to make the soul cheerful, cheerful and happy!" This is how a medieval medic describes the properties of motherwort. This herb has bactericidal, anticonvulsant, sedative, hemostatic properties. A pillow with motherwort will improve cardiac activity, normalize metabolism, strengthen immunity, stimulate the nervous system, and help cope with insomnia.

Motherwort can also be used for small children. Witch doctors in Russia advised to sew grass into a pillow if a child grew up restless and did not sleep well. The same option for restoring peace of mind is also suitable for adults.

Motherwort is harvested at the beginning of flowering (June-August). Cut the buds and flowering tops about 40 cm long, the stem should not be thicker than 5 mm. This plant is completely unpretentious: if you plant it on your personal plot, you will always be self-seeding.

Contraindications: use with caution for people with low blood pressure and patients with bradycardia (low heart rate) - motherwort reduces the heart rate and blood pressure.

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You can use one herb or mix with others to fill your pillow. I suggest the following fees options:

1. Mint, lemon balm, meadowsweet, sweet clover, tansy, hops - 1 part each, wormwood, yarrow - 2 parts each, lavender, laurel, chamomile - half a part.
2. Lavender, verbena, hops - 150 g each, 2 tablespoons of violet root.
3. 1 part of sweet clover and tansy, half a part of lavender.
4. Wormwood - 2 parts, lemon balm, meadowsweet and peppermint - 1 part each, chamomile - ½ part.
5. Yarrow and chamomile - 1 part each, rosemary - 3 parts.

The larger the pillow or mattress, the more neutral herbs that create volume are added there - sedge, fern ...

You can prepare herbs yourself. In this case, you will be sure of their quality, shelf life, originality. The downside will be the expenditure of time and effort. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity and desire to take a walk in nature in order to combine relaxation with a useful activity.

An easier and faster way to stock up on herbs is to go to the pharmacy, since the range of pharmaceutical herbs is huge! When buying, pay attention to the expiration date.

And now the herbs are ready to mix. Now you will find out which herbs are combined with each other.

At the same time, be sure to listen to your feelings - you should like the smell of grass. Also, take a look at the fragrance compatibility chart.

We stuff.For a pillow measuring 20 * 20 cm, you will need up to 500 g of dry filler. If you haven't used up all of the herb, then put the rest in a paper bag or a tightly sealed glass jar, it will be useful for "fresh pillows", for baths, tea (in the absence of allergies and contraindications).

Day rest pillowcan be filled with tonic and restorative herbs: wormwood, lavender, geranium.

Before bedtimeshake the sleepy assistant well to enhance the aroma of the herbs.

Small pillowplaced next to the head, under the main pillow, or in a pillowcase.

Storage:put the pillow after use in a plastic bag, in a dark place, to preserve the plant scent for longer.

Do not store the herbal pillow for more than a year.

In Russia, the procedure for updating their grass beds was necessarily carried out in mid-October. By this time the threshing was over, and there was no shortage of straw. Last year's straw was shaken out of mattresses and pillows. It was customary to burn it. The pillowcases were washed and dried, then filled with fresh straw, and fragrant herbs or flowers harvested from the summer were added to it.

If, using a scented pillow for sleeping, you feel unwell, headaches - refuse to use it. Perhaps some plants are not suitable for you. Make a pillow with a different composition using more neutral herbs.