Warm steam from herbal bath

Illustration

Warm steam from herbal bath

11:27:0 - 4/15/2025

If there is an image that encapsulates my mother's gentle love, it must be the pot of aromatic herbal steam that she cooks whenever I am sick. It is the warm steam with the scent of herbs, just take a deep breath, all fatigue seems to disappear, bringing health and peace.

When I was a child, I often got sick. The flu would come suddenly, followed by a dry throat, labored breathing, and high fever. But I was not afraid, because I knew my mother would always find a way to treat it with plants from her own garden.

Just by listening to my voice, looking at my face and observing my every move, my mother knew what signs of illness I had. With the common seasonal flu, my mother could treat me at home without having to go to the hospital.

First, my mother gave me fish mint juice to reduce my fever and then boiled a pot of herbal water for me to steam. My mother's small garden behind the house grows many types of medicinal herbs, so it is very easy to have a pot of aromatic herbal essential oils. The ingredients for the steaming pot are very rich. It is a combination of many types such as grapefruit peel, dried grapefruit peel, dried perilla leaves, lemongrass, ginger, lemon leaves, mugwort leaves, Polyscias fruticosa leaves... and a little white salt.

After washing the leaves and peels, my mother would put them all in a large pot of water on the wood stove. When the water started to boil, a fragrant aroma spread out, mixed with the smoke from the kitchen, and spread throughout the yard. The sweet scent of perilla, the strong smell of lemongrass, the spicy scent of ginger, the coolness of grapefruit leaves, the pungent smell of smoke... Everything seemed to blend into a symphony of grass and trees, fragrant enough to make my nose tingle.

Mom brought the pot of water upstairs, chose a clean, wind-proof place, told me to sit down, and covered my head with a blanket. Next, she gave me a towel to wipe my sweat, instructed me on how to sit and breathe, and then signaled me to open the pot lid. Steam billowed into the small space, embracing my body.

At first, I felt uncomfortable, my eyes stung, sweat poured out, dripping down my neck and shoulders. I guessed that the flu virus could not stand this temperature. It felt like everything was melting in that heat. But my mother sat next to me, her calloused hands gently patting my back, her voice gentle: "Hang in there, you will be fine soon."

Those words of encouragement were like a cool stream flowing through every muscle and vein, soothing all the stuffiness and suffocation in me. Once I had adapted to the sauna environment, I took a deep breath of that sweet and refreshing scent of the countryside, feeling my body gradually getting better. The steam from my mother's herbal bath brought me a feeling of relaxation and relief. After the sauna, my mother helped me dry my body and fed me a bowl of meat porridge with lots of perilla leaves. The next day, I was back to playing around as usual as if I had never been visited by a cold.

Now that I am an adult and have my own family, I still prepare the pot of steaming water myself whenever I feel sick. All the ingredients are bought at the market. The pot of water still gives me wonderful effects, but I still feel that something is missing. Perhaps, it is the taste of my mother's boundless love.

This weekend, I will put aside all work to return to my mother. Even though I am not sick, I still want to steam with a pot of herbal water from my garden under the warm, loving fire of my mother's kitchen. I want to hear her warm voice and feel like I am still a little child in her tolerant arms. Surely, all the fatigue from my hard work will be soothed and my body will be filled with positive energy to welcome all good things.

Eastern Tea

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Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/19/171576/am-nong-hoi-nuoc-la-xong