Our Feet Are Our Roots and Our Foundation

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They have a saying in China, “When a tree dies, it is the roots that die first. When we age, our feet age first.” In the United States we tend to overlook the role our feet and legs play in the bigger picture of our overall health. This is not so in many parts of Asia, where you will see a shop on almost every city block where you can go to soak your feet and have a foot massage.

The foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Our feet are our shock absorbers and the foundation for all the joints and structure in the body above. Inappropriate shoes and aging eventually take their toll and we start to see impaired circulation in the lower extremities. Signs include symptoms like pain, swelling and varicosities, as well as issues such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, and arthritis. Without fresh blood flow the joints and tissues become stiff and painful, making it uncomfortable to exercise. The loss of mobility and inhibited circulation leads to further decline in movement and cardiovascular health, which can also contribute to weight gain.

Another important role of our feet and ankles is proprioception, the ability for our body to communicate its position in space to our brain. Our proprioception is what allows us to maintain our balance and prevent the falls and subsequent injuries, such as bone breaks, that are so detrimental, especially to the elderly population. With every injury, the tissues become damaged, further inhibiting our proprioception.

Our cardiovascular health is also impacted by the health of our feet and legs. Gravity allows extracellular waste products to sink down to our legs and feet like sediment, interfering with healthy circulation and causing swelling and inflammation. It is challenging for our heart to pump blood, lymph and waste products up the legs against gravity. Most of the blood clots that lead to heart attacks or strokes actually start in the legs. In fact, it is said that the best way to add 10 years to your life expectancy is to cut off your legs!

Foot Soaks For the Win!

Using foot soaks is a relaxing and convenient way to improve and maintain your health in the comfort of your home. Soaking the feet in hot water causes the blood vessels to dilate, bringing fresh blood flow, along with oxygen and nutrients to the feet and legs. Macrophages are able to clean up the waste and dead tissue and replace it with fresh healthy tissue and vascularization.

The vasodilation will initially lower blood pressure and create a mild tranquilizing and relaxing effect. As the vasodilation spreads up the legs it begins to increase circulation in the rest of the body. This causes a slight elevation in heart rate and opens bronchial dilation, simulating mild cardiovascular exercise. This benefit is great for those who are otherwise limited in their ability to move or exercise, such as the elderly, injured athletes, or post-surgical patients. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue may also benefit from these effects.

Ultimately clearing the body of waste and increasing circulation also serves to promote mobility, which is vital to treating chronic pain. With consistent use, the improved circulation reaches higher into the body, and people are able to create windows of opportunity to move without pain, restoring mobility and regaining a better quality of life.

Uses for the foot soaks include:

Peripheral neuropathy
Pain and injury to the low back, neck, knee, and hip
Arthritis pain
Plantar fasciitis
Raynaud’s
Chronic swelling
Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue

Simmering the herbal sachets before use facilitates the release of the precious constituents of the herbs. With the blood flow opened, the body is primed for the transdermal absorption of the terpenes, volatile oils, and alkaloids found within the herbs. The formulation of pharmaceutical grade herbs and salts in our foot soaks were designed and sourced by the team at Botanical Biohacking, Dr. Andrew Miles DOM and Dr. Xuelan Qiu PhD (pharmacology). They travelled from Tibet to the labs in Chengdu to ensure the best quality of herbs, sustainable harvesting methods, and proper testing and processing of the herbs. A portion of the proceeds goes to an orphanage in Tibet.

Ingredients:

Artemesia (Ai Ye)-commonly known as mugwort, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, inhibits blood clots, increases secretion of bile in the gallbladder to aid in burning fat
Ginger (Gan Jiang)-liver-protective, protects the gastric mucosa of the stomach lining, reduces pain, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, prevents clotting
Tibetan Saffron (Zang Hong Hua)-lowers cholesterol, reduces clotting, protects the heart, powerful antioxidant, increases circulation, protects against stroke and heart attack
Tibetan Rhodiola (Hong Jing Tian)-increases oxygen in the blood, improves immune function, alleviates chronic pain and inflammation, improves chronic fatigue
Tibetan Black Salt (Ka Ru Cha)-special salt containing high levels of minerals creating a botanic hot-spring quality, donor for the Klotho gene, which is associated with longevity.
Notopterygium (Qiang Huo)-imperial grade herb with 78 volatile oils, anti-inflammatory, eases arthritis pain, anti-fungal, regulates heart rate
Acorus (Zang Chang Pu)-mild tranquilizing effect, relaxes the body, anti-bacterial, regulates digestive system, improves diseases involving the gut-brain axis
Sophora (Ku Shen) anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, inhibits bacterial biofilms associated with many chronic diseases and obesity
Lamiophlomis Rotata (Du Yi Wei)--treats pain, stops bleeding, reduces inflammation, promotes red blood cell production, antioxidant

Contraindications

As with any medicinal product, a consultation is required to determine if foot soaks are appropriate and to develop a treatment plan. Depending on the situation, we usually start with daily soaks for 4-12 weeks. As your condition improves you can step down the frequency to maintenance of 1-3 soaks per week.

Foot soaks are contraindicated for any conditions that may be worsened by increasing circulation, such as metastatic cancer, infection, or existing blood clots. Do not use if pregnant or nursing.

Instructions

Supplies you will need

Have a towel handy to dry your feet once you are ready to get up. This also doubles as a blanket over your knees to retain warmth while you are soaking. You can also use a mylar blanket. I recommend also having socks and slippers ready to go, too. Once your feet are warm you don’t want to shock the tissues by walking on cold floors. Keeping the feet warm will keep the tissue more supple.
A large capacity thermos (or carafe). This is for adding hot water as you are soaking to maintain the temperature. You can also use this to prepare your foot soak concentrate in method 2.
An easy to use thermometer. I like a Non-Contact Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer Temperature Gun. You don’t have to bend down or touch the water. Just aim it at the water and it instantly reads the current temperature. This safety feature is important to prevent burning or scalding yourself, especially if you have impaired sensation. It also helps to know if the water is hot enough to produce a medicinal effect, ideally above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which you may have to work up to over your first few soaks.
A foot soak tub. Choose a basin large enough to fit your feet and deep enough to cover your ankles such as a plastic dish washing tub. Do not use copper or iron containers. I have tried motorized heated tubs with bubbles and found them to be noisy, awkward, and prone to malfunction. Now I use a simple plastic basin. Here are some examples:

Preparing the Foot Soak

Now that you have your supplies, there are 2 methods for preparing the herbal foot soak concentrate.

Method One, I want to do a foot soak now! Simmer 1-2 herb pouches in a pot of water for 15 minutes to extract the medicinal properties of the herbs.

OR

Method Two, I want to do a foot soak later! Place 1-2 herbal sachets in a thermos. Fill the thermos with boiling water and then place the lid back on. Allow the soak to steep overnight or while you are at work, 10 hours or more.

Once you have your herbal concentrate the directions are the same.

Pour the herbal decoction into your basin. Add additional hot water to adjust the volume to cover your feet, and to bring the temperature to 105 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit, starting lower if that is comfortable for you. Don't burn yourself.

IMPORTANT: Use a thermometer to confirm the temperature is 105 to 115 degrees, especially if you have impaired sensation.

To maintain the temperature of the water, keep a thermos of hot water next to you and periodically add more hot water. Remove your feet from the basin to avoid burning yourself when you pour, and check the temperature before you return your feet to the basin. A mylar or other blanket over your lap helps to trap the heat. You can insulate your basin with bubble wrap too.
Relax and enjoy your soak. Avoid drafty areas, disruptions, and electronic screens. Try meditation or simply focus on your breath, lengthening your exhale to promote rest and restoration.
Maintain your foot soak for 20-40 minutes. Talk to your practitioner about what timing and frequency might be right for you. You may need to start with shorter soaks.

EXTERNAL USE ONLY, DO NOT INGEST

CONTRAINDICATIONS: DO NOT use if pregnant, have metastatic cancer, open wounds, internal or external infections, or any condition where increasing blood flow is not advised.

Still want to learn more about these foot soaks? How about a podcast? Our friends at Botanical Biohacking have made a few:

General information about the foot soaks
Tibetan Foot Soak Pharmacology and Use

Tibetan Herbal Foot Soaks