How does foot soak work?

Have you ever soaked your feet in warm water? It’s an incredibly relaxing, and almost spa like treatment. Now imagine that feeling with profound healing effects. That’s how the foot soaks work. Initially, the feet and ankles get submerged in very nice warm water. This has an effect to cause the blood vessels in the feet to dilate, carrying fresh blood (oxygen, nutrients) into the feet. The heat of the water also has an effect to unlock 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.

This initial action of vasodilation has a mild tranquilizing effect and lowers blood pressure. People often report extreme relaxation or the desire to sleep. As the soak continues, the herbs cause the vasodilation to spread up the legs and begin improving circulation into the rest of the body. As circulation improves in the chest and heart, there is a mild increase in heart rate. This is a very beneficial action as it simulates a mild cardiovascular exercise, something not easily done when someone suffers from severe pain. This also tends to improve energy (mitochondrial function) in those with chronic fatigue. As the circulation spreads further up and into the head, a mild sweat may occur.

Internally, the herbal foot soaks behave something like the way a snow globe looks once shaken. This means that the extracellular impurities and dead tissue that has accumulated in our legs and feet make their way back into our circulation. At this point, the immune system signals macrophages (a type of white blood cell) to eat away dead tissue and rid the body of these impurities.