Herbal Sleeping Pillow

(pt. 3)

Herbs to Promote Sleep (cont.)

The number of herbal blends is endless. Making your own herbal sleep

pillows not only saves you money, but using essential oils increases 

their effectiveness and makes reviving them much easier. If your sleep 

pillow seems to be losing its fragrance, just open a small corner of the pillow and add a few drops of your essential oils onto the herbs and 

stich it closed. If you don't want to go to that trouble then just put 

a few drops of essential oils on the outside of the pillow and let it 

dry completly before using.

To increase the aromatic properties of your herbal sleep pillow, mix 

the herbs and oils the day before you begin sewing. Fill a sealable 

plastic bag with the herbs and spices you have chosen for stuffing and 

add the oils of your choice. How many drops to use depends on the size 

of the sleep pillow, how many you are making, and the strength of the 

herbs and spices you are planning to use. With most herbs and sjpices, 

three to four drops of oil should be sufficient; if you are using 

cotton batting to stuff the pillow, fifteen or twenty drops would be 

better. Add no more than five drops at a time until you reach a strength 

to your taste. Remember, what smells nice standing over the bowl may 

well be too strong when you sleep on the pillow, so use restraint.

Herbal pillows are made by sewing dried herbs into a square of cloth 

or a bag, but without a fixative, their aroma is shortlived. Many herbs 

lose much of their original scent when dried. The lovely scent of the rose, for instance, is greatly diminished when dried. Fixatives help to retain 

and develop the fragrant combination of herbs used for making herbal 

pillows.

Cellulose chips are a good fixative for essential oils. Orris root can be substituted,but some people are sensitive to it. Traditional animal-based fixatives are ambergris, civet, and musk. Ambergris is a secretion obtained from the sperm whale, civet from the African civet cat, and musk from 

the male musk deer of Central Asia. These extracts are available in 

synthetic form, a product more sensitive to the preservation of wildlife.

Orris root and benzoin are suitable plant fixatives and are widely 

available. Orris root is obtained by sun-drying and peeling the fresh 

root of an iris. After drying, the root is stored for two years to 

develop a delicate violet scent. Orris root is usually purchased in 

ground, powdered form. Benzoin is a gum that comes from a shrub native 

to Java and Siam. Benzoin is a common ingredient in incense.

Spices add an interesting scent to the herbal mixture and also act as fixatives. Cinnamon is derived from a tree grown in China, India, and 

the East Indies, and was used during biblical times to make holy oils 

to anoint priests and altars. The familiar curled sticks, obtained from 

the inner bark of a young tree, may be ground and added to the herbal 

mixture.

Sandalwood, native to the Malabar coast, is another enticing additive. 

Since ancient times, the wood of this tree was used for making fans and musical instruments and to line closets to ward off moths. Sandalwood is 

also burned at the altar and is an important ingredient in incense burned 

in synagogues. Sandalwood comes in chips or shavings, but powder is most suitable for herbal pillows.

The bark of myrrh is highly fragrant and was valued as an embalming agent 

in Egypt and as a perfume by the ancient Hebrews. Native to Arabia and Ethiopia, the bark of this tree produces a bitter-tasting gum once used 

as a cure for sore throat. It was burned by the Sun worshippers of 

Heliopolis each day at noon until the mid-1700s. A powder form of myrrh 

is obtainable.

These are just a sampling of potential fixative ingredients to which 

you may add endless combinations of herbs and flowers to complete your 

herbal blend. If you wish to give your sleep pillow some body, shape, or weight, mix your herbs with flax seeds, rice, or buckwheat. Flax seeds especially have a long shelf life and give a fluid feel to the pillows.

To make your sleep pillows, all you need are two pieces of material, 

any sizeor shape that you want, and something to fasten them together. 

Various materials are suitable for pillow coverings, such as velvet, 

silk, wool, cotton, satin, or chintz. Fabrics should be soft and 

breathable to allow the herbal aromas to come through. A layer of 

muslin or cotton can be places between the outer layers of material 

to make the pillow soft and help prevent the herbs from bunching into 

one corner. Another trick to prevent bunching is to knot a few threads 

through all the layers once the seams have been securely closed by 

needle and thread or with a sewing machine. Quilt batting is ideal for 

herbal pillows since the middle layers of cotton are built into the 

fabric. Some people prefer to make an inner pillow that contains the 

herbs, placing it inside an outer slip cover that can be washed.

Most sleep pillows take a rectangular shape and can be tucked underneath 

a pillow, between sheets, or laid over the eyes. If you care to, fasten 

a ribbon to each end so that you can tie the pillow behind your head 

while it rests over your eyes. Pillows could also be shaped like the letter "B" with the rounded edges fitting just under your eyes on 

either side of your nose.

Pillows can be decorated with embroidery, buttons, tassels, jewels - 

anything your imagination desires. Decorating pillows with bits of 

ribbon or lace adds a personal finishing touch.

To asseble a basic pillow, lay the fabric pieces together with the 

pattern sides facing each other. Stitch along three sides of the 

material, then turn it right side out so the pattern is now on the 

outside, leaving an opening large enough to add your herbs and stuffing. 

When you have it filled about three-quarters full (don't overstuff the pillow), fold over the ends and stitch closed.

Sleep pillows should be fairly flat. If made with child-safe herbs and 

careful, small, tight stitches, they should be safe for even a very young child's bed.

To make a sleep pillow with an inner section and outer slipcover, cut 

out two pieces of muslin or plain cloth to hold the herbs. Stitch three 

sides of the fabric together as you would for a simple pillow. Fill with 

your herbal mixture. Using fancier outer material, cut two more pieces 

of material at least two inches longer on all sides than the muslin. 

Stitch them the same as the inner pillow except sew only to a depth of 

just less than a half-inch. As with the inner pillow, turn it so the seams 

are on the inside. If you plan to make this cover removable for washing, 

turn down a small hem on the open end and attach small Velcro disks or 

snaps to keep it closed.

 

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