Heating red beans, homemade natural warmer

When a cold wave hits, people’s hands and feet are so frozen that they can’t sleep. Many people put a hand warmer in their arms when they sleep. However, the quality of hand warmers varies, and it is easy to get burned or even cause a fire.

Cai Wenxing, director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Taipei Municipal United Hospital, said that homemade hot packs can be filled with red beans, rice, oats, etc., which are not easy to dissipate heat. They have a good heat preservation effect, and because they release heat slowly, they are also safer. You can even wrap them in a towel and bring them into bed. The aroma of heated raw red beans also has a calming and soothing effect, which can help you fall asleep better.

You can choose towels or cotton cloth to sew a bag, or you can use gloves or socks and simply tie the opening with a rope. Put raw red beans into a cloth bag and seal it, then put it in the microwave and microwave it on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. The temperature inside the bag will reach about 60 degrees Celsius, and the temperature can be kept above 40 degrees Celsius for about 1 hour. However, it is important to note that since the power pack needs to be heated in the microwave, there must be no metal objects on the bag.

In addition to the warming function, Chinese medicinal materials are added to the warm bag. After heating, the Chinese medicine will release volatile substances, which can relieve dysmenorrhea, joint pain, etc. more obviously than simple water vapor. If girls suffer from menstrual pain, they can add 5 cents of warm Chinese medicinal materials such as white peony (to relieve acute pain), mugwort and fennel (warm the muscles and relieve pain) into the warm bag, and place it 3 inches below the navel (about 1 palm width, or 4 fingers width) after heating. It will help to activate the muscles and blood circulation and relieve pain. If the elderly suffer from joint pain or degenerative arthritis, they can take 1 liang each of mugwort, mugwort leaves, cloves, fennel, and dried ginger, cut them into dices, mix them, and put them into a warm pack for hot compress. It should be noted that the peripheral nerves of diabetic patients are not sensitive. When using hot packs for hot compresses, they must check and turn them frequently to avoid burns.