What Kind of Foot Sprain Benefits from Soaking in Hot Water?

There is no definitive answer to what is the best solution to soak the feet with when they are sprained. Generally, soaking the feet with warm water, mugwort leaves, camphor wood, and other substances is beneficial.

1. Warm Water Soak: Soaking the feet in warm water helps promote blood circulation in the feet and can alleviate symptoms such as pain and swelling caused by sprains to a certain extent. However, it is important to control the soaking time and avoid soaking for too long.

2. Mugwort Leaf Soak: Mugwort leaf, a plant belonging to the genus Artemisia in the family Asteraceae, has properties such as warming the meridians to stop bleeding, dispersing cold to relieve pain, eliminating dampness to stop itching, etc. Soaking the feet with mugwort leaves can also promote blood circulation and relieve swelling.

3. Camphor Wood Soak: Camphor wood is a Chinese herbal medicine with properties such as dispelling wind and cold, warming the middle-jiao to regulate qi, promoting blood circulation to unblock meridians, etc. Clinically, it can be used to treat symptoms such as traumatic pain, rheumatic pain, and distending pain due to stomach cold. Soaking the feet with camphor wood can also relieve discomfort to a certain extent.

In addition to soaking the feet with the aforementioned substances, one can also use safflower, Clematis chinensis, and Lycopodium japonicum, which are conducive to promoting the recovery of sprained ankles. During the recovery period, it is important to rest more and avoid vigorous exercise.