Roses
The flower of divine love
from €6.00
FOR THE RITUAL YOU GIVE YOURSELF
Yoni steam herbs: vaginal steaming with care.
An old practice of herbal steam: where it comes from, what research says about it and what it does not, and how to approach it without getting burned.
Letting the steam of an herbal decoction rise toward the lower body is a gesture found in several cultures.
Ritual5 plantsfrom €4.88
Three to start with
Where to begin
Rosita Arvigo described the steam baths of the Maya healers of Belize.
Mugwort
Herb of the Sacred Feminine
from €7.00
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The selection · across the worlds
5 companions for this intention
The path · 6 thresholds
A method.
01
Ritual
Prepare the decoction
A handful of herbs — rose, noble chamomile, lavender, raspberry leaf, a little mugwort — in hot water, covered, for a few minutes. Then take it off the heat.
02
Ritual
Check the heat
The steam stays gentle. Test it with the inside of your wrist above the bowl before sitting down. Steam that stings the skin is too hot: wait until it turns lukewarm.
03
Ritual
Sit at a distance
The bowl goes under a seat with an opening or in the toilet bowl, at a good distance — at least the length of a forearm. A blanket over the legs holds the steam in. The distance protects against burns.
04
Ritual
Stay only briefly
Ten to fifteen minutes is enough. As soon as the steam cools, or any discomfort arises, stop.
05
Ritual
Keep warm afterward
Cover up, stay warm for a while, drink a herbal tea. The bowl is emptied and rinsed.
06
Ritual
When to abstain
Abstain during pregnancy, with an infection or ongoing irritation, with an IUD or another device in place, and during menstruation. When in doubt, the advice of a midwife or doctor comes first.
Yoni steam: where vaginal steaming comes from
You sit above a bowl of hot water where the herbs are steeping, a blanket over your legs, and the steam rises slowly. In Korea it is called ssuk-jwahun: mugwort steam received seated; the Western press spread it under the name chai-yok. In Japan, salons offer it as yomogi-mushi. In the United States it became widely known in 2015, when Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about a mugwort "V-Steam" in her Goop newsletter.
In Belize, Rosita Arvigo spent years beside the Maya healer Elijio Panti and told the story in Sastun (1994); she later described and taught the herbal steam baths of that tradition. In Mexico, midwives take a woman to the temazcal, the stone steam bath, after childbirth. Each tradition, with its sources, is in our Forest article Yoni steam, the vaginal steam bath.
The herbs in the bowl
A handful is enough: rose, noble chamomile, lavender, raspberry leaf and a little mugwort. Our mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is harvested in France; the noble chamomile grows organically near our workshops; the rosebuds come from organic farms in Morocco.
Pliny tells us that mugwort owes its name to Artemis, goddess of childbirth. The other plants of this family are waiting for you among the sacred feminine herbs.
Precautions: lukewarm steam, at a distance
Burns happen. In June 2019, the Canadian gynaecologist Magali Robert reported the case of a 62-year-old woman with second-degree burns after sitting over boiling water in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. So the bowl stays well away from the body, at least a forearm's length, and the steam is tested on the wrist before sitting down.
Steaming is set aside during pregnancy and breastfeeding (classical herbalism keeps mugwort away in pregnancy), during your period, with an IUD or another device in place, and with an infection or irritation. With an allergy to the daisy family (ragweed, yarrow), mugwort and chamomile stay out of the bowl. When in doubt, the advice of a midwife or doctor comes first.
Sources: R. Arvigo, Sastun, 1994 · M. Robert, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, June 2019 · Pliny the Elder, Natural History, book XXV.
⊹ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ⊹
Yoni steam herbs, frequently asked questions
What herbs can I use for a yoni steam?
The most common are rose, chamomile, lavender, raspberry leaf and a little mugwort. A handful is enough for one bowl.
How do you prepare herbs for a yoni steam?
A handful of herbs in hot water, covered for a few minutes, then off the heat. The bowl goes under a seat with an opening or in a clean toilet bowl, a forearm's length away; test the steam with your wrist and sit with a blanket over your legs.
What does yoni steam do?
In the traditions that practise it, it accompanies moments in a woman's life: the Mexican midwives' temazcal after childbirth, Korean ssuk-jwahun, the yomogi-mushi of Japanese salons. Research is very thin and has not confirmed any effect on the body; burns have been published when the steam was too hot.
How long should a yoni steam last?
Ten to fifteen minutes. As soon as the steam cools, or any discomfort comes, stop.
Who should not do a yoni steam?
Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or having their period; women with an IUD or another device in place, an infection or irritation, or an allergy to the daisy family. When in doubt, ask a midwife or a doctor.
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