Five Herbs You Need To Be Drinking This Winter
The holiday period is a busy time of year and while it is often filled with festive fun, a hectic schedule coupled with colder weather can leave us feeling tired, stressed and unwell. We want to start the New Year with a bang and full of energy, not lacking in lustre and in need of a holiday!
Luckily, there are some revitalising spices that can help to naturally nourish, energise and support us. Medical Herbalist Katie Pande’s shares with Belle About Town her top five spices to see us through a busy festive season and beyond.
1. Turmeric
Turmeric is known as ‘the golden goddess’ in India thanks to its beautifying properties. Not only does it support healthy liver function (which in turn purifies the skin), it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, soothing irritated and inflamed skin to promote a healthy, glowing complexion from the inside out – ready for the festive season.
And if that’s not enough reason for you to jump on the turmeric train, by boosting circulation to the brain, turmeric supports optimal brain health, helping to boost brain power.
- Cinnamon
Full of sweet and stimulating essential oils, cinnamon is a long-time favourite for invigorating, warming and generally making life more delicious. A delicious and healthy alternative to sugar, cinnamon is naturally sweet and helps to balance blood sugar levels, to in turn help curb sweet cravings.
It also helps to strengthen nutritional absorption, stimulate digestion and boost metabolism, all of which contribute to achieving a healthy, balance weight.
Cinnamon is delicious in baking and in warm drinks (as well as the occasional mulled wine).
- Ginger
A wonderfully warming spice, ginger is renowned for helping to stoke your inner fire, aid digestion and boost metabolism. It can therefore provide comfort and support during or after an overindulgent festive season.
It also helps to boost blood flow to the joints and muscles to ease aches and pains which often result from freezing cold weather. What’s more, ginger can soothe a sore throat and effectively clear sinuses and congestion if you’re suffering from a Christmas cold.
- Cardamom
If you’re feeling festive, cardamom is a classic Christmas spice and deliciously aromatic. As well as helping to relieve flatulence and indigestion (which in turn relieves abdominal pain and bloating), cardamom stimulates the metabolic and digestive processes. Cardamom also works as an effective decongestant, removing mucous from the digestive and respiratory tracts. It’s even said to cure bad breath.
- Cocoa
Many people like to indulge in the illustrious cocoa bean over Christmas. Unlike milk chocolate which contains high levels of sugar, cocoa is said to regulate and improve mood by boosting levels of serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’, enhancing feelings of wellbeing and pleasure. It also contains theobromine which means ‘food of the gods’ in Greek. This helps to lower blood pressure, improve cognitive function and boost mood. Interestingly, women are more receptive to theobromine than men, which may explain why women crave chocolate more than men do. Cocoa is also naturally high in antioxidants which help fight off harmful free radicals that otherwise cause damage in the body, as well as being rich in magnesium, zinc and calcium.
