Baby it’s cold outside! Winter is unfortunately just getting started for us here in Colorado, but you don’t have to resign yourself to being cold and uncomfortable for the next few months. There are plenty of natural (and delicious!) ways to keep yourself warm this winter with a variety of roasty herbs and spices.
Warming Winter Herbs
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Ginger
In addition to warming the body with its natural spiciness, ginger is also excellent for soothing upset stomachs, boosts your immune system, and relieves aches and pains. Try lemon ginger tea, ginger hot chocolate, or taking a stimulating and aromatic ginger bath. -
Cinnamon
When it gets cold out, your blood vessels contract to keep your blood away from extremities where it can lose heat and redirects it to your core. Cinnamon fights chills by stimulating circulation. Put cinnamon in apple cider, tea, oatmeal, or hot chocolate. -
Nutmeg
Nutmeg can stave off those frustrating February coughing fits by fighting chest congestion and inundating the body with antiviral goodness. Put nutmeg in your tea, coffee, chai, oatmeal, or gluhwein! -
Pepper
Black Pepper is an anti-inflammatory spice, and increases blood flow to decrease stiffness of both muscles and joints. You can add it to almost anything, and its mild spice will help warm you from the inside out. -
Garlic
Garlic is a powerful herb for the immune system—it has antibacterial and antiviral properties to keep that cold at bay. It’s also a vasodilator, which means that it improves circulation and heart health. Toss it in dishes from breakfast omelets to stir fry to steak and potatoes! -
Cardamom
Like ginger, its close cousin cardamom has many of the same effects. It clears out chest congestion and promotes healthy, warming circulation. -
Cayenne
Don’t forget spice that will literally crank up the heat! Cayenne pepper gets your metabolism and circulation going, and warms you from the inside out.
Want a hot drink that uses almost all of these spices? Try some Gluhwein, a German mulled wine that will warm you up in more ways than one! Drink responsibly, and have a wonderfully warm winter.
