Cold hands, frozen feet, shivers… It’s difficult to warm up from the inside when the weather is humid and cold outside. Here are four express herbal teas that bring warmth and comfort.
Ginger warms hands and feet
Ginger is a plant that “warms the body”, recalls Dr Michèle Serrand in her book “Ginseng, 1000 years of benefits” (Alpen). He facilitates blood distribution to the extremities (hands, feet) and improves heat distribution throughout the body. Generally, “spices, for their circulatory actionact as peripheral vasodilators. This is the case for ginger, but also for cinnamon, chili, pepper and cardamom“, explains Dr. Philippe Stéfanini in the book “Health through cold water” (Jouvence edition).
► To prepare a ginger decoction very easily : remove the skin from the ginger root (about 5 cm) and chop it into thin slices. Put 1 liter of water in a saucepan and when the water starts to boil, add the ginger slices. Leave to infuse over low heat for around twenty minutes. Off the heat, you can add a spoonful of honey and a little lemon.
Scots pine warms the muscles and joints
“Softwoods like pine are also warming“, continues Dr. Stéfanini. Tonic and stimulating, Scots pine has the effect of warming muscles and jointswhile providing tone and vitality to the organism. Furthermore, pine is particularly interesting in winter thanks to its virtues antitussives, expectorants, fluidifiersrespiratory antiseptics and antiallergics.
► To prepare a pine infusion: choose dried pine needles grown organically, without pesticides. Cut the needles into small pieces (making sure to remove the brown part) and add a tablespoon of needles to water and bring to the boil for one minute. Leave to infuse covered for 10 minutes. Filter the needles (be careful not to leave any) and pour the infusion into a large cup. Add a tablespoon of honey if necessary.
Thyme and lemon = anti-cold combo
Thyme is a plant with toning properties that help the body to withstand low temperatures. Thyme herbal tea is particularly effective in the morning because it wakes up and warms. And even more so if you’re a little woozy: it’s a plant that allows you to clear the airways and to soothe coughs in case of cold or bronchitis.
► For a thyme herbal tea : infuse 1 to 2 g of dried plant in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice can potentiate the effects of thyme.
Juniper has calorific properties
“There bitter part of juniper has calorific properties which also offer global action on the digestive sphere“, continues Dr. Stéfanini. With their taste resinous and slightly peppery, Those are the Juniper berries which are used in infusion.
► For an express herbal tea with juniper berries : pour the equivalent of a teaspoon of berries into 25 cl of hot water (1 cup) then leave to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. We can drink it 1 to 4 cups per day when it’s very cold. On the other hand, juniper is not recommended in case of kidney inflammation or infection, heavy periods, nephritis, in pregnant and breastfeeding women. Seek medical advice if you have diabetes.