5 Herbs That Keep You Warm In The Winter

Posted by Dr. Della Parker     on December 1, 2017

There is no substitute for a bundling up with a sweater, wrapping yourself in a cozy blanket, or enjoying the company of a nice warm fire during the winter months. There are, however, 5 herbs that can stoke that natural hearth inside your body to keep you warm. Try adding these natural herbs to your tea or meal to stay warm during the winter.

1. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a member of Piperaceae (pepper family). Known as the king of the spices, pepper has been known to promote weight loss, improve digestion, and boost metabolism. As an antispasmodic and anti-arthritic spice, black pepper increases blood flow increasing your body’s ability to stay warm.
2. Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is a member of Zingiberaceae (ginger family). Cardamon is known as the queen of the spices. Many benefits include gastrointestinal protection, cholesterol control, relief from cardiovascular issues, and improvement of blood circulation in the body. Again, like pepper, the increase in circulation has a warming effect on the body.
3. Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens) is a member of Solanaceae (nightshade family). Cayenne is most known for help with digestion, it also has a history of being used for cleansing and detoxifying. It stimulates circulation and increases your metabolism—which in turn keeps you warm.
4. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) is a member of Lauraceae (laurel family). Probably the tastiest of the herbs on our list, it also tops the list as an anti-oxidant herb. Other benefits include anti-inflammatory properties and a great inclusion for those who have diabetes. How does it keep you warm? It helps dry dampness in the body and warms people that are always cold and regularly suffer from poor circulation.
5. Garlic (Allium sativum), a member of Liliaceae (lily family). No wonder vampires are so cold. Garlic is also known to help lower cholesterol, it has anti-oxidant properties, regulate blood pressure, and regulate blood sugar levels. If you’re guessing that it keeps you warm through increased circulation, you are correct. Garlic is a potent vasodilator and improves circulation by helping prevent blood from clumping together.

There you have it. You can supplement your winter sweaters, blankets, and fires with these 5 herbs and get extra health benefits while you are at it. Are you interested in other ideas for a healthy diet?  Dr. Della Parker promotes what she calls the Real Food Diet. So here it is… Meat, vegetables, and fruit. Animal protein provides you with nutrients, amino acids, and collagen that cannot be found in other foods.

To contact Dr. Della Parker or our Functional Nutritionist Tera Rogers to schedule and appointment, give us a call today at 503-344-6631. To become a new patient at Stellar Health and Wellness, you can fill out our New Patient Application here.

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