Thriving Through Winter with Herbal Support: A Guide to Natural Wellness
With fall in full swing and winter quickly approaching, I find myself taking inventory of what I have, and assessing what obstacles I might come across health-wise as the season progresses. Sicknesses are rampant. The air, and consequently skin, is drier. Shorter, gloomier days can bring about changes in mood…needless to say the shift in seasons brings about a variety of potential issues to navigate. The good news is, while that variety of “issues” may be present, there is also a variety of *solutions* found in nature to prevent, combat and rejuvenate problem areas.
Let’s start with sickness- as an herbalist and mother of healthy children with average/typical immune systems here is my approach to sickness for them and myself *
My rule of thumb: prevent where you can, but don’t go overboard. I know it seems like every time you turn around someone has the sniffles *again*, and nothing ruins plans for the week quite like a cold making its rounds in your family, but building an immune system is important work and part of growing in health and vitality and doesn’t actually happen by never getting sick. Bummer huh! So ironically as it may sound, when my kids get a cold, I try my best to just let the sickness ride its course. I try to keep a positive outlook, remind myself that they are building a strong immune system, and make them as comfortable as possible. We allow fevers to rise (safely and monitoring the child’s behavior more than the number on a thermometer), take steamy showers to clear gunky noses, rest, eat nourishing foods and stay hydrated with water, tea and bone broth. We keep hands washed and away from faces. If we have plans or trips coming up I will go the extra mile to offer some elderberry and extra doses of vitamin c. We try to get adequate amounts of sunshine to boost vitamin d levels and breathe lots of fresh air. So when it comes to herbs for winter colds, I'm reaching for gentle, nourishing herbs rich in vitamins and minerals like rosehips (for a deeper dive into rosehips, check out this blog post) and nettle, turmeric, garlic and ginger. If congestion or infection is looming, I'm taking things up a notch with mullein and echinacea. Reishi is a staple always in our house but particularly during these colder months where sickness is more rampant. Reishi is immune modulating which means it helps keep the immune system in check based on the needs of the moment. Does it need to kick into high gear after a sickness exposure? Does it need to calm down due to allergens present? Reishi is an excellent choice in addressing both of these concerns, making it one of the most versatile herbs for winter health. you can find your own bottle to purchase in our shop.
For simple ways of incorporating these herbs during times of sickness, zone in on herbal teas! Water is a great means of extracting vitamins and minerals from herbs and the warmth of tea is so healing to the body. You can try premade tea bags (can’t go wrong with this or this) or buy the exact herbs you want and mix/infuse yourself! I love buying bulk nettle and rosehips, infusing them in a rich concentrate, adding honey. From there I’ll either refrigerate and add splashes to cold or hot water or i’ll just gulp it down straight for a concentrated vitamin “shot”.
* if anyone in your family is immunocompromised, a different route will likely be a better option and I encourage you to always check with a trusted medical provider if you have any questions.
So what about the dryness affecting everything from skin to sinuses? If you’re someone who runs very dry, like me, winter is the time to focus heavily on moistening herbs. Lotion is only going to get you so far when it comes to combatting dry skin - focusing from the inside out is key for treating dry skin and staying hydrated. Herbs like marshmallow root and licorice really shine here, and again looking to mullein. You’ll notice that moistneing herbs often cross over with herbs for sickness becuase our bodies crave hydration when sick especially! This helps us not become dehydrated at such a vulnerable time. Tremella mushroom is another wonderful moistneing herb. If you’ve spent 5 seconds on a beauty aisle you’ve heard of hyaloronic acid and may well know that HA is key in pumping skin, reversing and slowing signs of aging and overall moisturizing the skin…Tremella mushroom has been shown to have 5x the ability of retaining moisture than HA does and it aids the body in naturally producing it’s own HA!
Here are a couple of teas that I love for incorporating moistening herbs (this one and this one for starters!) . I also can’t pass up an opportunity to rave about a tremella triple extract tincture. Stay tuned for when we begin shipping ours. Until then, enjoy this incredible one!
Banishing the Winter Blues with Uplifting Herbs - Let’s discuss the winter blues. Gloomy days, sickness, too much inside time and not enough sunshine can knock anyone off their feet!* You probably can guess by now that Reishi fits the bill here as well. It’s such an effective adaptogen and when taken regularly can make an incredible difference in our ability to cope with feelings of sadness or stress. you can read more about it in our blog post on adaptogens. Additionally, Tulsi is known to be antidepressant and a calming nervine that can soothe frazzled nerves and lead to more grounded feelings. St John’s wort (if not taking other medications) is one of the most well know antidepressive herbs, also relieving anxiety and irritability. Lemon balm is such a versatile herb and relied on often as an ally against postpartum depression specifically, and helping those who suffer with sleep related problems. These 3 herbs are wonderful additions to your home apothecary and typically easily obtainable to support you when your day feels anything but sunshiny.
Tincture form is a great way to incorporate these herbs for winter blues. You can add them to your water, tea, or juice a few times a day for best results.
*For serious seasonal depression I will always recommend discussing with a trusted medical provider. For the sake of this blog post we will only be discussing minor cases of feeling “blue”, restless, and a little bit out of sorts.
I hope this gave you a few practical ideas for thriving through the winter months with the help of a few accessible herbal supports!
