Herbal Drinks to Keep You Healthy in the Fall and Winter

As the cold starts to creep in and we change our outdoor lifestyle to an indoor one, we often have to take additional steps to stay as healthy as possible. While snuggling next to a warm fire with your family is great for your mental health, you still need to worry about colds and flus that seem to make the rounds as the fall and winter months descend upon us. You already have a good idea of what healthy food is out there for you, but the benefits of herbal drinks are rarely thought about during these cold days.

Choosing the Right Herbal Drink

While cost is often a factor in your choices, your herbal drinks should always be a well-sourced product made of the highest quality ingredients. Be careful about buying the cheap store shelf teas, some are great for you, but some will include essential oils and artificial flavors. Herbal teas rarely need additional flavor, so you want to ensure that you are going all natural for the full health benefit. If using tea bags, make sure they steep long enough, which may be as long as 10-15 minutes for the full benefit. 

 

Peppermint Tea

During the cold months you tend to turn to comfort foods and warm drinks and few drinks can give you the kick like peppermint tea. Not only is this a wonderful and fresh tasting tea it can help relieve muscle spasms, bloating, gas, nausea and helping to heat up the body. The one thing to keep in mind is that peppermint is not good for heartburn and indigestion. Peppermint is extremely easy to grow in your own garden, so consider making some homemade tea this fall.

Ginger Tea

This tea works similarly to peppermint tea as it helps cut down on nausea, vomiting and upset stomachs. All you need is a ginger root simmered on the stove for 10-15 minutes. Add some fresh lemon juice and honey to help fight off a cold. You can even make the tea from powdered ginger to warm up the cold days.

Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is easy to grow and can really life your spirits. The cold necessitates much more time inside your home and can lead to cabin fever or the “winter blah” feelings that accompanies the dreary outdoors. In addition, lemon balm can also help improve concentration and is safe for children. It may even reduce or prevent nightmares when given just before bed time. Lemon and maple syrup are great additions to help make this tea something you and your children will look forward to having.

Rosehip Tea

The fruit of the rose plant is one of the best sources of vitamin C, which helps with your immune system, skin health and adrenal functions. Check out local health shops to get some rosehip and play with different recipes to find the one that makes the tea one of your go to winter drinks.

Jenni F. is a writer for HowDoIBe.com. If you are at all interested in a career in health, take a look at this site to learn more about earning your degree online!

Aconite root: the queen of poisons

Aconite root is highly poisonous herb and it also called as wolf’s bane, monkshood, women's bane, devil's helmet and blue rocket in various parts of the world. The written documents citing use of aconite root is found in the traditional Chinese medicine. Earlier aconite root was used for hunting. Today, the highly poisonous herb has been put to good use in the medical arena. Aconite root, which is called as queen of poisons, is a neurotoxin that can induce instant respiratory paralysis and heart attack.    

When the early physicians tried their hands on aconite root, they believed that it had divine properties that can cure several ailments. Ancient Chinese used fumes from burning aconite to  detoxicate the body. The modern pharmaceutical industries have proved that the Chinese were right in their belief. Extracts from aconite root are today used for similar purposes in the medical field for example drugs manufactured from aconite root are used to relieve body pain, diuretic and diaphoretic purposes.

Although early physicians were unable to find a suitable antidote for the poison, they were successful in taping the benevolence of the ancient herb in a major way. Today, researchers have successfully developed antidotes for the poison. They have also made good use of the herb in developing ointments and injections that can relieve neural pain, Back ache due to arthritis, and rheumatic disorders.

What is green tea?

Tea undoubtedly is a common drink all over the world. Apart from make you feel refreshed, tea can also provide you with essential vitamins and minerals and instant energy as well. Well, green tea isn’t a refreshment drink as the regular tea. Actually green tea is produced from the leaves of Camllia sinensis and not from the tea plants. It is indeed a medicinal drink that originated in China thousands of years ago. Green tea was used in many of the Asian countries to mitigate ailments such as blood sugar and indigestion. Green tea did not gain much popularity until recently. The reason for the popularity of green tea is the growing menace of obesity. Being overweight or obese has become very common due to the sedentary life style of modern times.

Obesity is the cause of many fatal ailments such heart attacks, stroke and the like. Tackling obesity isn’t an easy thing. Obese people often are lazy and find it difficult to exercise or perform tasks that would bring down their weight. This is when green tea came to their rescue. Regular consumption of green tea considerably reduces weight and makes you feel light. This wonder working ability of green tea made businesses turn their focus on green tea. But for the gorgeous advertisements and persistent marketing strategies green tea wouldn’t have crossed Asia.

Now that people all over the world are on the lookout for an easy way to weight loss, green tea has gained much momentum. Indeed green tea has its effects when it comes to weight loss programs. However, it is important for you to follow the instructions when it comes to consuming green tea. Apart from regular consumption of green tea, you also need do exercises related to weight loss to get the complete benefits of green tea.