Banish the Winter Blues with Herbal Teas
Winter embraces introspection, hibernation, and a quieting of the world with cold, short days and long nights. Working inside during precious hours of daylight can reduce the amount of serotonin we produce and increase feelings of depression, sadness, or a decrease in energy.
Herbs can provide relief from a variety of winter ailments. The following recipes are a hot coco and the other a tisane more commonly known as an herbal tea.
Bye-Bye Blues Hot Coco
The first recipe is focused on lifting heaviness and the feeling of depression. St. John’s Wort is known to help improve mood and depression feelings. Ashwagandha helps with a variety of things like recovery and stress relief. Enjoy this at night for a restful night of sleep and recovery from daily stress.
¼ tsp of St. John’s Wort powder
¼ tsp Ashwagandha powder
¼ tsp Cinnamon powder
½ package of hot cocoa powder
4 oz Milk or milk alternative of choice
Your favorite mug
Heat milk of your choice, to roughly 170-180°.
Add all ingredients into your mug of choice and blend with your warmed milk. Use a handheld frother for best blending plus this will give your milk a foamy consistency similar to a cafe. Top with whip and another dash of cinnamon if desired.
Daily Upliftment Herbal Tea
Decreased energy in the winter can also exacerbate the heaviness you feel and winter blues can also push us toward more surgery foods. This time of the year a lot of us set new health goals and this next tea will help you on that journey because it includes herbs for energy, reducing sugar, and improving digestion.
Yerba Mate is our energy provider in this blend. This Brazilian shrub has about 30mg - 50mg of caffeine per serving and gently leaves your system without the shakey crash feeling that coffee gives us. Gymnema is an incredible herb for curbing sugar cravings. Red raspberry and fennel aid in healthy digestion and reduce bloating because a sluggish digestive system can also make us feel heavy while slowing our metabolism.
1 tsp Yerba Mate
1 tsp Red Raspberry
1 tsp Gymnema
1 tsp Fennel
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Next, add the mixture into a teapot or brewing steeper.
Brew in a water temperature of 190° for 3-5 minutes. Add honey to sweeten if desired.
This winter season…
Take time to embrace the energy of slowing down if you can. The more we can be in rhythm with the natural world around us the better we will feel. If you can’t because of work, commitments, or family lean into your herbal allies to help you through this season.
Discover more teas, recipes, and herbal education at indigovibesapothecary.com. The blog is updated regularly and you will find both of these teas in the online shop. Also, check out our locations tab for local West Michigan shops that carry a variety of Indigo Vibes teas.
References
- Castleman, Michael. The New Healing Herbs. Rodale Inc., 1991.