Keeping Warm: Countering the Cold with Warming Herbs

As the great House of Stark of Winterfell says… “winter is coming.” And with winter comes the cold mornings, crisp outings, and frigid evenings. Whether you’re savoring the last hints of autumn or already feeling the winter chill, this season marks a shift in how we move through the world. As we brace for colder days, there’s a whole category of herbs ready to help us maintain balance and vitality.

These warming herbs don’t just heat your body—they can help stimulate your mind, uplift your spirit, and warm your heart. By exploring the properties of these powerful herbs, you’ll understand why they’re so essential for staying healthy during the winter months. Recognizing the importance of warming herbs also encourages you to adjust your lifestyle and diet in harmony with the seasons.

Before we dive into which herbs are warming and how to use them, let’s first explore the age-old philosophy behind turning to warming herbs as the seasons transition from warmth to cold—a practice deeply rooted in many herbal traditions around the world.

Living Harmoniously with Nature

When people talk about living a natural lifestyle, they often mean using natural products and herbs instead of over-the-counter medicines for coughs and colds. However, this is a rather superficial definition of what natural living is. 

At its core, living a natural lifestyle isn’t just about what products you buy. It’s about how you live. One level of this means learning to live in harmony with the rhythms, patterns, and cycles of nature. One way you can do this is by adjusting your lifestyle to the changing seasons. A simple yet profound example of this is aligning your circadian rhythm with the rising and setting of the sun- a practice much easier to get started in the winter months to be sure! Living in harmony with nature has many health benefits. In this example, limiting artificial light after sundown helps maintain your circadian rhythms, which promotes more restful sleep.

Another way you can live in tune with the changing seasons is by swapping out the herbs you use to fit the outside temperature. While drinking cold lemonade and cucumber water in the summer feels refreshing, it can make you feel chilled and tense in the winter, when hot tea and soup are far more comforting. Many of us feel this desire to eat warming herbs and foods naturally, and it’s a simple yet effective way to live by the cycles of nature. 

The concept of warming foods and herbs dates back to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Greek Medicine, Unani Tibb, and more. The North American herbalist, Samuel Thomson, summarized the importance of temperature in terms of health when he said that warmth is life and cold is death. 

Among other signs, a major difference between a live versus a dead body is whether it is cold or warm. Thomson’s way of seeing people and healing widely influenced his outlook on warmth being akin to vitality and life. This is why many of his therapies include hot, pungent, circulatory stimulating herbs, diaphoresis, and sweating therapy. 

The concept of cold is also critically important in traditional Western herbalism. While you might think of these temperature concepts as degrees on a thermometer, it’s critically important to understand that heat and cold are not just numerical degrees– they’re qualities of influence. When there’s excess cold, the vital force sinks in and downward. Molecules submitted to a cold environment couple more tightly, slow, and become less expressive. If you imagine a pot of boiling water cooling down, the activity calms until the water becomes completely placid. Indeed if submitted to enough cold, the water freezes into ice. In North American herbalism, we have a term called cold/depression, which refers to the influence cold has on the body. 

While most people associate depression with the psychological and emotional state, it has physiological expressions as well. Depression makes you feel heavy, slow, sluggish, and fatigued. There’s also often a feeling of not having the motivation or desire to do anything at all, besides sleep. There’s an overall sensation of heaviness, darkness, and feeling weighed down. Now imagine this physiological dynamic affecting your liver, digestion, and circulation. Overall, the cold/depression pattern denotes functioning slowing down and becoming less dynamic, effective, and expressive. For example, slowed-down digestion could look like distention and constipation. 

Although some people are born with a constitution that tends towards cold/depression, the cold winter weather affects everyone to a degree–especially those with an already cold constitution. The goal during winter is to maintain the vital fire, which impacts every aspect of our physiological functioning. 

The alchemists referred to this as the Central Fire, centralized in the furnace of the naval region where rests the crucible of transformation. In Ayurveda, it’s known as agni. According to traditional Chinese medicine it’s known as the Triple Burner. Regardless of its name, its importance is recognized in many traditions. This Central Fire plays a critical role in healthy digestion, absorption, assimilation of nutrients, elimination of waste, and the dissemination of heat throughout the body. It even affects our thoughts and emotions, such as our ability to “digest,” process, and assimilate information.

When there’s an imbalance of cold/depression, the digestive fire (Central Fire) doesn’t provide enough warmth to radiate throughout the rest of the system. This commonly leads to weakened circulation, cold hands and feet, cold ineffectual digestion, brain fog, cognitive difficulties such as struggles with focus and concentration, and mental fatigue. Along with its impact on digestion and circulation, cold/depression can lead to musculoskeletal and neurological tension, nervousness, anxiety, and insomnia. 

According to Ayurveda, this pattern of cold coupled with tension aggravates the vata dosha, and leads to an excess of Saturn according to astrology. In both cases, vata and Saturn are cold, dry, and contracting. 

Everything slows down in the cold/depression tissue state. However, if you have excess vata, Saturn, or general cold/depression, there’s a solution: Warming herbs. Herbs that are warming contain aromatic volatile oils, resins, and terpene compounds and give them a pungent, aromatic, or spicy taste that reintroduces vitality, movement, and warmth to your central fire to keep you warm all winter long.

Properties of Warming Herbs

In Greek and Galenic medicine, herbs were classified as warming, cooling, moistening, or drying. They also used a four-degree system to describe an herb’s relative strength in these categories. First-degree herbs are so mild they’re almost like food. On the other end, fourth-degree herbs are so potent that they can be toxic in high doses and cause harm if not used with care. Most herbalists work with first to third degree herbs, as they are gentle and effective. Fourth degree plants typically need to be used with greater care. 

A good rule of thumb to follow is to always choose the mildest herb that can achieve your goal. For example, if Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) can do the job, why reach for Hops (Humulus lupulus)? By opting for gentler herbs, you reduce the risk of side effects, constitutional imbalances, or simply overreaching the mark. It’s also smart to focus on addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as diet and lifestyle habits, before even considering herbs. After all, people don’t get sick from an herb deficiency—they get sick from nutrient deficiencies and daily habits. This is why many true vitalist practitioners will always use food, diet, and nutrition first, and if a condition is not corrected this way only then will reach for herbs, starting with the most mild. 

The practice of using mild herbs over strong ones is especially important when you plan on using warming herbs daily. During the cold winter months, it’s best to stick with first-or second-degree warming herbs rather than stronger ones. Warming plants create a unique sensation that often starts in your core, or the solar plexus region. There’s often the feeling of heat radiating and expanding outward to improve blood circulation and warm your hands and feet. The intensity of this warming effect depends on the strength of the herb.

You can gauge how warming an herb will be by its pungency of taste. Mildly pungent herbs gently warm the core and digestion, such as Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), while intensely hot, spicy herbs like Cayenne (Capsicum annuum) can light up your mouth, stomach (for better or for worse), and potently drive blood outwards to the periphery and surface to the point of making you sweat. What people often overlook is that sweating is your body’s way of cooling down. In winter, we want to stay warm, not cool down. So, while it might seem counterintuitive, avoiding overly spicy herbs that make you sweat can help you retain body heat. Think of it like exercising in the winter—getting sweaty and then stopping makes you feel cold because the moisture on your skin and open pores cool you down excessively. This happens to me every time I have to shovel the snow out of my driveway wearing a down jacket. 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is called an “external pernicious influence,” which is where the idea of “catching a cold” comes from. Exposure to cold impacts your immune system and thermoregulation, which can make you sick. According to this tradition, the back of your neck is especially vulnerable to cold, which is why wearing a scarf is such an effective way to retain your body heat and stay warm. The key takeaway here is to use herbs that warm you up in the wintertime, but avoid the ones that are so hot they make you sweat. 

Now that we’ve covered the therapeutic applications of warming herbs in the wintertime, let’s explore the main actions found in most warming herbs:

Carminative

Carminatives are essentially mild circulatory stimulants with an affinity for the digestive system. They increase digestive secretions, relax tension, spasm and cramping, and also ease bloating, gas, and wind accumulation. Carminatives can be beneficial for anyone with general GI symptoms, but especially those with cold, sluggish digestion since they warm and stimulate circulation to the digestive system.

Circulatory Stimulant/Stimulant Diaphoretic

As the name suggests, circulatory stimulants drive blood flow and improve circulation. Many herbs with this action are diffusive, helping to move and drive blood through the body, which relieves stagnation. When an herb is strong enough to cause sweating, it’s called a stimulant diaphoretic. These herbs are great during fevers, especially when you feel cold, have pale skin, and are shivering. By warming you up and opening your pores, they support the fever process, shortening its duration and severity by helping the vital force do what it’s trying to do. 

Stimulant Expectorant

Many warming circulatory stimulant herbs contain aromatic oils and resins that have a respiratory affinity and act as a stimulant expectorant. This makes them especially useful in colder seasons when respiratory infections are common. However, it’s important to note that stimulant expectorants, which are hot in nature, should only be used for phlegmatic conditions where mucus is thick and clear or white, not yellow or green. Yellow or green mucus indicates heat, and using warming herbs in those cases can irritate the respiratory system further. In such situations, it’s better to use cooling and moistening herbs or combine warming herbs with more soothing ones.

Another benefit to stimulant expectorant herbs is that they often have antibacterial and antimicrobial effects. However, it’s important to note that not all herbs with these qualities are equally effective against all infections, and specific herbs may work better for certain microbes than others.

Nootropic

Nootropics are herbs that drive blood flow to the head and brain to stimulant cognitive functioning. This can be particularly helpful during the darker, drearier winter months when mental fatigue sets in. Warming nootropics enhance brain functioning, and if an herb is also nervine, such as Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), it can improve brain function by increasing circulation to the brain and supporting the nervous system.

If your goal is to maintain constitutional balance, I recommend sticking to mild warming herbs, especially if you plan to use them daily over a long period. This way, you can enjoy their benefits without risking an imbalance of getting too hot! From an Ayurvedic perspective, warming herbs are especially helpful for the vata and kapha doshas, which both tend to run cold. However, since vata is dry and kapha is damp, kapha can handle more warming, drying herbs, while vata responds best to gentle, warming, and moistening ones. Astrologically, warming herbs balance excess Saturn and Lunar qualities, as well as Earth and Water Element imbalances. In North American traditions, they balance cold/depressive and damp/stagnant tissue states.

Warming herbs offer a range of benefits, but as you’ve likely noticed, they all essentially come back to their ability to stimulate circulation. Whether it’s warming the digestive system as a carminative or boosting blood flow to the brain as a nootropic, warming herbs have a profound effect on the circulatory system as a whole.

Cooking with Warming Herbs

The truth is, you probably already have plenty of warming herbs in your kitchen, because they’re common spices—and delicious too. But their benefits go far beyond flavor—they also hold potent medicinal properties.

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) is fantastic for improving the absorption of nutrients from your food, which is why Black Pepper extract is often added to supplements that don’t absorb well, like curcumin from Turmeric (Curcuma longa). A little goes a long way, though, since Black Pepper is a strong third-degree herb that’s hot enough to make you sweat. Besides aiding digestion and nutrient absorption, it also helps warm the stomach.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is another easy addition to your meals, whether fresh or powdered—though the dried rhizome is hotter than fresh. It’s a powerful circulatory stimulant that warms you up quickly on a cold day. And while not everyone loves the flavor, Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is an excellent carminative that can be added fresh or powdered. Personally, I enjoy toasting the seeds in oil and adding them to a red lentil dal stew with other warming spices. A simple Fennel and Ginger tea is a pleasant way to warm up on a cold winter day. 

Garlic (Allium sativum) is an extremely hot fourth-degree herb that can blister the skin and cause digestive discomfort in high amounts. Though Garlic has many medicinal properties, particularly for the immune system, these benefits are mostly lost once cooked, caramelized, simmered, or introduced to heat in any other way. To get the strongest medicinal effects, you need to eat it raw after letting it oxidize. For this, I recommend crushing Garlic and letting it sit for fifteen minutes. In that time, a chemical reaction happens where the oxygen causes the alliin compound to convert to allicin—and that’s when it becomes most medicinal. After those fifteen minutes, you can add it to your salad dressings or food. Even though eating raw Garlic is the most medicinal way to consume it, it can be harsh and too aggravating for some people’s systems. To remedy that, I suggest blending Garlic paste with honey to buffer the heat, pungency, and irritating properties and swallowing this as a cough remedy for cold, damp respiratory conditions. It can also be eaten with yogurt, mashed potatoes and other foods to buffer its intensity. It’s also suggested to not eat it on an empty stomach. Garlic is also an excellent digestive stimulant and mildly thins the blood to improve circulation. 

Mediterranean herbs like Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Oregano (Origanum vulgare), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and Sage (Salvia officinalis) are all warming and easy herbs to add to savory dishes like chicken, meat, lamb, and vegetables. In larger amounts, Thyme and Oregano have antimicrobial, antibacterial, circulatory stimulant, carminative, and expectorant properties for the lungs. And don’t forget Rosemary, which is great for cognition as both a nootropic and a nervine. And lastly, there’s Turmeric, which is perfect for adding to curries, soups, and stews for its warming and bitter actions that improve digestion (among many other properties). 

It wouldn’t surprise me if you already had all of these spices in your kitchen cupboard. You don’t need hard-to-find or mysterious spices to gain their medicine benefits—the Black Pepper will do just fine. By incorporating warming spices into your cooking, you keep your body warm throughout the cold winter months. 

Making Tea with Warming Herbs

As winter approaches, I recommend finding a warming herbal blend you enjoy and preparing a large jar to keep on your shelf. That way, you’ll have it on hand for a daily cup of cozy tea.

For warming herbs, think of mulling and chai spices like Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Clove (Syzygium aromaticum), Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), and Ginger. These herbs are strong in taste and action, so a little goes a long way. Not only do they taste amazing, but they also bring a sense of coziness and preparing a special winter drink with them can feel like a comforting ritual.

Consider that these are many of the spices/herbs used in chai recipes. They combine very nicely with black tea in this way, but for a caffeine free version you can mix them with Rooibos which provides a nicely rich and earthy flavor that balances the warmth of the spices nicely. 

In addition to tea, many of these spices are used in winter cocktails, like hot toddies and hot buttered rum. At home, we make hot toddies by grating a tablespoon(ish) of Ginger and squeezing the juice out of it into a mug with half a squeezed lemon, honey, a Cinnamon stick, hot water, honey and whiskey to taste. You can skip the whiskey for a non-alcoholic version, making it a simple and warming tea by just grating Ginger and adding lemon.

To make hot buttered rum, mix butter with brown sugar until you get a paste, then add Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Nutmeg, and Allspice (Pimenta dioica) to taste. I usually do a tablespoon of this mix, 1-2 oz of golden rum, and top it off with hot water. Mulled wine is also made with similar spices. People have been enjoying these warming cocktails for a long time, and they can be a pleasant way to warm up on a cold winter evening.

Another herb I love in winter is Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum). Richly aromatic, Tulsi is carminative, antimicrobial, and antibacterial, especially beneficial for clearing mucus and supporting respiratory health. It’s also a mild adaptogen with nervine and nootropic properties, making it excellent for anyone doing heavy intellectual work like writing, thinking, or researching. Its warming nootropic action helps lift melancholy and can be combined with St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Milky Oat Seed (Avena sativa) for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), especially when paired with a Vitamin D supplement.

I’m a big fan of using adaptogens in winter since many are warming, immune-tonic, and help rejuvenate the immune system during the cold months when sickness is more common. My go-to herbs are Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi), Tulsi, Cordyceps mushroom (Cordyceps sinensis), and Codonopsis (Codonopsis pilosula). 

My favorite way to make Ashwagandha is the traditional method: Melt a scoop of ghee in a pot and sprinkle in a tsp or so of some Ashwagandha powder once it’s hot. After whisking to combine, add milk and a bit of honey, plus Cinnamon or Cardamom if you like. This drink is great for calming vata and pitta doshas since the ghee is mildly warming, and the milk enhances that quality. It’s also wonderful for supporting the HPA axis, immune function, and the nervous system. 

For a soothing creamy tea, I like to blend Turmeric, Ashwagandha, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and tiny pinch of Black Pepper. This combination stimulates circulation and digestion, warms the nervous system, reduces inflammation, and has mild adaptogenic and immune-balancing properties. If you omit the Ashwagandha and Licorice, you get a traditional golden milk. I usually prepare it with raw milk, but you can use mostly water and a splash of cream if you prefer. Sweeten it to taste.

For a simpler infusion without milk, try combining Fennel, Ginger, and Licorice. This spiced, warming blend acts as an aromatic circulatory stimulant for both the blood and digestion. Just remember, dried Ginger is hotter than fresh. And if you have high blood pressure or are taking medication for it, omit Licorice from the mix.

As winter settles in, treat yourself to a daily cup of warming, cozy tea or a spiced beverage. Notice how it makes you feel—do you find yourself staying healthier, catching fewer colds, or feeling more centered and uplifted? By embracing warming herbs throughout the colder months, you’ll support your body’s natural resilience and flow with the rhythm of the seasons, inviting health and warmth into your life all winter long.