In winter, besides dressing warmly and maintaining a balanced lifestyle, using medicinal foods is a safe method to help keep the body warm from the inside.
Winter, with its cold and dry climate, is a time when the body's resistance is easily weakened, circulation is poor, and chronic diseases such as joint pain, digestive disorders, colds, and respiratory infections are more likely to recur. According to traditional medicine, this is a period when cold energy is prevalent; if one does not know how to keep warm and properly care for oneself, cold pathogens can easily invade, damaging the body's yang energy – the factor that determines its ability to generate heat and resist cold.
Keeping warm is not just about protecting against the external cold, but more importantly, it's about warming the body, replenishing vital energy, nourishing blood, clearing meridians, helping the body generate its own heat, and adapting to cold weather. Warming herbal remedies often have a warm, spicy, and sweet flavor, promoting the flow of vital energy, activating blood circulation, warming the body, dispelling cold, and simultaneously aiding digestion and boosting immunity.
1. The ginger and cinnamon remedy helps keep the body warm effectively.
Fresh ginger and cinnamon are two familiar medicinal herbs, possessing warming properties and a spicy taste. They are effective in dispelling cold, warming the meridians, and clearing the blood vessels, making them particularly suitable for winter.
- How to use: Steep 3-5 slices of fresh ginger and 3-5g of cinnamon in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drink warm; a little honey can be added to make it easier to drink and enhance its lung-nourishing effects.
- Uses: This remedy helps warm the body quickly, alleviate feelings of cold, prevent colds, and reduce abdominal pain caused by cold, as well as cold hands and feet. According to modern research, ginger contains gingerol and shogaol, which increase peripheral circulation and generate heat; cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, which helps dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow.
Note: Do not use high doses for people with symptoms of fever, high temperature, and excessive dry mouth.
Ginger and cinnamon remedies help keep the body warm during winter.
2. Onion and perilla leaf porridge
This is a popular medicinal dish, especially suitable for those who have just caught a cold, the elderly, children, or people with weak constitutions.
- Instructions: Cook rice porridge until soft, add chopped scallions and perilla leaves, and eat while hot.
- Uses: Onions and perilla leaves both have warming properties, helping to relieve external symptoms, dispel mild cold, regulate blood circulation, induce mild sweating, and naturally warm the body. This porridge is also easy to digest and stimulates the digestive system during cold weather.
Rice porridge with scallions and perilla leaves helps relieve colds.
3. Ginger and red date tea
Jujube (Chinese date) is a medicinal herb with a sweet taste and warm nature, used to tonify qi, nourish blood, and regulate the spleen and stomach. It is often combined with ginger to enhance its warming effect.
- How to use: Boil 3 slices of fresh ginger and 3-5 red dates for 10-15 minutes, then drink warm; this can be consumed 1-2 times a day, in the morning or late afternoon.
- Uses: Helps improve symptoms of cold stomach, fatigue, and poor appetite, especially suitable for women and the elderly. Red dates are rich in polysaccharides and flavonoids, supporting immunity and providing antioxidant benefits.
Ginger and red date tea helps to increase the body's warmth during winter.
4. Herbal wine made with Centella asiatica, cinnamon, and star anise warms the muscles and bones, and reduces pain.
For people who frequently experience joint pain and feel cold in the chilly weather, herbal warming tonics can be a good supportive treatment.
- How to use: Take the roots of the *Tinospora cordifolia* plant, cinnamon, star anise, and dried ginger (in appropriate amounts), soak these three herbs in 35-40 degree white wine for 1-2 months.
- Uses: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, this remedy has the effect of warming the meridians and dispelling cold, activating blood circulation, helping to relieve joint pain, increasing circulation, and warming the body from within.
- How to use: Drink a small cup after meals or apply topically to the affected area.
- Note: Not suitable for patients with liver disease, uncontrolled hypertension, or pregnant women.
5. The astragalus and codonopsis herbal remedy tonifies qi and increases heat generation.
For those who are easily chilled, tired, sweat excessively, or frequently catch colds in cold weather, traditional medicine classifies this as a deficiency of vital energy (qi), requiring the replenishment of qi to generate heat.
- Ingredient: Astragalus membranaceus 12–16 g, Codonopsis pilosula 12 g, jujube 3 fruits.
- How to use: Take one dose of the decoction daily, divided into two portions, while it is still warm.
- Uses: Astragalus membranaceus tonifies qi, strengthens the body's defenses, and enhances immunity; Codonopsis pilosula tonifies the middle qi and improves metabolism. This formula helps the body generate sustained heat.
Astragalus membranaceus replenishes vital energy and enhances the body's resistance during winter.
Keeping the body warm in winter is a holistic health process that requires focusing on nourishing the body's vital energy from within. Traditional medicine remedies using readily available ingredients such as ginger, red dates, onions, and perilla leaves, when used correctly, can help the body adapt well to cold weather, effectively prevent illness, and improve quality of life.