Beat the Heat with These 4 Cooling Herbs
Summer is all about beach days, pool parties, and BBQs. However, a day out in the scorching sun can leave you exhausted. While cold drinks, cocktails, and ice creams are the popular choices of most people to keep them cool, they only offer short-term relief. Herbs offer a better alternative.
There are plenty of culinary and medicinal herbs that provide a cooling effect from the inside out. Try out these four incredible cooling herbs to beat the heat this summer:
1. Sage
A member of the mint family, sage is not only an ideal herb for summer time but is also a go-to natural remedy for hot flashes that are common in menopausal women.
Add fresh sage or organic sage tincture to your summer beverages, warm or cold, to experience cooling and freshness. The herb can either be used on its own or combined with rose or mint for more flavor and added benefits.
2. Peppermint
Peppermint has long been known for its cooling, calming, and refreshing properties. It not only works great for alleviating the effects of the summer sun but is also an incredible natural remedy for sore throat, nausea, common cold, muscle and nerve pain, and indigestion. It also helps improve circulation.
The cooling menthol in peppermint can help dilate airways and improve breathing in people who experience difficulty due to high humidity. One lesser-known fact about peppermint is that it also has energizing properties, making it ideal for days when the summer heat leaves you exhausted.
Make yourself a cup of iced peppermint tea for a refreshing and invigorating treat. It can also be used topically to alleviate heat rash, inflammation, and minor sunburns.
3. Rose
Although rose is technically not an herb, it is widely used in herbal medicine for various purposes. The soothing properties and refreshing fragrance of rose will instantly lift you on a sweltering day, while its anti-inflammatory properties can help prevent and relieve inflammation and have a calming effect on the body.
You can enjoy a rose drink, add the rose tincture to your cocktail, or spray a rose facial mist on your face for an instant boost of freshness.
Rose can also help ease menstrual cramps and has astringent properties.
4. Neem
Neem has long been used in Ayurveda for a wide range of health issues. Often regarded as a cure-all or a wonder plant by traditional Indian medicinal experts, neem possesses incredible health beneficial properties in its leaves, seeds, fruits, roots, and even bark.
Neem works great for preventing and offering relief from exhaustion, loss of energy, tiredness, and skin issues like acne that are common during summers. The plant is even considered effective for preventing and alleviating heat stroke.
A concoction made by brewing neem leaves in water can also help with tired eyes and relieve irritation and redness of eyes as well. Wash your eyes with cooled neem leaves water to refresh your eyes. Neem is also a great natural skin moisturizer and highly effective for wounds, rashes, insect bites, and minor burns.
Conclusion
Herbs are great natural ways to keep yourself cool inside out as well as to deal with various health-related concerns that may arise during summers. Kick the heat and make the most of the warm weather by adding these incredible cooling herbs into your pantry or medicine cabinet.