Skip to content
Fast & Free Delivery over $45 How fast will I receive my order? ZIP Code: - Receive it More Info

Stock Your Winter Herbal Apothecary

5 Min Read
Stock Your Winter Herbal Apothecary
Updated on June 05, 2024

Traditional herbalism is inextricably intertwined with the seasons. The shifting tides of hot to cold, harvest to hibernation, and light to dark guide us to the plants and healing protocols best suited to our needs any time of year. Whether our seasons are indistinguishable, or extremely dynamic, it is undeniable that for those of us in the northern hemisphere, we are entering the time of year when night outlasts day; the winter months.

Traditionally, this time of year is dedicated to going inward. We watch as small critters gather stores of nuts and bedding, and the animals and plants retreat underground, seeking warmth and quiet. It is a time of preparation, an opportunity to arrange our spaces –and our herbal apothecaries, with items that will support us through the coming months. For winter, this means supporting immune system response through herbs and medicinal mushrooms, tending to our respiratory system, and comforting ourselves with warming rituals and nervous system support.

Here’s what we’re stocking our shelves with this winter to do just that!

Herbal Rituals for Winter Health

1. Breathe Deeply with Herbal Steams
One of our favorite warming rituals for winter is an herbal steam. Pour boiling water over aromatic herbs like eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender, and breathe in the vapors. To capture more herbal goodness, you may choose to drape a towel over your head and the steaming bowl; close your eyes and inhale deeply.

2. Warm your Body with Herbal Baths
When the cold air sets into your bones, there is nothing more comforting than lingering in a hot bath. Warming and pungent herbs like ginger, rosemary, and cinnamon add a depth of heat to your bath that can heat you to your core, while moistening herbs like marshmallow, slippery elm and seaweed have lovely emollient properties when used topically. Check out our Simple & Soothing Herbal Bath Soak Recipes for some great herbal soaking ideas. Skin exfoliation is another key self-care ritual as it aids the natural sloughing of dead skin cells. Combining sugar or salt with some skin-friendly herbal powders like rose, calendula, lavender, and chamomile and a little oil makes for a lovely scrub to soften your skin while you soak.

3. Moisturize with Herb-rich Infused Oils
After a long hot bath, there is no ritual more satisfying than anointing yourself from head to toe with an herbal infused oil. One of the most traditional, simple, and rewarding herbal preparations, infused oils make wonderful daily body moisturizers, and can be a great addition to your herbal scrubs, salves, and nose oil recipes. You can learn more about how they are made in our Wild Infused Spring Skin Salve article.

4. Protect your Nasal Passages with a Neti Pot & Nasal Oil
Winter winds and chills do a number on the nasal passages. Luckily these two tried-and-true rituals will keep your schnoz snuggly. Rinsing the nasal passages with lightly salted warm water using a neti pot (a small container with a long spout) is an ancient Ayurvedic practice to flush out irritants while also helping to move blockages. Some people choose to boil the water first and let cool, or use distilled water. For moisturizing protection, follow up with “nasal oilination.” Apply an infused oil or simple carrier oil, such as coconut or sesame seed, to the tip of your pinky finger and gently swab the inner lining of your nose. This practice is great at hydrating the mucus membranes inside our nose, and is helpful for avoiding the uncomfortable dryness that so often accompanies cold and dry winter air.

Tea boxes, tonics and plants in hexagon shelves, and candles, tea cup and apothecary items on desk

Roots & Mushrooms for Immunity
Winter is traditionally the time of roots and mushrooms. Roots are harvested this time of year because the above-ground portions of the plant have died away, and the energy, and healing potency of the plant becomes strongest in the root. This is the best time of year to harvest and prepare roots high in immune supportive polysaccharides like echinacea, ashwagandha, and astragalus. Mushrooms thrive in dense forests as soon as the first rains begin to fall. The edible mushrooms that are traditionally used by herbalists are also high in polysaccharides, such as reishi, lion’s mane, maitake and shiitake. These immune-supportive polysaccharides are best extracted in hot water, so a tea of Reishi Mushroom with Rooibos & Orange Peel or Echinacea Plus is the best way to fortify your immunity daily.*

Herbs for Respiratory Support
Marshmallow, licorice root, and eucalyptus all support throat health and the respiratory system. Find them blended together in our Throat Coat Eucalyptus tea. If your respiratory tract feels energetically cold, wet, and boggy, consider a daily respiratory support blend with astringent and aromatic (warming) herbs like Urban Moonshine’s Clear Chest herbal syrup. As for tea, our Breathe Easy features warming fennel and ginger combined with the power of licorice to promote respiratory health like a breath of fresh air.*

Stress & Sleep Herbal Aids
Embrace your inner sleepy bear this winter. After a busy year of hard work, winter is a time to focus on rest, but rest does not come easy to us all. If that’s you, try creating healthy sleep hygiene habits, that is, rituals you use nightly to tell your body it is time to wind down. To settle a stressed nervous system, sip on our Chamomile with Lavender tea, or if you need to promote a good night’s sleep, reach for some of the more powerful sleep aids like valerian and passionflower, in our Nighty Night Extra tea. If you are trying to avoid drinking tea before bed, Urban Moonshine’s Hit the Hay is a powerful blend of herbs for promoting relaxation, or for the occasional sleepless night.*

Mood Boosting Herbs
With the seasonal darkness that accompanies our winter months, it is not uncommon to experience the occasional winter blues. Lemon balm, St. John’s Wort (not to be combined with anti-depressants), and kanna have all been traditionally used to brighten a dismal day. Be sure to stock up on Urban Moonshine’s Joy Tonic, an uplifting blend of motherwort, linden, and rose, to promote a joyful spirit and positive mental attitude.*

Traditional Medicinals’ products cannot cure, treat, or prevent COVID-19.

You Might Also Enjoy

Shop All
Popular
Nighty Night Extra<sup>®</sup> Tea New look but same trusted formula for nighty night extra lemon balm & valerian

Nighty Night Extra® Tea

This blend will help you mellow out and relax with extra help from valerian root in our strongest sleep formula
Popular
Lemon Balm Tea. light & citrusy and relieves stress Lemon balm calms the nervous system and supports digestion

Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon Balm calms the nervous system and supports digestion
Popular
Traditional Medicinals logo. Daily Herbal. Organic Chamomile & Lavender. Pleasantly Floral. Supports Relaxation. Caffeine Free. 16 Wrapped Tea Bags. Herbal Supplement. NET WT .85 OZ (24g). USDA ORGANIC logo. This blend settles your nervous system when stressed. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Chamomile & Lavender Tea

This blend settles your nervous system when stressed and eases tension
Popular
Traditional Medicinals logo. Seasonal. Wellness. Breathe Easy. Promotes Respiratory Health*. Eucalyptus Mint. Caffeine Free. 16 Wrapped Tea Bags. Herbal Supplement. NET WT .85 OZ (24g) This blend promotes respiratory health like a breath of fresh air. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)

Breathe Easy® Tea

This blend promotes respiratory health like a breath of fresh air
Popular
Traditional Medicinals logo. Seasonal. Wellness. Organic Throat Coat. Supports Throat Health*. Original with Slippery ELM. Caffeine Free. 16 Wrapped Tea Bags. Herbal Supplement. NET WT 1.13 OZ (32g) This blend supports throat health. Slippery ELM (Ulmus rubra). Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis). Wild Cherry Bark (Prunus serotina)

Throat Coat® Tea

This blend supports throat health
Popular
Traditional Medicinals logo. Relaxation. Wellness. Organic Cup of Calm. Calming and Relaxing. CHAMOMILE MINT. Caffeine Free. 16 Wrapped Tea Bags. Herbal Supplement. NET WT .85 OZ (24g). USDA ORGANIC logo. New Look, same trusted formula!

Cup of Calm® Tea

This blend is calming and relaxing when you need it most
Popular
Traditional Medicinals logo. Seasonal. Wellness. Organic Echinacea Plus. Promotes Immune Function. ELDERBERRY. Caffeine Free. 16 Wrapped Tea Bags. Herbal Supplement. NET WT .85 OZ (24g). USDA ORGANIC logo This blend boots the immune system. Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea). Elder Flower & Fruit (Sambucus nigra). Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

Echinacea Plus® Elderberry Tea

This blend boosts the immune system
Popular
Traditional Medicinals logo. Daily Herbal. Organic Chamomile. Soothingly Sweet & Floral. Supports Relaxation. Caffeine Free. 16 Wrapped Tea Bags. Herbal Supplement. NET WT .74 OZ (20.8g). USDA ORGANIC logo Chamomile (Matricaria recutita). Calms your nerves and supports healthy digestion.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile calms your nerves and supports healthy digestion
Popular
traditional medicinal smooth move herbal supplement this blend gently relieves occasional constipation overnight, generally within 6-12 hours

Smooth Move® Tea

This blend gently relieves occasional constipation overnight, generally within 6-12 hours

Reishi Mushroom with Rooibos & Orange Peel Tea

This blends supports a healthy immune system and helps keep the body in balance

Red Clover Tea

Red Clover is traditionally used in herbal medicine for skin health

EveryDay Detox® Lemon Tea

This blend promotes healthy skin and supports the body's natural detoxification process

Herbal Cold Care™ Tea

This blend provides warm, soothing comfort when you need it most
Popular
nighty night 3d front facing box Nighty-Night-new-look

Nighty Night® Tea

This blend helps you relax and get a good night’s sleep

Cold Care P.M.® Tea

This blend promotes a good night's sleep and supports respiratory health
Popular
Throat Coat<sup>®</sup> Lemon Echinacea Lozenges provides sore throat support when you need it most.

Throat Coat® Lemon Echinacea Lozenges

These herbal lozenges provides sore throat support when you need it most.

Tulsi & Ginger Tea

This blend supports a healthy response to stress

Immune Zoom® Elderberry Echinacea Tea

This blend supports immune function with the power of echinacea and elderberry

Licorice Root Tea

Licorice Root soothes the digestive tract and promotes respiratory health
Popular
Throat Coat<sup>®</sup> Lemon Echinacea Tea Supports throat health and boosts the immune system

Throat Coat® Lemon Echinacea Tea

This blend supports throat health and boosts the immune system
Popular
Throat Coat<sup>®</sup> Lemon Echinacea Tea Supports throat health and boosts the immune system

Throat Coat® Lemon Echinacea Tea

This blend supports throat health and boosts the immune system

Related Articles

View All

Herbal Basics: Adaptogens 101

We can all agree that sometimes our natural rhythm falls out of step. We live in a world where it is easy to take on too much, flaring up stress,...

Dandelion Date Shake

By Sarah Kate Benjamin of The Kosmic Kitchen If you've never had a date shake you're in for a real Southern California treat. Invented in the 1930's by a date...

A Conversation with Nioma Narissa Sadler: Empowering Women and Transforming Communities

Author: Jules Benefico Join us for an insightful conversation with Nioma Narissa Sadler, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, and Goodwill Ambassador at Traditional Medicinals®. Nioma is not only...

Voices Are For Using, Not Losing™: Get to know Jake & Shelby Singer/Songwriter Duo

Jake & Shelby, the dynamic pop duo aged 18 and 19, are rapidly climbing the music charts with their mature and fresh sound, drawing inspiration from John Mayer, Madison Cunningham,...

Identity Herbalism with Erin Masako Wilkins of Herb Folk Medicine

Erin Masako Wilkins is an Asian American herbalist and acupuncturist. She has been a practicing herbalist for over a decade specializing in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. She aims to...

Celebrating the Holidays and the Planet

Tis the season of green! We are proud to announce that we at Traditional Medicinals have joined forces with the Environmental Media Association (EMA), using our voices to elevate eco-consciousness...

Q&A with Rosemary Gladstar, “Godmother of Modern Herbalism” and Traditional Medicinals Co-Founder

Photo taken by Danielle Cohen Meet Rosemary Gladstar, known as the godmother of modern herbalism, she has captivated a global audience with her wealth of knowledge and passion for herbal...

Voices are for Using, Not Losing™: Tips from a Celebrity Voice Coach

Meet RAab Stevenson, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, arranger, producer, artist and developer. Robert “RAab” Stevenson has worked with some of the most famous voices and producers heard on pop radio...

How Tea can Protect Ecosystems: FairWild collection with the BBC Storyworks Commercial Production

Climate change is altering landscapes. It’s harming global ecosystems and the people who depend on them. Over 40% of medicines found in western pharmacies are derived from plants, many of...

3 Herbal Hacks for Mental Health

Big emotions are often natural reactions to very real challenges. Occasional stress, overwhelm and stretches of melancholy can feel scary. And yet, you’re not alone. We’ve all had seasons of...

Nighty Night® Night Cap

At the end of the day, we’re all looking to slip peacefully into a restful sleep, but sometimes it can be hard getting there. Practicing good sleep hygiene can help...

Mother's Milk Oat Milk Latte

Hey mamas, when was the last time you enjoyed a moment of pause and made a sweet treat just for you? As herbalists, we’re trained to spend extra care supporting...