7 Medicinal Spice Blends For This Winter
Your ancestors survived plagues, infections, and brutal winters without a single pharmacy. If you have these spices in your kitchen, you’re already equipped, but only if you use them right.
I’m talking about remedies backed by real clinical studies. Research showing turmeric rivaling ibuprofen for knee arthritis. Studies finding garlic reduces flu risk by two-thirds. Trials proving elderberry significantly shortens cold symptoms.
Your grandmother understood something modern medicine is only now rediscovering: these plants have been healing humans for thousands of years, and science is finally explaining why they work.
Below, I’ve listed seven powerful spice combinations for winter wellness. And if a particular spice doesn’t agree with you, or you simply don’t have it on hand, I’ll share alternative herbs that deliver similar benefits. There’s a natural remedy for everyone. No synthetic chemicals required.
Turmeric + Black Pepper – Your Joints’ Best Friend
Why you need this: If winter mornings have you moving like the Tin Man, this golden duo is about to change your life.
Here’s the magic: Turmeric’s curcumin is so effective at fighting joint pain that studies show it rivals ibuprofen. Yes, rivals, for knee arthritis relief.
But here’s the kicker: your body can barely absorb curcumin on its own. Enter black pepper. Just a pinch boosts absorption by 2,000%. Not 20%. Not 200%. Two thousand percent.
Try this tonight: Make yourself a cup of golden milk before bed. Warm up some milk (dairy or plant-based), stir in a teaspoon of turmeric, a hefty pinch of black pepper, a drizzle of honey, and maybe some cinnamon.
Your achy joints will thank you in the morning, and you’ll sleep better knowing you’re not loading up on NSAIDs that wreck your stomach lining.
I’ll be honest, I had no idea how to make golden milk properly until I cracked open The Forgotten Home Apothecary book. Now? I make it almost every morning, and my joints feel like they’ve aged backward.
See that image above? That’s me, pointing right at the recipe that changed everything. The real, traditional formula that actually delivers results—not some watered-down version you’ll find elsewhere.
Click here to see the full step-by-step instructions from the book, because once you try this exact recipe, you’re going to wonder where it’s been hiding all your life.
Echinacea + Elderberry – Your Immune System’s Secret Weapon
Why you need this: That moment when you feel a cold coming on? This is your emergency button.
A 2019 analysis of multiple clinical trials found that elderberry significantly shortened cold and flu symptoms compared to doing nothing.
And travelers who took elderberry? They had shorter, milder colds than those who didn’t. Pair that with echinacea’s ability to prime your immune defenses, and you’ve got a one-two punch that helps you dodge the seasonal bugs everyone else is catching.
Your game plan: Keep an echinacea-elderberry tea or syrup on hand. At the first sniffle, before you’re fully sick, start taking it. Many of us swear we’ve stopped colds in their tracks this way. It’s the difference between being bedridden for a week and powering through with minor sniffles.
When a cold creeps in, you don’t have time to fuss with brewing and steeping. That’s why I keep an elderberry tincture on hand year-round.
The second I feel that throat tickle or heavy head, I take a few drops under the tongue. It’s quick, no prep, and it’s saved me more times than I can count.
If you don’t want to make one yourself, this is the one I’m recommending. I’ll leave a link for you here.
Ginger + Peppermint – When Your Stomach Turns Against You
Why you need this: Holiday dinners, stress eating, winter bugs, your gut takes a beating. This combo is like a gentle reset button.
Ginger’s been proven to crush nausea (yes, actual studies, it works for pregnancy nausea and motion sickness). Peppermint oil? A 2022 review found it significantly better than placebo for IBS symptoms. Together, they’re your digestive dream team: ginger warms and stimulates, peppermint cools and calms.
Use it when: You’ve overindulged, you’re feeling queasy, or your stomach’s just off. Steep fresh ginger slices with peppermint leaves, add honey, and sip slowly. You’ll feel the tension in your belly start to ease within minutes. Keep this tea in your arsenal for those “I shouldn’t have eaten that” moments.
This tea works beautifully for acute stomach issues, but if you’re dealing with ongoing digestive problems: bloating, irregular bowel movements, that constant uncomfortable feeling—you need something more comprehensive.
After years of pesticides, processed foods, and antibiotics wreaking havoc on our gut microbiomes, a simple tea won’t cut it. You need plantain, slippery elm, marshmallow root, and specific medicinal mushrooms working together to actually rebuild your gut lining.
Nicole Apelian spent years perfecting this combination in her Balanced Gut Tincture – six powerful herbs and mushrooms that target the root causes of digestive distress. It’s become her most popular blend for a reason: it does something most supplements can’t even claim.
Garlic + Thyme – The Respiratory Rescue
Why you need this: When that cough settles into your chest and won’t budge, over-the-counter syrups just mask symptoms. This combination actually fights what’s making you sick.
Get this: Research found garlic was as effective as certain flu vaccines at preventing infection, reducing risk by about two-thirds. And thyme? Its compounds actively calm coughing fits and help expel mucus. One trial showed thyme extract significantly reduced coughing in bronchitis patients.
Make this your go-to: Crush 2-3 garlic cloves (let them sit 10 minutes to activate the allicin), simmer with dried thyme in broth, add lemon and honey. Drink it hot. This isn’t just comfort food—it’s medicine that tastes like a warm hug. Your grandmother knew what she was doing with that chicken soup recipe.
Look, this remedy works incredibly well… but let’s be honest, nobody wants to walk around smelling like an Italian restaurant.
I make this when I’m home alone for the day. But if I need to see people, or I just can’t handle that lingering garlic taste in my mouth? I reach for mullein and lungwort instead—the most powerful natural decongestants out there.
They work without the social consequences. Bonus: if you’re a smoker trying to clear that stubborn phlegm from your throat, these herbs are absolute lifesavers.
Check out this respiratory support blend here if breathing easy matters more than breathing garlic.
Cinnamon + Clove – The Sore Throat Soother
Why you need this: That raw, can’t-swallow feeling? Clove contains eugenol—the same numbing compound dentists use for toothaches. Studies show it works as well as benzocaine at numbing tissue.
Cinnamon brings antimicrobial firepower and increases blood flow to help your immune cells reach the infection. Together, they numb the pain and fight what’s causing it.
Quick relief: Simmer a cinnamon stick with 4-5 whole cloves for 10 minutes. Add honey (another throat soother) and sip slowly, letting it coat your throat. You’ll feel the numbing effect almost immediately. It’s like natural throat spray, but it actually tastes good.
Rosemary + Sage – Clear Your Head, Sharpen Your Mind
Why you need this: Winter brain fog is real. Short days, less sunlight, more time indoors—it dulls your edge.
Both herbs contain carnosic acid, which researchers found protects brain cells and even strengthens neural connections. Clinical studies show sage improves memory, attention, and mood. One trial found even a low dose of rosemary significantly improved memory speed in older adults.
Start your morning with: A rosemary-sage tea instead of your third coffee. Steep both herbs, add lemon and honey. The flavor’s robust and piney, and you’ll notice a subtle mental clarity that’s different from caffeine jitters. Some folks swear this is their secret weapon for getting through demanding winter workdays.
Coffee lovers, listen up: I’m not going to tell you to give up your coffee for tea… I drink way too much coffee myself to be that hypocritical.
But here’s what I will tell you: you can make your coffee work with your body instead of against it. I add herbal tinctures directly to my morning brew. The alcohol evaporates from the heat, leaving just the medicinal compounds.
My favorite trick? Twenty drops of Lion’s Mane tincture in my coffee. I get the sharp focus and energy from the caffeine, but the Lion’s Mane takes it further, building new neural pathways, sharpening my memory, and giving me sustained mental clarity that lasts all day.
The coffee wakes me up; the Lion’s Mane keeps my brain firing on all cylinders. Best of both worlds, and I never have to choose between my ritual and my cognitive health.
Click here to get Nicole’s dual-extracted Lion’s Mane tincture and transform your morning coffee into a brain-boosting powerhouse.
Cayenne + Ginger – Warm Relief for Winter Aches
Why you need this: Cold weather makes joints scream. This topical combo is your natural heating pad.
Capsaicin cream is FDA-approved for arthritis. One trial showed it reduced osteoarthritis pain by 33% and rheumatoid pain by 57% after four weeks. About 4 out of 5 patients got relief. Ginger adds circulation-boosting, inflammation-fighting power.
DIY pain relief: Mix cayenne and ginger powder into coconut oil or unscented lotion. Apply to sore joints (wash hands after!). Yes, it’ll feel hot—that’s it working. The initial burn fades, and the pain goes with it. Many people with arthritis keep a jar by their bedside for morning stiffness.
A word of caution: Be extremely careful when working with cayenne. Don’t touch your eyes, face, or any sensitive areas after handling it—and wash your hands thoroughly when you’re done.
Getting the ratio right is crucial: too little won’t help, too much will burn your skin. There’s a fine line between therapeutic heat and actual pain, and honestly? Most people get it wrong the first few times.
An experienced herbalist knows the exact proportions that work. If you’d rather skip the trial-and-error (and potential skin burns), this Joint and Movement Salve is what I use personally.
It’s already perfectly balanced, and it works from the first application. Sometimes the shortcut is worth it.
Your Winter Wellness Toolkit
You don’t need a pharmacy when you’ve got a well-stocked spice rack. These seven combinations give you natural solutions for the most common winter complaints—joint pain, colds, digestive issues, coughs, sore throats, brain fog, and muscle aches.
The pharmaceutical industry wants you dependent on pills that require more pills to manage their side effects. But you’re smarter than that. You know that the plants our ancestors relied on aren’t primitive medicine. They’re sophisticated, multi-targeted remedies that work in harmony with your body.
Start with one blend that addresses your biggest winter struggle. Make it part of your daily routine. Feel the difference. Then add another.
Your body knows what real medicine looks like. It’s time to give it what it’s been asking for.
Build Your Own Home Apothecary. One Remedy at a Time
Picture this: You wake up with a migraine. Instead of digging through medicine cabinets or waiting for the pharmacy to open, you walk to your kitchen shelf, grab a small amber bottle, and add three drops to your tea. Within 20 minutes, the pain fades.
Your kid comes home with a scratchy throat. You pull out a jar you made last month—cinnamon and clove honey syrup. Two spoonfuls, and they’re already feeling relief.
That’s not some fantasy. That’s what having your own home apothecary looks like.
The Forgotten Home Apothecary gives you 250 organized remedies—arranged by body system, just like a real apothecary. Need something for your lungs? Go to the Respiratory Shelf. Gut issues? Digestive Shelf. Brain fog? Nervous System Shelf.
Inside, you’ll find remedies like:
- The Brain Booster for memory and focus when you need to be sharp
- The Painkiller in a Jar made from wild lettuce (legal, effective, and grows everywhere)
- Amish Amoxicillin to strengthen your immune system naturally
- The Sleep Remedy So Effective It Should Be Illegal—valerian, lavender, and passionflower in perfect balance
- Nature’s Antibiotic you can make from pantry ingredients
Every single one comes with full-color photos, exact measurements, and step-by-step instructions. No guessing. No herbal degree required.
Dr. Nicole Apelian survived 57 days alone in the wilderness using only plants. She manages her MS without medication for 20 years using her own remedies. This isn’t theory—it’s survival knowledge in book form.
Right now, you’re getting the 288-page book PLUS 3 bonus guides (Lost Skills of the Great Depression, Healing with Household Items, DIY Projects for a World Without Electricity) AND the Herbal Medicine Video Collection where Nicole walks you through the most popular remedies step-by-step.
Regular price: $173
Today: $37 (78% off)
Only 17 copies left at this price. This is a limited print run. Once they’re gone, the price goes back up, or they’re just gone.
Get your home apothecary for $37 before this deal disappears →
60-day keep-the-book guarantee. If it doesn’t work for you, keep it anyway and get your money back.
