Warming Supporting Mulled
wine using Herbs from your kitchen pantry, you already know. Lorna - Skydancer Apothecary Dec 2022. Saint Hildegard of Bingen, a German mystic of the 12th century, had the right idea here. She has a recipe that calls for Mulled Red Wine and Parsley, used especially for a hurt heart “not necessarily a heart desease”, but for Melancholy, extreme grief and the feeling of giving up. Mulling, Infusing, Decocting all have the same essence at their root, and that is to draw out the beneficial properties of a herb for medicinal use. I think of Hildegard as I create this Mulled Wine Tonic , with us all in mind, Culinary Herbs that support the system. I can almost sense her as she created her remedies, drawing on fellow Herbalists knowledge and her Spirituality to know which herbs to use for which ailment.
Some of the 12th Century Herbalists: *Dioscorides * Galen Hippocrates is quoted as saying,
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Mulled Supporting Wine 32oz Inexpensive full bodied Red Wine 1 cinnamon stick (mine was about 8” Long) broken into 3 pieces 4 Star Anise 4 Allspice berries 6 Black Pepper Corns 6 whole cloves
4-6 Cardamom pods
sliced whole orange into rings or
scant 2 tablespoons Dried orange peel
Use a mortor and Pestel and grind down the berries, peppercorns, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise. ( smash them a few times and call it good)
Put all your dried herbs into a large (biodigradable ) tea bag, or muslin bag.
Add to your Red Wine, (now in a pot on the stove)
put the lid on and turn down to a low simmer (remember you are doing a slow infusion, using heat to help draw out the properties, not boil, fast simmer or cook)
Why do I choose these herbs: ? The quick and dirty truth - more to know - do your research - here is some of what I know , and why these Everyday culinary herbs in my opinion are good to use. Cinnamon : Cassia cinnamon or Cinnamomum cassia / verum Cinnamaldehyde cinnamons active ingredient. 1 gram a day can reduce blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes 1-6grams a day can reduce elevated glucose, triglycerides or total cholestrol. Star Anise: Illicium verum Shikimic acid & anethole Effective against Flu Virus, inhibits the growth of Epstein-Barr virus, Herpes Simplex 1, HIV, Hepatitis B.
Allspice: Pimenta dioica Volatile oil - Eugenol plus over two dozen Healing compounds - active Phenols Allspice - cont::: Possesses Antiviral and antibacterial qualities = infection fighter Analgesic and anesthetic properties = pain relief. Used in Jamaica to help alleviate a cold, soothe a stomachache, regulate menses, relieve indigestion, flatulence. Anti fungal - remedy for Athletes foot. (Powdered) Relieves symptoms of Menopause Black Peppercorns: Piper nigrum piperine compound Stimulates taste buds, triggers the pancreas to start producing digestive enzymes. Helps digest food better. Increases the bioavailibility of a range of drugs inc antibiotics, beta blockers for high blood pressure, calcium channel blockers for heart disease, cough medicines. Fights cancer, colon, lung, breast. Eases arthritis. Helps treat hyperthyroidism, over active thyroid. Reverses Vitiligo - pigment malfunction of the skin (Melanocytes) Clove : Syzygium aromaticum The oil - Eugenol A mild anesthetic, analgesic, reducing pain. (orally) Anit-inflammatory, antibacterial, killing germs. Fights, gingivitis ( early stage of gum disease) , periodontitis ( later stage, when gums recede and bone erodes , stomatitis ( a painful inflammation of the mucous lining of the mouth). Eugenol’s germ-fighting powers can be effective against bacteria's and viruses thought the body. Effective against: E.coli, Staphylococcus, Proteus (bladder infection) Klebsiella (respiratory infections), Enterobacter ( hospital-aquired infections) Pseudomonas (urinary tract infections) Cardamom: Elettaria cardamomum More than 25 Volatile oils. The most medicinally active is the antioxidant Cineole.
Digestive relief, powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic agents. Calms the gut by blocking receptors on cells that regulate muscle contraction. Cardamom acts like a cholinergic and calcium antagonist drug. Cholinergic drugs stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, and muscle relaxation: calcium antagonist drugs also relax muscles. Lowers blood pressure. Prevents blood clots. Eases sever asthma. Clears up a sinus infection.