{"id":851918,"date":"2026-08-11T22:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T22:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/851918\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T22:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T22:42:13","slug":"peppermint-rose-water-and-hibiscus-do-herbal-cooling-remedies-actually-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/851918\/","title":{"rendered":"Peppermint, rose water and hibiscus: Do herbal cooling remedies actually work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rolling heat waves. Unusually high humidity. A supersized El Ni\u00f1o <\/a>on the horizon, which stands to spike temperatures to unprecedented degrees.<\/p>\n

Summer in Los Angeles may not have broken any heat records \u2014 yet \u2014 but the relentless hot weather may be more than you\u2019re able to endure, at least comfortably. Especially without AC at home. Personally, I\u2019ve launched a full-scale assault on the sweltering weather, including consulting heat researchers for strategies on staying cool<\/a> at home.<\/p>\n

Which have worked to varying degrees so far. <\/p>\n

So what next? I\u2019d been hearing a lot<\/a> about Ayurvedic herbalism, which has been used in India for thousands of years to help people cope with the heat, among other conditions, naturally and holistically. Herbal remedies \u2014 in both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine \u2014 are not a medical treatment for heat stroke and other heat illnesses, but they may bring relief in warm weather, some experts say, particularly when prepared by a clinical herbalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to, of course, make sure you have enough fluid first \u2014 water is key,\u201d says Dr. Ka-Kit Hui<\/a>, director of UCLA\u2019s Center for East-West Medicine<\/a>. \u201cBut many of the cooling herbs, like chrysanthemum and honeysuckle, which are anti-inflammatory, and peppermint, for sure, are used for heat symptoms. Some of the chemicals in the herbs are helpful in maintaining the metabolism so that it\u2019s not superfast and generating more heat in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Peppermint is one of the most popular cooling herbs.<\/p>\n

(Deborah Vankin \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Herbs aren\u2019t a cure-all, Hui cautions. They won\u2019t lower your actual body temperature significantly on their own, or every time. Much depends on what\u2019s raising your body temperature in the first place \u2014 if you have a fever due to an infection, for example, see a doctor rather than ingesting peppermint.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they\u2019re antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory and are cooling,\u201d he says of some herbs. \u201cAnd they reduce the feeling of heat. They work in a mild manner with the body\u2019s physiological system bringing the system back into balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was still undecided on the benefits of herbs to keep cool. But \u2014 willing to try nearly anything on a recent stifling afternoon \u2014 I made a trip to Anima Mundi Apothecary<\/a>, in Venice. The \u201chigh vibrational\u201d herb shop offers \u201cplant medicines for body, mind & wellness.\u201d It\u2019s the brainchild of clinical herbalist Adriana Ayales, who grew up in Costa Rica with a background in rainforest herbalism. She also trained with shamanic communities throughout Central and South America. Her Anima Mundi Herbals<\/a> is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., where the company manufactures herbal tinctures, elixirs, teas, herbal supplements and other botanicals. It also has shops in Soho in Manhattan as well as Uvita in Costa Rica. The Venice location opened in 2023.<\/p>\n

\"Anima <\/p>\n

Inside Anima Mundi Apothecary, which houses more than 100 organic or wild herbs. <\/p>\n

(Anima Mundi Apothecary)<\/p>\n

The apothecary is part herb shop, with a wall of more than 100 organic or wild crafted herbs, in jars, from small farms in Southeast Asia and Costa Rica as well as Oregon, Washington, Vermont and upstate New York; it\u2019s part co-working space, with an adjacent \u201ctonic bar\u201d serving chilled elixirs, mocktails, \u201clongevity shots,\u201d teas and medicinal lattes; and it\u2019s part event space, with a lushly landscaped courtyard adorned with a firepit, rose quartz crystals and blooming white sage, lavender, lemon verbena and passion flower, among other plantings. The apothecary hosts meditations<\/a>, sound baths<\/a>, tarot card readings<\/a> and massages <\/a>there to help bring the mind and body into balance. <\/p>\n

The herbs at the shop support Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine<\/a>, rainforest herbalism and American eclectic herbalism, Ayales says. \u201cAll of the traditions, including European, we involve in the blending of formulas,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery ecosystem has their own set of plants that can greatly help healing in so many ways. It\u2019s medicine for the people, grassroots herbalism that you see throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had just one thing in mind when I arrived, however: cooling herbs. The AC in my car was on the fritz and I arrived red faced and sweaty. My iPhone overheated on the way over and stopped working immediately upon arrival. A shop attendant shuttled me into a shady spot by the tonic bar, where the mixologist began mixing me cooling drinks. In the meantime, Aria Krylova, who\u2019s worked at Anima Mundi for several years, put out the store\u2019s top cooling agents for me to try. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Rose Water spritz is popular when temperatures soar in L.A.<\/p>\n

(Deborah Vankin \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

First on the list: rose water \u201cbeauty myst,\u201d which Krylova says is frequently requested during heat waves. \u201cWe call it a beauty mist, but it\u2019s used Ayurvedically to cool down the body,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s just rose flower and distilled water. Rose is very anti-inflammatory. I like to put it in the fridge. And you come back home from a hot day, before you\u2019ve turned on the AC, and it feels like heaven.\u201d <\/p>\n

She was not incorrect. I spritzed it over my upper body, moistening my cheeks, neck and chest. I do the same with a water bottle at home<\/a> and it\u2019s just as cooling \u2014 instantly \u2014 but the rose water\u2019s delicious scent left me feeling especially pampered. <\/p>\n

Krylova then led me to the wall of herbs, offering two cooling blends that can be made into tea at home. <\/p>\n

Anima Mundi\u2019s \u201cmain cool down blend,\u201d as she described it, contains lemongrass, hibiscus, peppermint and orange peel. \u201cIt\u2019s called the Hibiscus Cooler,\u201d Krylova says, adding that the recipe is simple. Add one tablespoon of herbs to about 8 to 12 ounces of hot water. Wait for five to 15 minutes, depending on how strong you want the tea, while the herbs steep. Strain the liquid and cool it in the refrigerator. \u201cIt tastes like a floral garden,\u201d Krylova says. <\/p>\n

The second tea is a custom blend that Krylova concocted for her partner, who \u201cruns hot.\u201d It has lemon verbena, lemongrass, rose, hibiscus flower, tulsi and peppermint. (Preparation is the same as the above.) <\/p>\n

\u201cLemon verbena is one of the best anti-inflammatory herbs \u2014 a lot of times when people are overheated, they tend to feel inflamed,\u201d Krylova says. \u201cAnd lemongrass is also extremely cooling for the body. Tulsi is considered to be the queen of herbs in Ayurvedic tradition. It\u2019s extremely mineralizing for the body, replenishing. And peppermint is a top herb for cooling down your body quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Anima Mundi served me two cooling drinks in the garden. Just the sight of the glasses, dewy with condensation on the outside and filled to the rim with clinking ice, nearly chilled my body. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Hibiscus Sol-Mate, tart and flavorful, is popular in heat waves and during flu season. <\/p>\n

(Deborah Vankin \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Hibiscus Sol-Mate ($7) was a blend of (slightly caffeinated) yerba mate, hibiscus, rose, peppermint and lemongrass, with a fresh lemon slice and a hint of agave. The Tranquility Tea ($7) was composed of chamomile, lemon balm, oatstraw, marshmallow root, jasmine flowers and butterfly pea flowers with tiny flowers floating on top. Both tasted like refreshing iced teas, but the Hibiscus Sol-Mate, a fruit punch red, was more astringent and tart \u2014 though flavorful \u2014 and the Tranquility Tea, a deep blueberry color, was sweeter and lightly floral tasting. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Tranquility Tea, sweet and floral-tasting, lives up to its name; the floating flowers are calming.<\/p>\n

(Deborah Vankin \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Did any of these herbal concoctions actually cool my body temperature? Unclear. But they were thoroughly enjoyable to consume. And the experience was both calming and refreshing. I bought large bags of loose peppermint and spearmint to use for tea at home. <\/p>\n

Bonus: my car smelled sublime \u2014 minty and fresh \u2014 the entire way home. It was curiously relaxing. The aromatherapy, alone, may have been worth the trip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rolling heat waves. Unusually high humidity. A supersized El Ni\u00f1o on the horizon, which stands to spike temperatures…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":851919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[196188,422460,422459,64,63,422461,1293,13453,137,99714,422462,191,16893,490,20349,287110,14622,27580,11814],"class_list":["post-851918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-ac","tag-anima-mundi-apothecary","tag-aria-krylova","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-blend","tag-body","tag-costa-rica","tag-health","tag-herb","tag-hibiscus","tag-home","tag-lemongrass","tag-medication","tag-mind","tag-peppermint","tag-shop","tag-tea","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}