Wild swimming in winter (or cold showers) as popularised by Wim Hof and others seem to help poor circulation, inflammatory disorders, depression and many other issues. In this Livestream I discuss my thoughts on these practices and show and tell some of the little herbal hacks I use to help recover from cold exposure!

LINKS:

Cold water swimming benefits – detailed research paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730683/

Clear instruction video on ice water hand and foot training for poor circulation, Reynaud’s, and (potentially?) reducing neuropathic pain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzg7dfllzvM

The original VICE documentary on Wim Hof

Research paper on the many biological activities of Cayenne (chilli) pepper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7432674/

Angelica root – traditional medicinal uses https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Angelica+archangelica

Wood Betony: traditional uses https://eattheplanet.org/wood-betony-a-fascinating-herb-with-many-benefits/

Wood Betony’s plant family (Stachys) – interesting phytochemistry research paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7601302/

Rosemary – general research papers

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5905578/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6325740/

ADDENDUM - I couldn't find the specific reference I saw years ago describing Angelica's ability to improve circulation through the heart - but it seems likely to be the coumarins in the root, which have Calcium-channel blocking activity and act as vasodilators. I recall reading that extracts could specifically increase blood flow through the