魔女Haruの薬膳手帖 〜冬のあたため編〜

ようこそ、魔女Haruの薬膳手帖へ。
今日めくるのは「冬」のページ。

外の空気は澄んでいるけれど、吐く息は白く、手先は冷たくかじかんでしまいます。
寒さの空気がそぉっと体に入り込み、血の巡りを滞らせ、冷えや痛みを呼び寄せるのです。
この間に動物達は、冬眠し体を休ませていますが、人間はそうはいきません。
1年間使ってきた体を、次の春までに回復させなければなりません。
けれども安心してください。
魔女の手帖には、冬を乗り切るための薬膳の知恵がしっかりと書き残されています。

魔女の手帖に記された「寒邪（かんじゃ）」の話

東洋医学には「寒邪」という言葉があります。
これは、冬の寒さが体に入り込み、体を温める力を傷つけて不調を起こす原因のこと。
寒邪は、体を冷やし、固くしてしまう力を持ちます。
その結果——悪寒や下痢、頭痛や関節痛、さらには足腰の冷えやこわばりまで。
冬になると体調を崩しやすいのは、この寒邪が関わっているのです。
さらに、内臓が冷えてしまうと血流も鈍り、体全体の働きが低下します。
冷たい飲み物や体を締め付ける服装も、冷えを深める原因に。
だからこそ、冬は「内側から温める」ことが何より大切になります。

冬の薬膳でぽかぽかチャージ
薬膳は、ただ体を温めるだけではなく、全身のバランスを整える知恵。
生姜やネギのように血行を促すもの、唐辛子やシナモン、にんにくのように代謝を高めるもの。
これらを上手に取り入れれば、冷えは和らぎ、冬を快適に過ごせるのです。

そして、冬は腎の働きが活発になります。
各臓器は、一年中よく働きエネルギーや血、
水分を消耗しています。
これらの元になるものは、腎に貯蔵されているのです。
だから、冬の間に腎にエネルギーや栄養をしっかりとためて、各臓器に運ばなければなりません。
そして、腎は冷えを嫌い、
成長や生殖、アンチエイジングにも関わります！

だからこそ冬は、腎の働きを助け、寒邪の邪気を追い払うことが大切。
それが冬を健やかに過ごすための薬膳養生なのです。

冬におすすめの薬膳食材

魔女の手帖には、冬を支える食材が書き留められています。

血や潤いを補うもの
・人参・ほうれん草・小松菜・イカ・豚肉・レバー・落花生・ごま・ぶどう・など

体を温めるもの
• 生姜 ・ネギ … 発汗を助け、風邪を防ぐ
• エビ・クルミ・ニラ・シナモン・唐辛子 … 代謝を上げ、体を芯から温める

基礎を養うもの
• じゃがいも・人参・しいたけ・長芋・鶏肉・椎茸・米など … 体を中から支える

栄養の宝庫
魔女が好むスパイス
• シナモン … 血行を促進し、香りで心も温める
• クローブ … 消化を助け、殺菌作用も
• 生姜 … 料理でもお茶でも使える冬の主役
ホットチャイがおすすめ。

魔女の台所から ― 冬の薬膳レシピ

冬を楽しく過ごす3つの工夫

薬膳とあわせて、暮らし方を少し整えるだけで、冬はぐっと過ごしやすくなります。

1. 体を滋養し、休む。
冬は、次の春に備えてエネルギーを貯蔵する季節です。
体に良いものを食べて、栄養をしっかり補給しましょう。
そうすることで、体の隅々まで栄養が行き渡ります。

2.暖かくして過ごす。
体を温めるエネルギーが寒さによって傷つきやすい季節です。
自分の体を包み込むような気持ちで保温に努めてください。
お風呂で体を外からも温めるのがおすすめです。

3. 睡眠は、早寝遅起
日が出ている時間が一年で1番短い季節です。夜は長いのでそのリズムと共にゆったりと寝てください。

魔女からの注意書き

シナモンは、体を温めるよりもさらに熱！という分類になります。血液の流れが良くなりすぎるので、妊婦さんは大量に取らない方がいいとされています。

薬膳は「継続」が魔法の鍵。
一度で劇的に変わるものではなく、少しずつ頑張らず、肩の力を抜いて
毎日の食事に取り入れてこそ力を発揮します。
また、体を温める食材も摂りすぎれば汗をかいて逆効果。
体質に合ったものを選び、ほどよく取り入れることが大切です。

まとめ

冬は、春に備えてエネルギーを蓄える「貯蔵の季節」。
冷えに負けず、体の芯を温めることで、次に訪れる春を健やかに迎えられるのです。
どうぞ今夜から、薬膳の知恵を一さじ加えてみてください。
心も体も、冬の寒さに揺らがない強さを育てていけますように。

もっと薬膳について知りたい方は、シリーズ『気・血・津液』の
をご覧ください。
下にリンクを貼っておきます。

Witch Haru’s Herbal Notebook – Winter’s Warming Edition

Welcome to Witch Haru’s Herbal Notebook.
Today we turn to the page marked “Winter.”

The air outside is clear and crisp, yet every breath escapes as a white cloud, and our fingertips grow cold and stiff. The chill of the season slips quietly into the body, slowing circulation and inviting coldness and pain.
While animals can curl up and hibernate, resting their bodies until spring, humans do not have that luxury. We must take care to restore the body that has worked all year long so that it may be renewed by the time spring arrives.
But do not worry.
Within the witch’s notebook, wisdom has been carefully written down—wisdom to help us endure the long winter with strength and warmth.

The Witch’s Notes on 

“Cold Evil” (Kanja)

In Eastern medicine, there is a word: kanja—“cold evil.”
It refers to the force of winter’s cold entering the body, damaging its natural warmth, and causing illness.
Cold evil chills the body and makes it rigid. The results may appear as chills, diarrhea, headaches, joint pain, coldness or stiffness in the legs and lower back. The reason so many people feel unwell in winter is because of the influence of this kanja.
When the inner organs are chilled, blood flow slows, and the body’s overall functions weaken. Cold drinks or tight clothing that restrict circulation can deepen this cold within.
That is why, in winter more than any other season, “warming from the inside” is the key to staying well.

Warming Energy with Winter Herbal Food Therapy

Herbal cuisine does more than simply warm the body—it brings the whole system back into balance.

• Ingredients like ginger and green onion promote blood circulation.
  

• Chili, cinnamon, and garlic boost metabolism and inner warmth.
  

When used wisely, they ease coldness and allow you to pass through winter in comfort.
Winter is also the season when the Kidneys become especially active.
All year long, the organs consume energy, blood, and fluids in their work. The source of these vital substances is stored within the Kidneys.
That is why winter is the time to replenish the Kidneys with nourishment and energy, so that they may continue to provide for the rest of the body.
The Kidneys dislike cold, yet they are deeply connected to growth, reproduction, and even longevity.
This makes it all the more important to strengthen their function and protect against cold evil during the winter months.
Such practices form the heart of winter herbal nourishment.

Winter’s Recommended Herbal Ingredients

In the witch’s notebook are recorded the foods that support us through the cold season.

To replenish blood and moisture:

• Carrot, spinach, komatsuna, squid, pork, liver, peanuts, sesame, grapes, and more.
  

To warm the body:

• Ginger, green onion … helps sweating and protects against colds
  

• Shrimp, walnut, garlic chives, cinnamon, chili pepper … increase metabolism and warm the body from within.
  

To build a strong foundation:

• Potato, carrot, shiitake, yam, chicken, rice, and more … support the body from deep inside.
  

The witch’s favorite warming spices:

• Cinnamon … stimulates circulation, warming both body and heart with its fragrance.

• Clove … aids digestion and offers cleansing, antibacterial power.

• Ginger … the star of winter, useful in cooking or tea.
  

✨ A hot cup of spiced chai is especially recommended.

From the Witch’s Kitchen — A Winter Herbal Recipe

Shrimp & Garlic Chives Stir-Fry with Warming Magic
Ingredients

• Shrimp (large) … 250g

• Garlic chives … 1 bunch

• Eggs … 3

• Fresh ginger … 1 knob

• Sesame oil … to taste

• Salt & pepper … a little
  

For seasoning the shrimp (A):

• Cooking sake … 1 tbsp

• Salt … a pinch

• Potato starch … 1 tbsp
  

For the sauce:

• Oyster sauce … 1 tbsp

• Sugar … 1 tsp

• Chicken soup powder … 1 tsp

• Sesame oil … 2 tbsp
  
  

• 
  Method

• Peel and devein the shrimp. Mince the ginger. Place both in a bowl, add (A), massage gently, then coat the shrimp with potato starch.

• Cut the garlic chives into 3 cm pieces. Stir-fry quickly in a pan, then remove to a plate.

• Beat the eggs, season lightly with salt and pepper, and scramble them in the pan. Remove to the same plate as the chives.

• In a bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients.

• Heat sesame oil in the pan, add the shrimp from step 1, and stir-fry until their color changes.

• Return the chives and eggs, stir-fry together, then add the sauce. When the shrimp are cooked through, remove from heat.
  

Serve on a plate, and it’s ready to enjoy!
TIPS:
Garlic chives warm the body and also help detoxify, making them a nutrient-rich companion for shrimp. Together, they strengthen the Kidneys and replenish energy—gently caring for the body through winter and preparing it for spring.
Enjoy this season with warmth and vitality!
(And delight in the plump, juicy shrimp!)

Three Ways to Enjoy Winter More Comfortably

In addition to food therapy, simply adjusting your lifestyle a little makes winter far easier to bear.
1. Nourish and rest the body.
Winter is a season of storing energy for the spring ahead. Eat nourishing foods and replenish your strength so that every part of the body receives what it needs.
2. Keep yourself warm.
The energy that warms the body is easily damaged by cold. Wrap yourself with care and practice warmth as though you are gently embracing your own body. A warm bath is especially helpful.
3. Follow nature’s rhythm of sleep.
With the shortest daylight of the year, nights are long. Honor this rhythm by sleeping early and rising later, allowing the body to rest in harmony with the season.

A Note from the Witch

Cinnamon is not only warming, but classified as “hot.” It stimulates circulation strongly, and for that reason is not recommended for pregnant women.
Remember, herbal therapy works through continuation.
It is not a sudden magic that changes you overnight, but a gentle, steady support that reveals its power when woven naturally into daily meals.
Even warming foods, if taken in excess, may cause sweating and the loss of vital warmth. Always choose what matches your own body and use moderation.

In Summary

Winter is the season of storage, a time to gather energy in preparation for spring.
By protecting yourself against cold and gently warming the core of the body, you will be able to welcome the next season in health.
So tonight, try adding just a spoonful of herbal wisdom to your meal.
May both your body and your heart grow strong enough to remain unshaken by the winter chill.

If you would like to know more about herbal wisdom,
please see the series “Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids”.
You’ll find the link below.