Last Updated on August 29, 2023
Trying to beat the heat? Give these refreshing, cooling herbs a try!
If you’ve been enduring sweltering weather recently, you’re probably drinking a ton of water to help your body cope with the heat. But sometimes it’s hard to keep drinking plain water, and adding some cooling herbs to our food and beverages can help us stay hydrated.
Drinks with some flavor are easier to keep sipping throughout the day, plus cooling herbs act on our tissues to help bring down our bodies’ temperature.
WHAT ARE COOLING HERBS?
Herbalists and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda use the term “cooling” to describe herbs used for different purposes. A cooling herb can help with body temperature, or it can help reduce inflammation. Some herbs commonly described as cooling aren’t necessarily what you’ll want to use in a drink on a hot day, but they may be great when you have sore muscles or a fever.
We’re focusing here on the herbs best suited to addressing hot days when you need something besides water to cool you down.
HOW DO COOLING HERBS WORK?
Cooling herbs don’t work like ice to bring down body temperature, but have effects on the tissues that help activate the body’s built-in cooling system. Diaphoretic herbs open up the pores and allow heat to escape, which is why diaphoretic herbs elderflower and yarrow are often recommended for fevers. Demulcent herbs like violet and borage and astringent herbs like hibiscus help tissues hold onto moisture, which makes us feel cooler.
According to Maria Noel Groves, demulcent herbs may be especially hydrating, as they help our tissues retain moisture. Wild violets are among the easiest demulcent herbs to find and can be brewed into violet tea or added to other herbal blends.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine astringent, sour, or bitter herbs are thought to have cooling properties.
Love learning about using herbs? Check out some of the best books on herbal medicine below.
The Herbal Academy has a free e-book on cooling herbs for summer that you can download here. You might also try out some of the excellent courses from the Herbal Academy, on sale now for back-to-school season!
HOW TO ENJOY COOLING HERBS
ICED HERBAL DRINKS WITH COOL HERBS
Of course, you’re aiming to make refreshing beverages with as little fuss as possible, so long brewing times are probably not the top choices. Also, since you’re trying to avoid adding heat to your home, boiling water may be something you want to skip as well. Now’s the time to experiment with cold infusions or spritzers.
For some of the quickest ways to enjoy the benefits of cooling herbs, you can infuse them in cold water or seltzer and serve with ice. If you’re able to plan ahead, you can also make herbal syrups (like elderflower syrup or elderberry syrup), which can be added in small amounts to sparkling water for refreshing spritzers.
If you want to avoid heating water to make iced herbal tea, here’s info on brewing sun tea, which works beautifully with fresh or dried herbs. Cold infusions are another possibility. They work especially well with more demulcent herbs like violet, plantain, and marshmallow root.
You can also freeze iced herbal teas in popsicle molds and enjoy them as an extra cooling treat.
ADD COOLING HERBS TO FOOD
Incorporating cooling herbs into the foods you eat can help as well, whether it’s throwing them into your favorite healthy smoothie recipes (with frozen fruit to make them extra cold) or adding extra cilantro to homemade salsas. You can get some cooling greens for free in your yard by foraging violet leaves or purslane and adding them to smoothies.
Mint can make a nice addition to a watermelon salad or cold slushie or cold grain salad recipe. Rhubarb’s sour taste makes it a natural pairing with many of these cool herbs, so try a spritzer made with rhubarb juice or a cold rhubarb slush and top it with some lemon balm or mint for more cooling power.
TRY USING COOLING HERBS TOPICALLY
Many of these cooling herbs can help cool you off when applied to your skin. You can make a cooling herbal spray by steeping herbs in water and storing it in the refrigerator. Use a spray bottle to spritz yourself periodically.
You can also make cooling herbal ice cubes with plantain and violet leaf that are also great for sunburns.
WHERE TO GET COOLING HERBS
The most economical (and fun!) way to obtain cool herbs is growing them yourself, either in a dedicated medicinal herb garden, as plants incorporated into your ornamental garden or veggie patch, or even in a few pots or planters.
You can find seeds for many cooling herbs readily at garden centers or shops online. Some of the many vendors of high-quality seeds include True Leaf Market, Botanical Interests, and High Mowing Seeds.
If the herb you’re after is a perennial, you can often get a plant division from a friend or neighbor. It’s one of several ways you can get plants free.
You may also find numerous cool herbs growing wild in your yard. Wild violets, plantain, and common mallow are common garden “weeds” that can be put to work in your herbal apothecary. Many other wild herbs are easy to forage, including elderflowers, roses, and elderberries.
Of course, you can also buy many of these herbs dried. Mountain Rose Herbs is a go-to source for the highest quality herbs you can find. You can also find many dried herbs sold in bulk from companies like Starwest and Frontier at Vitacost, Amazon and Etsy.
If you’re able to find fresh herbs to harvest, consider drying some for later use.
To dry herbs, rinse and spun leaves in a salad spinner and place them on a screen or kitchen towel until they’re fully dry. I love my collapsible drying screen, which takes up very little space but can be packed full of numerous herbs.
You can also dehydrate herbs in a dehydrator, using a lower temperature setting (around 110 degrees). Here’s more info on dehydrating, an easy and economical way to preserve loads of herbs and yummy summer produce.
USEFUL TOOLS FOR BREWING COOL HERBAL TEAS
All you need to make a cooling herbal tea is herbs and hot water, but some helpful tools can take your cooling beverages up a notch.
Most important: A quality water filter. Most public water supplies contain numerous unregulated chemicals you don’t want in your cooling drinks (or in anything really). Municipal water quality reports generally list a tiny fraction of contaminants, and most water filters don’t remove the many other contaminants common in most water supplies, like pharmaceuticals and industrial pollutants.
Learn more about selecting an effective water filter and keep this nasty stuff out of your drinks! Note that most popular filters do not filter out most of these chemicals.
Some other useful tools to consider:
TOP COOLING HERBS FOR HOT DAYS
Though there are dozens of cooling herbs to explore, I’m going to highlight the most accessible ones below. There’s a list of additional herbs to consider at the end of the post if you’d like to delve deeper into the many additional possibilities you might enjoy.
MINT
Among the many delicious herbs that can help you feel cooler are common garden plants you can grow in your yard to have on hand whenever the heat rolls in: Mint, something easily found in many gardens. For a change from plain old water, try infusing your water with some mint, whether it’s common mint or something more unusual, like apple or chocolate mint.
Mint creates a refreshing cooling sensation that makes it perfect for beating the heat. Plus it’s easy to grow, though you want to take care about containing it, since it’s a very aggressive spreader. Best of all, mint can add delicious flavor to your water without ever needing to even boil water to brew it. If you’re in a hurry for a cool drink, infusing mint in water takes just a few seconds.
Mint water is also a great thing to have on hand if you have guests on a hot day, since you can whip up enough for a crowd in a matter of seconds. Here’s an easy mint water recipe to try.
Spearmint is often recommended as what’s referred to as a “refrigerant herb,” herbs that cause a cooling sensation. Peppermint and many other types of mint have cooling properties as well.
I’m a fan of beautiful chocolate mint, which isn’t as aggressive in the garden as common mint and is always swarmed with happy pollinators.
If you’re not growing your own, you can find dried mint in bulk or in pre-bagged tea.
BORAGE
The plant I turn to most often in summer when I want a cooling drink is borage. I use its plentiful leaves to add a subtle melon-y flavor to seltzer, or they can be brewed into a simple tea that’s fantastic iced. Learn more about the easy-to-grow borage plant, a lovely addition to the garden that deserves wider recognition.
You can also make borage tea with either hot or cold water. I find the flavor better with cold brewing, but you can try both and see what you prefer. Learn more about how to make borage tea.
One of many flowers you can eat, borage flowers can be floated on top of your drink, frozen in gorgeous floral ice cubes, or tossed on salads.
HIBISCUS
This delicious tart tea is a go-to for cooling beverages in warm climates. Hibiscus’s beautiful flowers make a gorgeous bright-red drink that tastes wonderful over ice without any added sweetener. Hibiscus works well brewed as sun tea, cold infusion, or in hot water.
Only certain types of hibiscus are used to make tea. Learn more about sourcing hibiscus and the benefits of hibiscus tea.
One-pound bags of hibiscus flowers are very inexpensive and make hundreds of cups of refreshing tea. If you want bagged tea, there are plenty of options as well.
Fun fact: I learned from a vegan friend that after making tea, you can use the leftover hibiscus flowers as a meat replacement, like this recipe for vegan hibiscus tacos. So cool!
ROSE
Another beautiful flower with cooling properties, rose petals and rose hips can both be used to make tasty cold drinks. Rose hips are more sour, while rose petals are more subdued and floral. Both are delicious!
As with any other plant you harvest, avoid anything that’s been sprayed with pesticides. Roses sold in flower shops reportedly have high levels of pesticide residue, and many homeowners spray their roses to repel destructive Japanese beetles. Stick with roses you know haven’t been sprayed.
If you’re not foraging rose petals and rosehips, you can find them dried online and in natural food stores. Rosehips are very affordable, and the de-seeded kind can also be made into jam. Here’s the best price I’ve seen on organic rose petals.
If you prefer the convenience of bagged tea, Organic India makes a delicious rose tulsi tea that’s excellent both cold and hot.
LEMON BALM
A member of the mint family, delicious lemon balm is also a top herb for sleep. You can use lemon balm to lightly infuse water, brew it as a sun tea, or make a traditional lemon balm tea and refrigerate it and serve it over ice.
Iced lemon balm tea makes an excellent sugar-free replacement for lemonade, so you can drink lots more of it without the
Here’s more about the benefits and uses of lemon balm
You can buy dried lemon balm online, either in bulk (the more economical option) or in bagged tea.
ELDERFLOWER
Elderflowers are a go-to diaphoretic and are often recommended along with yarrow for fevers. They have a delicious floral flavor that’s stellar in tea and syrups. You can make elderflower tea on its own or combine it with other cooling herbs. Elderflower and borage pair especially well, but they would also go nicely with hibiscus, rose, or other herbs.
They’re also super fun to forage! Here’s what to know about elderflower identification.
You can get dried elderflowers in smaller and larger quantities loose or in bagged tea.
CHAMOMILE
Chamomile’s mild flavor is typically enjoyed in a hot cup of tea, but cooled and iced its relaxing properties can help bring extra relief if the heat makes you agitated and irritable.
Great on its own, it also pairs nicely with lemon balm and lavender. You can find all three blended in my favorite sleep tea, Snore and Peace“ by organic tea company Clipper. Perfect consumed cool to unwind on a hot summer night.
As is the case with most herbs you might put in tea, loose chamomile flowers are less expensive than bagged tea (especially if you nab it during a Vitacost sale and pair it with Rakuten when they’re having an extra cash back promo). If you prefer to go the bagged route, I’ve liked the affordably-priced products from FGO Organics.
RASPBERRY LEAF
Most people don’t realize you can make very tasty teas from the leaves of raspberry and blackberry plants. They have a wonderful tannic flavor to them that makes them utterly delightful over ice.
Don’t overharvest leaves from your raspberry plants so they can have energy to make you plenty of luscious raspberries, but do pluck a few leaves now and again and enjoy a refreshing cup of this bracing tea.
You can also buy dried raspberry leaves quite inexpensively here or find it in bagged tea.
ALOE
Though not everyone thinks of aloe as an herb, it’s a potent cooling plant that you can use in recipes or apply topically. Excellent for soothing irritated skin, aloe is what you want for cooling down a sunburn.
It’s easy to grow your own aloe plant in a pot and have it on hand whenever you might want it. You can also buy pre-made aloe vera gel or try trendy aloe juice if you prefer.
Here’s more on the many uses for aloe vera plant.
COOL HERBS TO ADD TO FOOD
In addition to the many cool drinks you can make with the herbs above, you can cool off with herbs in your meals as well. Lemon balm and mint can both be incorporated into recipes, along with the delicious culinary herbs below.
CILANTRO
Fragrant cilantro is an excellent cooling herb to incorporate into your hot-weather cooking, whether it’s as a garnish on your gazpacho or added into refreshing salads. Try making salsa with lots of chopped cilantro, and add hot peppers to help you use your body’s natural cooling system, sweat. Yum!
BASIL
All the culinary basils — sweet basil, Genovese, Thai, and so on — are considered cooling. You can experiment with using them in teas, or make the most of pestos and tomato salads.
Fresh-picked basil is fantastic in this cool dinner of easy healthy pasta recipe with fresh tomatoes and feta.
Here’s more on preserving basil if you want to put up some for use in winter as well.
FENNEL
Fennel is another culinary cooling herb that’s lovely shaved into salads. You can buy fresh fennel at farmers markets and natural food stores, or you can use dried fennel.
Prized as a digestive aid, you’ll often find fennel in tea blends targeting digestion. Helping to soothe digestion while also cooling you down means fennel works double time to tamp down heated states in our bodies.
OTHER COOLING HERBS TO EXPLORE
The herbs above are probably the easiest to find and use, but there are numerous other cool herbs to look into. I won’t describe each in detail, as this post is already pretty darn long, but here are some additional herbs to try in your favorite cooling drinks and recipes:
- LINDEN
- OATSTRAW
- VIOLET
- LAVENDER
- ELDERBERRY
- CALENDULA
- MARSHMALLOW ROOT
- CHICKWEED
- PURSLANE
- HAWTHORN BERRY
- DILL
- LEMONGRASS
- BEE BALM
- LEMON VERBENA
- ANISE HYSSOP
- RED CLOVER
- NETTLE
- DANDELION
If you love making the most of the herbs, be sure to check out some of these popular posts:
Calming Herbs for Relaxation & Stress
30 Best Herbs for Colds and Flu
Which cooling herbs do you like best?
Save this info on cooling herbs for later!
Photos in post by Susannah Shmurak, additional photos in cover collage and pin: luknaja, Veliavik, chamillewhite, onepony, GMVozd
Disclaimer: I’m a health enthusiast, not a medical professional. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only and is not meant to provide personalized medical advice. I draw on numerous health sources, some of which are linked above. Please consult them for more information and a licensed professional for personalized recommendations.
Susannah is a proud garden geek and energy nerd who loves healthy food and natural remedies. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and has been a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Find out more and grab your copy here.
Hi, I'm Susannah, a garden geek, energy nerd, and fan of healthy food and natural remedies. Need some simple, practical solutions for living healthier and greener? You've come to the right place! More about me and my green projects
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