Sending you a warm welcome to my imaginary pop-up tea salon!

I can not yet serve you a latte through your podcast app even though I wish that I could. Maybe someday that will happen. For now, here is a pop-up recipe offering, to make dandelion root vanilla latte homemade. I hope you enjoy!

Dandelion Root Latte with Vanilla Syrup
8 ounces roasted dandelion root tea
2 teaspoons vanilla syrup
¼ cup milk (whole, any nut milk, coconut or organic unsweetened soy)
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, heat on low setting to warm.
Pour warm mixture into a blender and blend for 30-45 seconds until frothy.
Pour into mug or over ice. Enjoy!

To decoct dandelion root for tea:
Combine 2 teaspoons dandelion root powder & 12 ounces water in small saucepan
Heat to simmer, cover, simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat, steep 40 minutes
Strain
To prepare vanilla syrup:
Heat ¾ cup water in small saucepan, add ½ cup sugar, stir until dissolved.
Add ½ whole, split vanilla bean, cover, steep for 20 minutes.
Store in refrigerator

Mentions:
Dandy Blend Instant Herbal Beverage
Dandelion Root cut or powdered
Heilala Vanilla Syrup
Vanilla monograph from King’s American Dispensatory 1898
The Trees on the Mountain from Susannah, Carlyle Floyd composer

Ways to subscribe to An Herbal Diary
* Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcast (iTunes)
* Click here to subscribe via Stitcher
* You can also subscribe via Google Podcasts
* You can also subscribe via Spotify

Become a Patron!

Original music composed by Dylan Rice — singer, songwriter, guitarist.

Please be in touch!

Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me a question. Leave a comment on this episode. I would absolutely love to know you better and learn about your own experiences with herbal medicine!

Sending a big hug to you!

Digestion is foundational to our health and well-being. Today we focus on herbal roots that provide inulin. This prebiotic is vital to keeping the friendly microbes in our body happy as well as our digestion. And then I’m back in the kitchen to make super easy electuaries with powdered roots. ??

Herbal Root Prebiotic Electuaries
1 1/2 parts (1 1/2 tsp) dried burdock root powder, Arctium lappa
1 part (1 tsp) dried dandelion root powder, Taraxacum officinale
1 1/2 parts (1 1/2 tsp) dried chicory root, powder, Cichorium intybus
1 1/2 parts (1 1/2 tsp) dried marshmallow root powder, Althaea officinalis
1 part (1 tsp) cacao powder, Theobroma cacao
1/8 part (1/8 tsp) dried ginger powder, Zingiber officinale
2 1/2 parts (2 1/2 tsp) organic maple syrup (approximately)
Grind herbs in a spice grinder to a fine powder. Mix all ingredients together, adding the maple syrup gradually to form a thick paste. With hands roll into 1/4 inch round, small balls.

Sources for dried herbs

Please SHARE this episode with someone who may also be fascinated by herbal medicine. Help me to spread my passion for kitchen medicine and make everyone’s home a place of herbal wisdom. ?

Ways to subscribe to An Herbal Diary
* Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcast (iTunes)
* Click here to subscribe via Stitcher
* You can also subscribe via Google Play Music
* You can also subscribe via Spotify

Original music composed by Dylan Rice — singer, songwriter, guitarist.

Please be in touch!

Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me a question. Leave a comment on this episode. I would absolutely love to know you better and learn about your own experiences with herbal medicine!

extracting supplies

organic grain alcohol

herbs for tincturing

I’m no alchemist, wizard or craft brewer but concocting my own extracts feels magical. The endless possibilities add wonder and mystique. And it’s so easy. The two most difficult steps in making tinctures are obtaining the supplies and patiently waiting. There’s a bit of measuring, but otherwise it’s as simple as filling a jar.

As an herb infuses in alcohol, the alcohol pulls out many of the plant’s chemicals, also called phytochemicals or phytonutrients. This creates a tincture or concentrated source of an herb’s beneficial components so just a few drops is all that’s needed in contrast to a whole cup of tea, for example. This is an advantage especially for herbs that don’t taste great, like bitters.

Craft bartenders and mixologists long ago discovered the vast virtues of bitters. At first, bitters were added to rum or other spirits to help relieve nausea and other digestion problems. It was an especially easy way to get sailors to take them. Over time, they have become key ingredients, often referred to as a cocktail’s salt and pepper. Bitters provide the perfect finish, blending and enhancing the elements of a complex drink. A skilled bartender knows that if a drink is flat or missing something, the answer is always to add bitters.

Bitters are the reason a cocktail is referred to as an aperitif or digestif. In herbal medicine, bitters are the go-to way of improving digestion. My teacher, on the first day of class, gave us five remedies that could be given to virtually anyone and make them feel better. Bitters was on this list.

I believe bitters tinctures have a place in baking similar to that of cocktails. We already use extracts like vanilla, almond, or lemon to intensify flavors. Bitters extracts can balance and round out sweetness, moderate richness, add aromatic spiciness, unite contrasting flavorings. They blend well with citrus, honey, and floral tones. They mix in with fats and provide a bit of acidity. All this and help digestion, too.

I picked these three herbal blends to tincture for their bitter qualities and to experiment with their flavors in baking. It’s going to take a while to continue because tinctures must infuse for about 4-6 weeks. Stay tuned for recipes to follow.

It would be a great time to start some of your own..please do and let me know!