Reishi, Shiitake + Astragalus Chai

There are so many Chinese herbs that you can easily use in your home kitchen. Astragalus is an all-time favorite of mine for use in home cooking because of its relative mellow flavor and broad function to nourish qi & blood, while also being an adaptogenic herb with special skills in building immunity. If you feel like you get run down from life or stress and the first thing to come up is a cough, cold, or immune issue - this is a great herb for you! It comes in powdered, sliced, or cut and sifted forms. I mainly use the cut slices for cooking myself, since they’re so easy to add to teas and broths, which I highlight in this recipe.

Reishi + shiitake mushrooms are also powerful allies for our immune system, and very useful for building strength and resilience in our respiratory system. Reishi, the non-edible medicinal mushroom known as Ling Zhi, is considered a deep immune activator as well as adaptogen. Shiitake has been studied for its benefits in fighting cancer cells and has antimicrobial uses as well. The warming spices of cinnamon, ginger, and star anise keep our digestive qi moving and help the body retain heat during cooler months. Remember that good immunity always begins in the gut. This herbal “chai” tea blend utilizes these medicinal herbs and gives us a slightly earthly, slightly sweet, spiced herbal tea to drink throughout the season for winter immunity. A tea I love to make and store in jars in the refrigerator for easy access for a couple weeks at a time. Where to buy these specialty herbs if you’re not a licensed practitioner? Mountain Rose Herbs online is a great resource.

Reishi, Shiitake, Astragalus Chai Tea //

3 slices dried reishi mushroom

4 dried shiitake mushroom caps

3 long slices dried astragalus root (if you have the shorter slices, about 10-15g total)

3 Chinese red dates (da zao)

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

1 tsp dried ginger root

6 C filtered water

Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes. Strain and drink warm by the cup, sweetening with raw or manuka honey to taste. Store extra tea in glass jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and reheat as desired.

Immune Boosting Turmeric Ginger Tea

From Amrita Sondhi’s book The Tastes of Ayurveda is a recipe for a hot tea that will bust a cold before it begins. Ginger warms the body and acts as an anti-inflammatory; turmeric is a natural anti-biotic food; lemon clears toxins, stimulates digestive function and purifies the body; while honey will naturally suppress a cough. Try this effective and yummy tea at the onset of very first symptoms of a cold or cough and you may be surprised at the results.

Immune-Boosting Tea:

8-10 slices fresh ginger, cut into rounds

8 C water

1 tsp ground turmeric

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp raw honey, or raw manuka honey

Boil ginger and water in a pot on high, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add turmeric and lemon juice and let cool slightly before pouring into pitcher through a fine mesh sieve. Add honey. Stir well and drink up to 3 C/day for healing benefits. 

Variation: Add a scant 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper to this tea for improved blood circulation - this tea can be drunk as a general anti-inflammatory tea for fertility patients who need improved circulation to reproductive organs - the antioxidants in cayenne & turmeric may help cardiovascular function and improve qualities of sperm and egg cells. Also great for any chronic inflammatory condition. 

Food Facts: 

Raw Honey (or Manuka honey): The benefits of raw honey, or especially raw manuka honey (from bees who feed off the manuka tree native to New Zealand) are plentiful. It has major anti-bacterial effects, anti-biotic effects, and tonic effects. Manuka honey has been proven to kill dangerous gut bacteria and will also soothe skin burns when applied topically. This is a honey to keep in your medicine cabinet - use it for burns, in hot teas for sore throats and colds/coughs, or use 1 tbsp in warm milk for a natural sleep aid. It’s pricey for honey, but super affordable for medicine. :) It will be the best tasting remedy in the house!