Recipes from Ohlone Herbal Center

Tony Siefert’s Herbal Boost Bon Bon

Tony Siefert, medicine maker at Ohlone Herbal Center, offers this sweet treat for holiday parties.

1 cup raw honey
1 cup nut butter (almond, hazelnut, or walnut)
1 cup tahini
1 cup mixed dried fruit, minced
8 ounces “powered” herbs (or 2 ounces per cup of first 4 ingredients); use herbs in your spice cabinet or try astragalus, ashwagandha, cacao, cardamom, caraway, coffee, cinnamon, eleuthero, fennel, ginger, or maca
Cayenne powder to taste
1 teaspoon bee pollen
Garnish: sesame seeds, dried coconut

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Roll the mixture into bite-size balls and top with ground coconut and toasted sesame seeds. Chill until firm and serve.

 

Tony Siefert’s Fall Honey Electuary

An herbal support for the symptoms of cold and flu

1 tablespoon black cohosh
1 tablespoon echinacea
1 tablespoon elderberries
1 tablespoon wild cherry bark
1 tablespoon yarrow
8 fluid ounces raw honey

Finely grind all of the herbs in a coffee grinder, then combine with honey and mix. Let the mixture infuse for at least 24 hours. Eat straight from the jar or add 1 teaspoon to your favorite tea.

 

Madeleina Bolduc’s Vitality Decoction

Madeleina Bolduc is a member of the core faculty at the Ohlone Herbal Center.

Tonic herbs:
1 ounce chicory root, dry roasted and chopped
1 ounce dandelion root, dry roasted and chopped
1 ounce fo ti (Chinese knotweed) root
1 ounce eleuthero (Siberian ginseng) root
¼ ounce sarsaparilla root
¼ ounce licorice root

Carminative herbs:
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Combine the above herbs. (If not using immediately, you might store them in a pretty jar.)

To prepare for use, add 3 tablespoons of the herb mix to 4 cups of filtered or spring water in a saucepan. Heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half. This will result in a strong coffee-colored liquid. Strain and put aside. Add 2 more cups of water and decoct (reduce) until it is again by half. Add to the first batch.

Drink ¼–½ cup 3 times per day. You may drink it full strength or add it to your water bottle to sip throughout the day.

Try some in hot water for a tasty coffee substitute, perhaps with coconut milk and coconut sugar.

The decoction should be stored in the refrigerator. Keeps up to 5 days.

 

Madeleina Bolduc’s Relaxing Bedtime Drink

For 1 serving:

1 cup coconut or almond milk
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ashwagandha
A pinch of cardamom and nutmeg
A pinch of turmeric root, powdered or freshly grated
A pinch of ginger root, freshly grated
Dash Himalayan or sea salt
1 teaspoon rose or orange blossom water (found in health food or Middle Eastern specialty stores)
1 or 2 droppers each of skullcap and/or passionflower tincture (optional)

Mix the first 8 ingredients in a saucepan and warm. Stir in the rose or orange blossom water and the tinctures and serve.

Photos by Lucille Lawrence