American Ginseng Tea

As we’re still in the deep bowels of winter, it’s more important than ever to nourish the body to help build back up our Qi energy stores. In Chinese medicine, Qi is the “vital life force” that governs everything in our body and, if balanced, keeps us healthy. During the winters, our bodies need to rest and restore our Qi levels that we’ve burnt out during the rest of the year. Herbs like Ginseng are often used as a supplement during this time to help rebuild our energy stores.

It’s very important to note that there are 2 types of ginseng: American vs Asian. American ginseng roots are cool, calming, and non-stimulating—making it ideal for today’s busy, fast-paced, stressful lifestyles. To incorporate more ginseng, this tea is the perfect supplement. Make sure to only take about 1 shot’s worth of extract, every other day for up to 3 months at a time.

Ingredients:

• 1 root of dried American Ginseng (sourced from Ginseng Board of Wisconsin farms — PRODUCT COMING SOON; SIGN UP HERE TO BE NOTIFIED FIRST)

• 1 liter of water for steaming

• Steamer basket and bowl for ginseng

Instructions:

• Wash the ginseng first, then place in a bowl that can fit inside of a steamer

• Add 1 liter to a pot, place the steamer on top along with the bowl inside

• Turn the stove to high, then let the ginseng steam for about 1.5 hours to give the water time to boil and allow the ginseng to steam for a full 1 hour

• At this point you can either cut the ginseng and boil it in water or I prefer to just pour in 1-2 cups of boiling water into the bowl with the steamed ginseng

• Let it steam in the hot water for another 10 mins

• Serve just as is in shot glasses

• Keep the remaining liquid in a jar with the ginseng root inside

• The water that the ginseng is steeped in becomes an “extract” so you can continue to use it as tea, mixed with some hot water

• Only use ~1 tbsp of the extract at a time, every other day

• One ginseng root can be steeped this way across 6 cups of water so it will last you a while