Ready for a superfood twist on traditional spiced drinks this winter? Try a cup of mulled acai berry tea! Cinnamon, citrus, allspice, ginger, clove, and anise: Can you almost feel the warmth of these herbs and spices? They heat us from within throughout the season of cold and dark. Spiced wine is a family favorite at our winter celebrations, and mulled cider is another seasonal treat.
When offered a mulled drink, most people have a vague notion that it’s been warmed, infused with spices, and possibly sweetened. But where does the tradition come from? Is it the English wassail? The Norse glögg? German glühwein?
As it turns out, one branch of this millennia-old practice has deep roots with the Greeks and Romans, who would simmer wine over the fire to boil off most of the water, then mix in honey and spices. As the Roman empire spread, so did the tradition of serving warm, spiced drinks. The recipes took root throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and became known by different regional names (hence wassail, glögg, and glühwein). Versions of the drink still exist in their Mediterranean homeland today—in Italy as vin brûlé (burnt wine) and in Greece as krasomelo (honey wine). And new traditions are still being invented, including this mulled acai berry tea!
Both acai berry and mulling spices bring health benefits to this tea: nourishing and warming the body, supporting digestion, and invoking the comfort of seasonal flavors on a wintry day.
The deep blue pigment in acai berries, which grow on palm trees in South America, contain antioxidant-rich polyphenols and anthocyanins—purportedly enough to eclipse even blueberries. The fruit also contains vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and thiamine. In tropical areas of Brazil, açai berry is considered a nourishing staple, and Indigenous healers have used the fruit to soothe skin flare-ups, digestive issues, and more. Reportedly, in the 1990s surfers on the Brazilian coast realized that açai berry drinks gave them sustained energy for long periods without eating, increasing the popularity of the fruit on area beaches.
Why acai powder? Well, fresh acai berries don’t stay fresh for long, so they need to be preserved through freezing, drying, or juicing. This recipe calls for dried powder, a process that preserves the fruit at a high quality, including fiber and beneficial fats, to deliver the goodness of the whole berry as we drink our mulled acai berry tea.
Warming and sweet, cinnamon supports digestion, especially of fats, cold foods, and dairy. It also helps us to break up mucus, congestion, and stagnation.*
Pungent and warming, this great digestive spice helps our bodies break heavy foods down into basic nutrients to nourish our cells. Allspice also contains vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and manganese.*
ORANGE PEEL (CITRUS X SINENSIS)
Among its many health benefits, orange peel chases away mucus. The pectin in citrus peels also feeds our beneficial gut bacteria, which, in turn, supports the overall health of the digestive and immune systems.*
Ginger root is truly the universal wellness tonic. It supports circulation, combats mucus, settles the stomach, soothes occasionally achy muscles, and supports digestion.*
This dried flower bud with an inviting aroma has been used to ease everything from skin issues to problems with teeth. As a carminative spice, it supports digestion and healthy bowel function, and can be a good choice for occasional indigestion and nausea.*
A warm, pungent herb with a flavor that hints of both clove and licorice, this warming spice can help ease abdominal discomfort, sluggish digestion, and gas.*
Ingredients
Makes 1 serving.
Directions
May this mulled acai berry tea sustain you on winter afternoons, bringing warmth and the comfort of familiar seasonal flavors. To your health!
You may also enjoy:
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.
Topics: Recipes, Herbalism, Tea & Herbal Drinks
Kami McBride’s 30 years of teaching herbal medicine is steeped in her calling to inspire a cultural shift that embraces taking care of our bodies with healing herbs, a deep connection with the earth and a lifestyle that passes this knowledge on to our children. She is the is author of The Herbal Kitchen and has taught herbal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. Kami has helped thousands of families learn to use herbs for their self care to promote natural wellness through the goodness of beneficial plants. Her workshops and online courses fuel the home herbalism movement to revitalize our relationship with the plant world and use herbal medicine for home wellness care. To learn more from Kami and to get your copy of The Herbal Kitchen, visit www.KamiMcbride.com.
.jpg?width=1080&name=2023%20(1).jpg "Mountain Rose Herbs 2023 Impact Report")
Ready for a superfood twist on traditional spiced drinks this winter? Try a cup of mulled acai berry tea! Cinnamon, citrus, allspice, ginger, clove, and anise: Can you almost feel the warmth of these herbs and spices? They heat us from within throughout the season of cold and dark. Spiced wine is a family favorite at our winter celebrations, and mulled cider is another seasonal treat.
When offered a mulled drink, most people have a vague notion that it’s been warmed, infused with spices, and possibly sweetened. But where does the tradition come from? Is it the English wassail? The Norse glögg? German glühwein?
As it turns out, one branch of this millennia-old practice has deep roots with the Greeks and Romans, who would simmer wine over the fire to boil off most of the water, then mix in honey and spices. As the Roman empire spread, so did the tradition of serving warm, spiced drinks. The recipes took root throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and became known by different regional names (hence wassail, glögg, and glühwein). Versions of the drink still exist in their Mediterranean homeland today—in Italy as vin brûlé (burnt wine) and in Greece as krasomelo (honey wine). And new traditions are still being invented, including this mulled acai berry tea!
Both acai berry and mulling spices bring health benefits to this tea: nourishing and warming the body, supporting digestion, and invoking the comfort of seasonal flavors on a wintry day.
The deep blue pigment in acai berries, which grow on palm trees in South America, contain antioxidant-rich polyphenols and anthocyanins—purportedly enough to eclipse even blueberries. The fruit also contains vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and thiamine. In tropical areas of Brazil, açai berry is considered a nourishing staple, and Indigenous healers have used the fruit to soothe skin flare-ups, digestive issues, and more. Reportedly, in the 1990s surfers on the Brazilian coast realized that açai berry drinks gave them sustained energy for long periods without eating, increasing the popularity of the fruit on area beaches.
Why acai powder? Well, fresh acai berries don’t stay fresh for long, so they need to be preserved through freezing, drying, or juicing. This recipe calls for dried powder, a process that preserves the fruit at a high quality, including fiber and beneficial fats, to deliver the goodness of the whole berry as we drink our mulled acai berry tea.
Warming and sweet, cinnamon supports digestion, especially of fats, cold foods, and dairy. It also helps us to break up mucus, congestion, and stagnation.*
Pungent and warming, this great digestive spice helps our bodies break heavy foods down into basic nutrients to nourish our cells. Allspice also contains vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and manganese.*
ORANGE PEEL (CITRUS X SINENSIS)
Among its many health benefits, orange peel chases away mucus. The pectin in citrus peels also feeds our beneficial gut bacteria, which, in turn, supports the overall health of the digestive and immune systems.*
Ginger root is truly the universal wellness tonic. It supports circulation, combats mucus, settles the stomach, soothes occasionally achy muscles, and supports digestion.*
This dried flower bud with an inviting aroma has been used to ease everything from skin issues to problems with teeth. As a carminative spice, it supports digestion and healthy bowel function, and can be a good choice for occasional indigestion and nausea.*
A warm, pungent herb with a flavor that hints of both clove and licorice, this warming spice can help ease abdominal discomfort, sluggish digestion, and gas.*
Ingredients
Makes 1 serving.
Directions
May this mulled acai berry tea sustain you on winter afternoons, bringing warmth and the comfort of familiar seasonal flavors. To your health!
You may also enjoy:
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.
Topics: Recipes, Herbalism, Tea & Herbal Drinks
Kami McBride’s 30 years of teaching herbal medicine is steeped in her calling to inspire a cultural shift that embraces taking care of our bodies with healing herbs, a deep connection with the earth and a lifestyle that passes this knowledge on to our children. She is the is author of The Herbal Kitchen and has taught herbal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. Kami has helped thousands of families learn to use herbs for their self care to promote natural wellness through the goodness of beneficial plants. Her workshops and online courses fuel the home herbalism movement to revitalize our relationship with the plant world and use herbal medicine for home wellness care. To learn more from Kami and to get your copy of The Herbal Kitchen, visit www.KamiMcbride.com.
