Moon milk is one of my favorite beverages for eliciting feelings of peacefulness and serenity. Each sip of this herb-filled heated milk fills my belly with warmth and contentment and acts as the perfect vehicle for me to work in the herbs and spices my body craves. Over the years, I’ve created many moon milk recipes, and have also found some wonderful gems from other genius content creators. One of my favorite moon milk mavens is Stephanie from MyTinyLagunaKitchen. She even has a free ebook with some of her amazing adaptogenic creations that I highly recommend!

I am a self-proclaimed coffee lover. Unfortunately, however, stimulants don’t work well for me. I can have a 12-ounce cup of coffee at 10 a.m. and still be wide awake at 10 p.m. Over the years, I have gone back and forth between regular coffee and decaf, but then I discovered the enjoyable benefits of herbal coffee substitutes and found a new warm beverage to love–chicory and dandelion root coffee!

With the holidays soon upon us, it’s time to start preparing for my seasonal lycii (goji) berry winter cocktail. As I mentioned in the fall, my adventures with herb-infused spirits started with a remarkable hibiscus-infused martini that I had at one of my favorite local brewpubs. I was so inspired; I now have a stock of mason jars full of herb-infused liquors ready for whatever mood my friends and family might be in. For the holiday season, I wanted to create an herb-infused cocktail that would have a brilliantly red, festive color and a delicious sweet-tart flavor profile. Healthful lycii berries turned out to be the perfect answer!

In our modern western culture, caffeine makes our world go round. There is nothing quite like waking up to the gurgling aroma of coffee percolating in a machine while my mouth waters and my brain begs for that bitter taste to fully wake me up. One of my pleasures in working at Mountain Rose Herbs has been finding alternative ways of getting those caffeine boosts, including our organic black, organic white, and green teas, yaupon (the only North American plant to contain caffeine), and organic yerba mate. However, there is one plant that surpasses all of these in its stimulating abilities – guarana seed.

As autumn is now officially here, my mind has turned to the supportive power of elder berries. Elderberry syrup is obviously a tried and true ally for immune system support*, but elder berries also make an excellent base for cocktails and mocktails. My Elder Bellini recipe is one such fall cocktail that provides both remarkable flavor and immune system support*. I must admit that it isn’t exactly an “herbal cocktail” per se—because it is made with herb-infused spirits, it is ostensibly an extract that is added to juice to impart a slight herbal flavor in a full-bodied cocktail. The beauty of this method is that you can make the infusion ahead of time, so you have your elderberry-infused base on hand whenever you get the urge for a remarkably beautiful, delicious cocktail.

When the thermometer starts to register in the 80s and 90s, my mind takes up residence in the shade of my patio, situated near the grill and not too far from the drinks’ cooler. For foodies like the folks in my family, backyard cookouts mean long lazy days brushing a perfect protein with a tangy sauce over a slow fire. It means tossing together colorful, herby appetizers and barbecue side dishes, imbibing in a newly invented icy drink, and whipping up a batch of homemade ice cream to go with pie. Other than a loose plan of when we want to eat, we let the day guide itself. We just sink into the mindful, soul nurturing process of preparing a meal to eat outside. I think of this time as some of the very best summer medicine.

Who doesn’t love a frosty, foamy root beer on a hot day? From drive in burger joints to movie theaters, root beer is the classic American drink. However, the corporate world has turned root beer into a cheap artificial drink full of high fructose corn syrup and other artificial flavors. Real homemade root beer is full of healthful and flavorful herbs.

A huge part of healthy living is about adopting lots of small, daily habits that add up to lifelong wellness. For over 25 years of clinical herbal practice, I have sought out and recommended simple hacks for making good lifestyle choices easier. Infused waters offer a simple way to fit nutrition and wellness support into something we already do every day. We all drink water, after all, so why not add the flavor and benefits of fruits and herbs?

Haldi—or turmeric, as we know it—has been used as a beneficial herb for thousands of years. Ayurvedic practitioners consider turmeric to be important for overall good health and have traditionally used it to support joint mobility, digestion, and circulation, among other bodily processes.* Haldi doodh (haldi=turmeric and doodh=milk), sometimes referred to as “golden milk,” is a sippable turmeric infusion that offers an exceptional and traditional way to enjoy the benefits of turmeric—but the spice blend used in this beverage can be enjoyed in countless other ways as well!

This time of year—coming up on Father’s Day—I take some extra time to appreciate how blessed I have been in the quality of the men who have played significant roles in my life. I was raised by an excellent single father, I’m married to the best of husbands, and I’m privileged to be mother to two fantastic sons. From the time I was a little girl, “my” men have always had my back, believed in me, lifted me up, and supported my dreams. So when it comes to their health, I’m serious about providing everything I can to support their overall well-being.

When you're hit by an afternoon slump, creative block, or some other difficulty that mires the mind, how do you get unstuck? Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we like to get our creative juices flowing again with a cup of organic Memory Zest herbal tea! This blend is an essential fixture in our break room, where many of our team members seek out the cognitive support of its nootropic herbs to power through the workday.