Tonics are an easy way to incorporate beneficial herbs into your daily routine to maintain your overall health naturally. Now with a global health crisis on our hands (literally!), it’s especially important to boost and maintain your immune system as a supplement to all other medical directives.

The herbal blend in our Spring Rejuvenation Tonic is appropriately balanced to support your mind, body, and soul during this time of rebirth (and it tastes great, too). We prefer a hot water infusion, but also like to make a large batch in advance and store it in the refrigerator for a cool refreshing morning beverage. Either way, we blend equal parts of each herb and infuse 1/2 cup of dried mixed plant material with a quart of hot water and let it infuse for a few hours, then strain. We recommend drinking this daily!

Our Spring Rejuvenation Tonic contains four herbs that are chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that are highly cleansing, purifying, and stimulating. Nettle and Dandelion are thought to be invasive weeds, and are sometimes pulled or otherwise destroyed, but we like to refer to them as “opportunistic” and are happy to be able to find them locally abundant. Tulsi and Mint are in the same hearty family (Lamiaceae) and are typically planted and grown in a garden. Now, let’s break down this magickal and healthy concoction in more detail.

Nettle (Urtica dioica): In herbalism, Nettle is the mother of all early spring herbs and has been traditionally used for thousands of years. High in vitamin A, C, and iron, this nutritive plant is a diuretic and antioxidant. It has a lovely green, earthy flavor that is symbolic of its health benefits and the general vibe of the spring season.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Another classic “food as medicine” spring herb, the root is more commonly used for the liver, but the leaves are a potent diuretic great for internal cleansing and purifying. Like Nettle, Dandelion leaves are highly nutritive with many similar vitamins and minerals. These two herbs balance each other out very well for daily use, and are both highly abundant for wild harvesting in our region.

Spearmint (Mentha spicata): There are many varieties of mint, but Spearmint (or common mint/garden mint) is beautifully fragrant with a delightful taste, so we love to add this to our herbal blends to add brightness and flavor. It is a rejuvenating and stimulating herb commonly used for digestion. Mint has been cultivated and traded since ancient Greek times, where it was likely used in ancient funerary rites to mask the smell of the dead. It is also regarded as a sacred plant of Hades.

Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum): Tulsi (also known as Holy Basil or Elixir of Life) is a sacred plant from India used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for more than 5,000 years and is infused with restorative power. There are three different varietals (krishna, rama, and vana), and we like to use a blend of all three for perfectly balanced health benefits and an amazing flavor. Tulsi is primarily considered an adaptogen, which helps the body adapt to environmental stressors and restore balance — a classic ally for getting your body and mind through the seasonal shift.