My Morning Coffee

Posted on by Genevieve

I get the question if I drink coffee, a lot actually. Here’s my answer…. sometimes.

I usually drink my interesting decaf coffee concoction (ground decaf, astragalus, and dandelion root) I’ll show how to make it below. I sometimes add actual coffee in, but if I grind regular coffee then I grind cardamom with it to reduce the acidity, jitters, and make it taste even better!

Coffee is bitter and helps to increase peristalsis, the bitter flavor is associated with the Heart in Chinese Medicine. Honestly after my late husband passed coffee was a big antidepressant for me. I prefer to have decaf so I don’t tax my adrenals and cause a stress response in my body, but sometimes when I have a project I don’t want to do (ie. taxes)… if I have my regular coffee suddenly the task seems so much more exciting!!!

Here’s my recipe for my standard cup of coffee in the morning (decaf). 1 part each of: decaf coffee, dandelion root, and astragalus. I have pics of how finely I grind the herbs as well. I get my coffee from Sleepy Monk since my clinic at the coast in Cannon Beach was just a few doors down and the people working there are the best ever and the coffee is always organic and amazing!!! The physical cafe is closed now, but you can still get coffee online. And then for herbs my standard is Mountain Rose Herbs. Sometimes Chinese herbs are sourced from other companies though.

I add astragalus since it is a Qi or energy tonic and supports our digestive organs: Spleen and Stomach. It is also great for the Lungs and so it boosts immunity. You would just want to avoid it if you already are sick with a cold/flu. I add dandelion root since it tastes a bit like coffee and is great to help the Liver release bile and is supportive of gentle detox in our body.

I grind each of these finely with a little coarse texture left… perfect for espresso. I actually use my espresso machine with my concoction and its been going strong for almost 2 years even with all that I throw at it.

Astragalus pre-ground

Astragalus ground

Layers of astragalus, coffee and dandelion root

The finished decaf coffee concoction…

And then for my regular coffee I grind 1-2 TBS cardamon seeds separately to add to my 16oz jar of espresso ground coffee.

Thanks for checking this out and hope you enjoy

Yummy Beet Smoothie to Build Blood

Posted on by Genevieve

So last night I asked my daughter, “what kind of smoothie do you want?” She replied a “red smoothie mommy.” Well okay so I thought I don’t have enough strawberries to make it red so I decided to go with beets. I have plenty of those since I’ve been doing some amazing fermented beets and veggies mix, but that will have to be another post…

The beet smoothie consisted of really simple ingredients and when I was thinking about their medicinal properties I realized that actually this smoothie was quite a blood building smoothie. In Chinese Medicine our Blood is made from the Spleen and Stomach Qi and stored in our Liver. Basically it is a part of our post natal essence that we can affect through diet and lifestyle. Our Blood gives us energy and turns into Qi. The Blood is what nourishes our organs, tendons, and ligaments and is even a part of our Yin… pretty important stuff isn’t it? So of course I want to build my blood to help nourish my whole body, mind and spirit. Here is a delicious smoothie to help and nourish our blood.

Beet Blueberry and Hemp Smoothie

  • 1 small beet (can include the greens too)
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • about 1/4 cup hemp seeds
  • optional fresh ginger (1-2in. piece)
  • enough water to blend

In TCM most dark colored fruits and vegetables build blood. In this case the beets, beet greens and blueberries are blood builders. Beets and their greens are also great for the Liver, which is the complimentary organ to the Lungs. Hemp seeds are actually an herb used in TCM called Huo Ma Ren to build the blood. Since it is a smoothie these ingredients are easy to digest. Hope you enjoy this as much as me and my daughter!!!