Five Flavors Herbs

The holidays can be a hectic and emotional time in our work and home lives, bringing ups and downs that tax our bodies’ defenses. This year more than ever, it’s important to do what we can to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy, so we’re sharing our top tips for staying strong as winter sets in. Though we’d also love to know...what are your tips for self-care this time of year? - Wrap Up for Winter: Proper and consistent mask-wearing can help slow the spread of some il...lnesses, so keep your mouth and nose covered in public spaces and when around people outside your household. - Stay Home for the Holidays: This is the year to enjoy a quiet and intimate celebration with the ones (physically) closest to you. Respect local guidance on gathering size, keep in-person festivities within your household, and join other family and friends for video hangouts to open gifts, play games, and maybe share a song or two! - Sip Some Cider: Fire cider is a favorite folk remedy for waking up our immune systems during the season of hibernation. See our previous post for our favorite fire cider recipe, or get a ready-to-go remedy in our shop! https://bit.ly/SipYourCider - Hug Your Mug: Herbal teas have long been used to provide the energy, nourishment, and plant power our bodies need to fortify us against winter woes. Enjoy blends with ginger, licorice, and echinacea to support the digestion, lungs, and immune system, and find extracts with these herbs in our shop: https://bit.ly/ReadyRemedies - Respect Your Elders: Elderberries have been used for wellness in cultures across the world, and modern studies back up their usefulness for supporting a healthy immune response. They’re also delicious, so enjoy this tasty and effective remedy in recipes like the Spiced Elderberry Syrup Mocktail Recipe on our blog: https://bit.ly/BetterBerries - Mix-In Some Mushrooms: Many mushrooms contain incredibly beneficial natural compounds for keeping us strong, sharp, and vibrant, and mushroom blend powders and extracts make it easy to enjoy their combined benefits in many forms. Check out our blog post featuring 3 mushroom-infused drinks for fall and winter: https://bit.ly/ShroomImmune See more

As autumn advances, we transition from sipping refreshing infusions of aromatic leaves and flowers to decoctions of hearty, pungent roots and rhizomes like ginger, burdock, dandelion, turmeric, and angelica. These plants benefit our immune, respiratory, liver, and musculoskeletal systems overall, and they also work directly on the gut, regulating digestion and feeding beneficial gut flora with prebiotics such as inulin (found in burdock and dandelion roots). For feelings of fatigue or vulnerability during stressful times, consider incorporating these roots to rebuild a foundation for physical and emotional healthwe’re making the digestive support of ginger, licorice, sweet cicely, and angelica roots in our Rectify Qi extract, 15% off for November!>> http://bit.ly/RootedInHealth What’s YOUR favorite way to enjoy roots this season

In a recent post, we shared a Western folk remedy (fire cider) made with our own special twist (a Chinese five-spice blend). We received lots of enthusiastic feedback from our online community, so we decided to create a whole blog post sharing our basic recipe, along with ingredients for other TCM-inspired variationsbecause you just can’t have too much fire cider! Learn how the much touted digestive and immune-supportive benefits of this beloved preparation align with the energetics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and find ready-to-go Fire Brew tonics in our shop!

Get into the rhythm of gratitude with a celebration for plants and the people who love them! This #GivingTuesday, the botanical champions of nonprofit org United Plant Savers are sharing their appreciation for fellow plant advocates, near and far, with a FREE LIVESTREAM CONCERT: Giving Tuesday Concert for the Plantsand you’re invited! To tune-in, TAP THE EVENT IMAGE BELOW or visit https://unitedplantsavers.org/ for more info (and tag your best concert-going buddies in the comments)! The proceedings will be kicked off by none other than the esteemed and beloved Rosemary Gladstar herself! Join this virtual concert featuring the musical stylings of Høly River, Matthew Human, Brother Hill, and Jorma Kaukonen (of Hottuna), and the exquisite performance art of 1000 Faces Mask Theater.

2020 GIFT GUIDEHEALTHY & LOCAL IDEAS FOR EVERY BODY What better way to show your loved ones you care than by supporting their self-care? We’ve assembled our top herbal extracts, locally made home spa staples, and all-natural kits for body, mind, and mood into a stress-free gift guide with thoughtful offerings for most anyone on your list. And to make your shopping experience even more satisfying, we’re putting ALL our most giftable wellness favorites ON SALE for the month of November, so SHOP THE GUIDE today!

**GINGER FOR GUT HEALTH & IMMUNE SUPPORT** Ginger is one of the most commonly used botanicals in healing traditions around the world. Affordable, widely available, and familiar in its flavor, this highly democratic herb is a go-to for many digestive complaints, from an occasional upset stomach to morning sickness. A hot cup of ginger tea helps soothe the throat and break up phlegm for respiratory relief, and its warming properties also make it fantastic for joint stiffness an...d discomfort. WE WANT TO KNOW: What’s your favorite way to use ginger? . In Traditional Chinese Medicine, (fresh ginger) or (dry ginger) is acrid in flavor and warm in temperature. TCM recommends ginger to release the exterior and disperse cold (i.e., break a sweat!), to warm the middle and alleviate vomiting, and to warm the lungs and calm cough. You can find ginger in many of our tincture formulas, including our popular Rectify Qi, a stomach-supporting blend we consider essential during the upcoming season of holiday stress and feasting. Enjoy Rectify Qi 15% off for the month of November, available in our online shop>>http://bit.ly/CalmYourCore See more

Plants have long been used to narrow the space between the living world and the underworldsometimes figuratively, sometimes literally. Yet it’s often the case that the same herb may act as either a poison or a cure, depending on its preparation and use. NEW ON THE BLOG, we delve into the plant magic of one of these infamous botanicals: aconite (also known as wolf’s bane, monk’s hood, or fu zi). Enjoy plant stories to inspire chills (that don’t require an antidote!).

We formulate, blend, and bottle all of our herbal extracts in-house, allowing us to create custom formulations for natural health practitioners seeking specialized remedies for their patients. Our herbal pharmacy services are available to acupuncturists, Western herbalism clinicians, and students of herbal medicine, so join our practitioner program to place your order today>> http://bit.ly/CustomRemedies (Want to mix up your own batch of the custom upper respiratory and immune support formula featured in this video? Shop and First Response from the ready-made tinctures in our online store>> http://bit.ly/SinusExtracts.)

LOVE & PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE FROM THE FARM It’s been a long, smoky summer in California, but autumn’s arrival has brought a welcome change in the air and the energy. Here at Sunset Ranch (the Five Flavors Herbs farm headquarters and home of founders Ben and Ingrid), we’re celebrating the seasonal shift by spending time in the freshening air, bringing in an abundant squash harvest, and turning all that autumnal gourd goodness into tasty fall favorites. In the spirit of gratitu...de for this bounty, we’re sharing a favorite, simple pumpkin soup recipe below. We’d love to know...what is YOUR favorite dish to make this time of year? . Sumptuous Squash Soup Recipe Ingredients: - One 2-3 lb butternut, kabocha, or red curry squash -1 qt. stock (consider Jade Windscreen broth for immune-supporting benefits...RECIPE HERE! http://bit.ly/ImmunityBroth) -1 medium onion or 2-3 shallots - Butter and/or olive oil - Salt, white, or black pepper, and other spices (we love cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, or curry powder) - Crème fraiche, Greek yogurt, or coconut mylk to top, as desired Directions: Peel, seed, and cube the squash. Set seeds aside for saving or roasting. Place in a soup pot and barely cover with stock of your choice. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the chunks are falling apart. In a separate pan, sauté the onions and/or shallots in butter until soft and translucent, then set aside. Once both are ready and cool enough to handle, pour into a blender and pulse until creamy. Return to the soup pot and season as desired, and gently reheat if needed. Add additional stock to desired consistency (thick puree vs. sippable soup). Serve with crème fraiche, yogurt, or coconut mylk on top if you'd like. See more

TEA & MUSHROOM GIVEAWAY Autumn is mushroom season here on the West Coast, and there’s nothing we enjoy more than warming up from a successful day of fungi foraging with a hot cup of good tea! To celebrate this special time of year, we’ve teamed up with the sustainably sourced tea lovers at Young Mountain Tea to allow one lucky winner to experience the magic pairing of tea and mushrooms anytime, anywhere! TO ENTER BY 10/28, comment below with your favorite fall activity. . (...TAG A FRIEND to spread the word!) . Prize package includes: Five Flavors Herbs: (1) 3.5 oz. container of Stamets 7 Mushroom Mycelium Powder (Try our Rhodiola Reishi Chai recipe! http://bit.ly/MushroomChai) Young Mountain Tea: (1) 0.8 oz. tin of Nepali Golden Black Tea (http://bit.ly/NepaliTea) . VISIT US ON INSTAGRAM FOR ANOTHER CHANCE TO ENTER! . No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway not affiliated with or endorsed by Facebook. For official rules: http://bit.ly/ShroomTeaRules See more

In Traditional Chinese Medicine and other traditions, the way something tastes reveals much about how it could affect our health. TCM recognizes five flavors: bitter, sweet, acrid, salty, and sour. And each flavor is linked to a natural element: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, or Wood. These flavors and elements have the power to influence our bodily systems in important ways, so check out our latest blog post to learn how to harness them for a more balanced, vital life!

**FIVE FLAVORS OF VOTING FOR 2020** The stakes of this year’s election for the environment, health, and equity of the US have never been higher, and we all need to make our voices heard! Here are FIVE ways to vote, so you can find one that works for you. For all these resources in one place, visit Vote.org! . 1. Vote by Mail: Voting by mail is convenient, safe, and has been practiced in the US since the Civil Warjust be sure to follow the instructions on your ballot and send... it off as early as possible! (https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/) 2. Vote by Drop Box: Deposit your ballot directly into a secure, official ballot box, most open 24 hours a day up until Election Day (http://bit.ly/DropTheVote) 3. Vote Early In-Person: Vote in-person at your local polling center, but avoid the crowd! Many locations are open late and during weekends for those who can’t miss work to vote on Election Day (http://bit.ly/VoteEarly20) 4. Register & Vote Same-Day: Some states (including here in California) allow you to register and vote on the same day, all the way up until Election Dayprocrastinators rejoice! (http://bit.ly/VoteSameDay) 5. Vote Classic: If voting in-person on Election Day is your preferred (or only) option, come prepared with a mask, sanitizer, water, snacks, entertainment, and a steely resolve to be counted! (https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/) See more

Please join us for this series with our old friend Dr. Aumatma Shah coming up soon!

Please join us for this free meet up regarding using Chinese herbs in support of fertility goals with founder of Conceivable Proline Kirsten Karchmer