Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine have utilized the peels from citrus fruits for millennia. Peels of citrus are substantial sources of nutrients, antioxidants, and enzymes that increase the value of a formula and enhance its assimilation into the body.
Cinnamomum verum, a member of the Lauraceae family, is also known as True or Ceylon cinnamon, referring to its homeland in Sri Lanka. Cinnamon bark has been used for thousands of years in both Eastern and Western Traditional herbal systems.
Hand-picked on a family farm on Kauai, Hawai'i, ginger is grown in volcanic soil and harvested young for a smoother, brighter heat.
There are dozens of varieties of lemongrass, each with unique tastes and fragrances. Certain varieties have hints of ginger, rose, or various citrus notes, due to variations in aromatic oil content, making each one uniquely sought after for specific recipes or tea combinations.
Lemon Verbena is a fragrant plant in the Verbenaceae family native to Western South America where it continues to grow in the wild. It is a staple grassroots herb in South America used for all manner of ailments, much like how peppermint is to the European tradition.
Coriandrum Sativum, a member of the Apiaceae or Carrot family, is native to the Mediterranean and Asia, and has been used as a medicinal spice for at least 7,000 years. Recently, seeds were even recovered in the tomb of King Tut in Egypt. Coriander is the seed of the well-known culinary herb cilantro and, as such, has similar uses and benefits.
Native to Southwest India, Turmeric is now cultivated throughout the tropics. Its golden rhizome has colored curries, cloth, and ceremony across South Asia for thousands of years. Earthy, bright, and gently bitter, it is one of the most storied roots in the plant world.
Vanilla Planifoila, a member of the Orchidceae family, is one of the three species grown commercially throughout the world. Native to Mexico, where it was once a common ingredient in a hot mug of Aztec cacao, it has since moved around the world and been adopted into cultures far and wide. Vanilla beans or pods come from a unique species of climbing orchid.
Myristica fragrans, known as Nutmeg, is a member of the Myristicaceae family native to a small volcanic island chain in Indonesia, historically known as the “Spice islands”. Mace is the thin, fragrant, leathery pulp, called an aril, that wraps around the nutmeg pit. Mace has a slightly lighter, more aromatic fragrance and flavor compared to nutmeg, yet with an abundance of shared chemistry and similar uses and applications.
Syzygium aromaticum, a member of the Myrtaceae family, is native to the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, also referred to as the “Spice islands”. This small island chain was the epicenter of the European spice trade in the 16th century due to the clove, nutmeg, and mace originally found only here. It was traditional in Moluccan culture to plant a clove tree each time a child was born.
Elettaria cardamomum, a member of the tropical Zingiberaceae family, is one of several species of herbaceous plants native to India that produce the well known light green, spicy pods we know and love. While India remains the world’s largest producer of Cardamon, it is now cultivated worldwide, particularly coming from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala.
Most functional drinks pick a hero ingredient and shout. We formulate the way an herbalist would: several plants, working together, none of them headlining. The tonic doesn't ask your body for anything. It gives a few things back.
