Adaptogenic herbal hot chocolate
November rolls off my tongue like a spell. November.
The year weans down so quickly now, knitting together short days and foggy breath, the first days of lighting the wood stove in the kitchen and fresh loaves of warm bread. Mushrooms and wild greens pop up after a summer of slumber and rose hips and hawthorn berries are all gathered and laid and hung to dry.
We’ve recently welcomed new young chickens to our flock, after a summer so hot that even the freshly hatched baby chicks couldn’t make it through, and checking in on them and seeing how they’re adapting to their new home has become a morning ritual that truly speaks of the season.
One thing I love about the cooler days is there invitation to rest and nourish myself. The cold season is a time to look inward, take stock and be gentle. It’s a contrast to the hot months, buzzing with activity and excitement, even though the hotter days create a certain stagnation too. In Autumn and Winter, we get to do more tasks outside, be it chopping wood or foraging, fencing or spreading compost around trees. But the days are short, and the moon rises early, and the hearth calls us in, pinecones and the wood stove singing a lullaby too sweet to ignore.
My apothecary reflects the change in seasons, too. Jars of cooling herbs, such as mint and rose petals, hibiscus and chamomile, start gradually and unconsciously making it to the back of my herbal shelves, while warming herbs like ginger and pine needles, ashwagandha and cinnamon get picked up more often and tiptoe their way to the front of the shelves. I always enjoy seeing how the condition of my apothecary reflects what’s going on on the outside.
And so much is going on the outside. Winter can be a challenging season for many, and this year’s cold season, especially, is triggering some anxiety in me, with all that’s happening, from a pandemic still ongoing to the rise of far-right here in Europe, and the ripple effects that the war has here and elsewhere, worsening the life condition of those already in disadvantage.
So, as always, I turn to herbs. And this season in particular, adaptogens. Adaptogens are a class of herbs I wasn’t familiar with until my herbal studies, but that have become a staple in my herbal toolkit ever since.
What are adaptogens? Put simply, this class of herbs supports the body in adapting to conditions of stress. They increase our resistance to (and recovery from) stressors, without acting upon a specific area of the body, but the whole. Adaptogen herbs include Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), and licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), among others. It’s a class of herbs I’ve been enjoying to explore and experience on my body.
And now that the short, cold days are here, and we can all use a little warmth and little soothing, I’ve been turning to warming herbs & spices and adaptogens, and nourishing rituals. And then one day, in my kitchen, adaptogenic herbal hot chocolate happened. And even some whipped cream too, because I was feeling that decadent. And the recipe was too good not to share, so I write it down while still fresh on my mind, and tonight I finally type it down here. Night has fell, I lit the wood stove in-between two paragraphs, and I can see the moon through the window, among the oak leaves, almost full. It’s a good night to indulge in a warm, supportive drink. Will you join me?
Adaptogenic Herbal Hot Chocolate
A delightfully warming drink for short and cold days. Ashwagandha and reishi are adaptogens and nervines, supporting the nervous system and helping you wind down.
(serves 2)
Ingredients
2 cups dairy or vegetable milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp local honey
1 tsp reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), powdered
1/2 tsp ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root, powdered
1/2 tbsp ginger (Zingiber officinale) root, powdered
a sprinkle of cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), powdered
For the whipped floral cream:
1/2 cup dairy of vegetable cream, chilled
1/2 tbsp edible flowers
Directions
If you want to incorporate whipped cream on top, start by preparing it: beat the cream with a manual whisk until it’s light and fluffy. Fold in the edible flowers.
To prepare the hot chocolate, heat the milk on the stove and add all ingredients (except cinnamon), stirring well to combine, for about 5 minutes. Don’t let it boil.
Pour the chocolate into mugs and top with the whipped cream, if using. Sprinkle on some cinnamon, and even some more edible flowers if you’re feeling extra.
I hope you enjoy a hot mug of this drink and that it feels like a warm hug.
And before I sign off, I’m leaving you with a song I’ve been listening to on repeat for the last few weeks (okay, months), and still going. It’s a true gem.
Happy November, friends.