One of the most delightful aspects of working with plants is exploring new and unique ways to explore the medicines that grow all around me. As the populations of certain plants explode on my property, this allows me the wonderful opportunity to try my hand at making new creations, concoctions and potions.
This year, one such plant that has provided us with abundance of medicine are our roses. To learn more about the beautiful folklore, myth, magic and medicine that roses can provide us with check out my YouTube video on the subject below.
Cacao Medicinal Benefits
As you saw in the above video, roses have some lovely benefits for the cardiovascular system and the heart itself; both physically and energetically. Pairing roses with chocolate (cacao) not only sounded divine, but it also made a lot of sense in terms of their properties. Cacao is well-known for it’s benefits to the cardiovascular system as it supports both the heart itself and the arterial system that transports blood throughout our entire bodies. Cacao is very high in a category of polyphenols called flavonoids which are known to reduce blood pressure, inflammation and lipid accumulation. In addition to all of this, cacao is a powerful anti-oxidant which also provide tremendous benefits to the heart.
It is pragmatic to mention that commercially available is not the same as raw cacao. While chocolate does contain cacao in some form, there is a lot of added ingredients including processes sugars that drastically reduce the health benefits.
Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/cocoa-beans-beans-food-organic-6347192/
A Little Bit About Damiana
As a herbalist and plant worker, it can become very easy to find yourself “stuck in your ways” and I am sure many of you can relate to this in your chosen field of profession. All of the herbs I was taught about in school have served me very well, but I am always working hard to explore new plant based medicines. When a new herb enters my life in some way, either my naturalizing itself on my property or coming in up books/conversations over and over again; I pay attention to this.
Damiana is not a plant that was apart of my materia medica for school, but in recent years I have noticed her name mentioned over and over again. Since I knew I would be working with roses and cacao for this recipe, I the addition of dried damiana would be perfect.
You may be familiar with Damiana’s claims to increased virality and libido, but it is also well known for it’s stress reducing and mood enhancement properties. Aiding with tension, anxiety, stress, nervousness and depression, Damiana is an adaptogenic herb that can help to boost your body’s resiliency to chronic stress over time. However, please note, that it is always best to remove yourself from the chronic stressful situation if at all possible.
Disclaimer: Please note that while I am trained clinical herbalist, I am not a doctor. None of the information on this site is meant to diagnose, cure or treat any disease states or chronic health conditions. Please do your own independent research on the herbs mentioned as they could interact with medications and aforementioned health states.
For more information on Damiana’s medicinal benefits please check out the following links:
Damiana: The Herb that Can Enhance Mood, Libido & More – Dr. Axe
Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/damiana-yellow-flower-petals-6316219/
Rose, Damiana and Cacao Elixir Recipe
Elixirs or cordials are in simple terms, sweetened tinctures. In a tincture the medicinal benefits (chemical constituents) of plants are extracted by alcohol. By adding a sweetener of choice, this results in a herbal preparation known as an elixir/cordial. Because of the high alcohol content, elixirs are meant to be sipping beverages or medicines taken by the dropper full. Please exercise caution when dosing. It is always wise to start with smaller amounts to see how your body will respond.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of freshly picked rose petals (1 cup dried)
- 2/3 cup of dried damiana leaf/flower (1-1/2 cups fresh)
- 1/2 cup of raw cacao nibs
- 1 cup of honey
- brandy
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Instructions
- For this recipe you will need a one litre mason jar
- Fill your jar with the rose petals, damiana and raw cacao nibs
- Add 1/2 to 1 cup of honey to the jar and using a chopstick or knife, move the herbs around to encourage the honey to coat them well and move to the bottom of the jar
- Once all the honey has settled, top your jar off with the brandy of your choice
- Use a piece of parchment paper as a barrier between the lid and the alcohol (this prevents the alcohol from corroding the lid)
- Shake well and top off with more brandy if needed
- Allow your elixir to sit in a cool and dark location for at least 4 weeks
- When you are ready to enjoy your creation, strain out all of the herbs and pour into a bottle of your choosing
- Enjoy neat, on the rocks or mixed with soda water
I hope you enjoy this expansive heart opening elixir. May it bring love, joy and a sense of peace and calm to your life.
With love,
Regular Readers/Watchers
If you are a regular reader of this blog or viewer of Spiraea’s content on YouTube, I would be honoured if you took at peek at my Patreon site. Patreon is a crowd-funding site where folks can show their gratitude for the free content that creators like me produce. My currently Patreon family has been so amazing and supportive. They are the only reason I can continue to put out free video content on my YouTube channel and write blog posts right here. I have immense gratitude for them and would be thrilled if you joined us.
