Medicinal Broth Recipe for Immune Health

A delicious and nutritious way to get your herbs in is to make them into a medicinal soup stock!

It's really pretty simple: just simmer a few of your favorite herbs or mushrooms, strain them out, and then make your soup! And don't skip the straining step - many of the herbs listed below are tough and inedible.

For most herbs, simmering for 30-60 minutes would be sufficient, but 4-6 hours may be better, adding water as needed. For some medicinal mushrooms, like reishi mushroom, the mushroom is traditionally cooked all day, i.e. up to 24 hours, but you can do shorter than that.

Herbs that may work well, and rough quantities for an 8-12 quart soup pot are below. Adjust quantities according to your taste and/or desired effect. As always, make sure any particular herb is safe for you. Some of these herbs may affect the liver or immune system.

• Burdock root - grounding and nourishing, about 1 oz. per pot (don't need to strain out)

• Eleuthero - adaptogenic and immune stimulating, about 1 oz. per pot

• Reishi mushroom - immune tonic, about 1/2 oz. per pot

• Astragalus - immune tonic, about 3 oz. per pot

• Nettle leaf (or can add when making the soup) - high-mineral content, about 2 oz. per pot (don't need to strain out)
  

Other mushrooms you may want to try include birch polypore, shiitake, turkey tail or maitake. Other herbs that may work well are your tonic roots, like codonopsis.

And another great ingredient?  Seaweed!  These mineral-rich sea vegetables are an excellent salty addition to any broth.  A few leaves of kelp is just one simple way to add an extra layer of richness and nutrition to your soup.  We suggest getting seaweeds from quality sources as locally as possible, such as from Maine harvesters, available here.

If you're looking for a blend already made, check out our mushroom broth mix here.

So go ahead and make some tasty creations to nourish your soul and boost your health. Let us know if you have any questions and feel free to share your results!

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