I feel like smoothies and juices get a lot of attention… They can be packed with so many different nutrients and you can mix them up so easily to create different delicious, healthful and healing drinks. But theres another type of drink that is not as common and is jam packed with nutrients as well. I’m talking about elixirs. I’m sure you’ve heard of them before, I know I did before I ever really knew what they were.

What makes an elixir different from a smoothie is that they contain powerful herbs and spices, making them not only nutrient dense, but also therapeutic– they have medicinal properties.

This specific elixir has chaga tincture in it, but you can also use Chaga Tea as a base. (To learn more about chaga mushrooms and how to make chaga tincture check out this site.) Chaga mushroom is a medicinal mushroom and is considered the king of mushrooms. Chaga mushrooms grow on Birch Trees, the bark of which have been known for their immune regulating properties. As these mushrooms grow, they build up the medicinal properties found in the bark of the Birch Tree. Chaga mushrooms are also known to help symptoms of cancer and protect against the development of cancer.

This elixir is great to have in times of stress. Not only does it help regulate the immune system, which is effected during times of stress, but it also has a few other ingredients that help combat effects of stress…

Maca: This is an adaptogen that helps the body adapt during times of stress and it balances hormones.

Cacao: Aka chocolate. Real chocolate. (Not to be confused with cocoa.) This has tryptophan in it which is found in mediciations used to conventionally treat depression and anxiety (mood disorders which are often caused by stressed) and it helps to combat the effects of stress. It also contains a chemical called phenylethylamine which is calming.

Cinnamon: Warming spices, such as cinnamon, are known to help ground you and make you feel calm.

Here are all the ingredients for this elixir…

About 5 goji berries

1/2 cup of water

3 cups of almond milk

1/4 cup of honey

1 tsp bee pollen

1 1/2 droppers full of chaga tincture (about 3 tsp) OR Chaga Tea

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp maca powder

1 tsp spirulina

2 1/2 tbs raw cacao powder

4 tsp coconut oil

And here’s how to make it:

Add water and goji berries to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil. This helps to extract the medicinal properties from the goji berries. Scoop the goji berries out.

In a blender, blend together the rest of the ingredients until smooth. You can add the goji berries before blending, but you don’t have to.

Pour blended mixture into the saucepan with the water and heat. Enjoy!