Recipe: Endo-Tonic Tea

2 parts burdock root

2 parts pau d'arco

2 parts red root

1 part red clover

1 part red raspberry leaf

1 part wild yam

Fill a large saucepan with 2 quarts water (this is not the kind of tea you steep one cup at a time!) and add 4-5 heaping tablespoons of tea mixture.  Be sure to get an even mix of ingredients--they will be all different sizes and textures so this can be a bit tricky and often the counter and/or floor gets some of its own tea mix too.  

Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes (if you continue to brew the tea past 30 minutes, the roots will begin to give off a bitter flavor, which is not as pleasant as the 25-minute version).  Pour through fine-mesh sieve into a large glass pitcher, measuring cup, or bowl (whatever you have that's glass, but something that pours well is preferable).  Discard used tea mixture.  This is a perfect time to drink your first hot cup of Endo-Tonic Tea!  Let the rest of tea cool until you are ready to pour into bottles or jars (you will have a little less than 2 quarts of tea by now, but I use 2 narrow quart jars to hold my tea) and refrigerate.  

You can heat the tea up each time you want a cup, keep it warm in a thermos, OR simply drink it cold.  I prefer to drink it cold and when I'm out, I put it in a reusable water bottle and sip on it all day!!  I like the way the tea tastes and I find that it is easier to drink more quantity (I drink my 2 quarts in 2-3 days) if it is cold.

NOTE:  This recipe is our own formulation, adapted from several different female-balancing tea recipes we found in books and online.  To make this tea, you will need to find an herb store that sells individual herbs by weight (you can get as much or as little as you want--the recipe is given in proportions).  

We want to give a special thanks to the Lhasa Karnak Herb Company in Berkeley who helped direct us to find the right resources and sold us wonderful herbs for our tea!