Last week we got to speak with the wonderful Erin Lovell Verinder about her love for plants, magic in nature - and all things green thumb (well some of them at least). 

Graciously, Erin has shared one of her recipes from her newly released book ‘The Plant Clinic’ ($39.99, Thames & Hudson). She says it best in the intro, but we have to say - this recipe reads like a gentle hug from a dear friend, when you’re feeling blue - so we can't wait to make it. Thank you Erin. 

Uplifting Oxymel

When internal clouds are heavy and there is no blue sky to be seen, this plant medicine is the most fitting remedy, a gentle offering working to soften depression and heaviness. Mood enhancing herbs are married together here to create a celestial ambrosia of sorts, deliciously soaked in a golden-nectared oxymel base of honey and apple cider vinegar. The plants shall part the clouds and awaken the sunshine within you!

Oxymels are one of the most beloved and delicious forms of plant medicine. Super foolproof, with raw honey and apple cider vinegar as the base extraction ingredients, oxymels create a tasty ‘tincture meets syrup’. Oxymels also make the very best spritzer when added to fizzy water! They are a great alternative for those seeking to avoid alcohol-based herbal tinctures.

3/4 cup dried or 1 1/2 cup fresh St John’s wort leaf/flowers

1/4 cup dried or 1/2 cup fresh borage flowers

1/2 cup dried rosemary leaf/flowers

1/2 cup dried rose petals

3/4 cup dried tulsi leaf/flowers

Note: I have given a fresh plant material option in this recipe for a couple of the herbs that I feel work really well when used fresh, compared with dried. Feel free to blend fresh with dried plant material.

METHOD

Makes 2-3 cups.

Place your dried herbal ingredients in a sterilised glass jar. Pour 2 cups of raw, unpasteurised apple cider vinegar over the plant material, followed by 2 cups of raw honey. The liquid mixture should completely cover the plant material and fill the jar to the very top. Seal the jar with a plastic lid. If you are using a metal lid, place a piece of baking paper between the mixture and lid before sealing to avoid any corrosion. Allow your oxymel to infuse for 2–4 weeks. When the oxymel is ready, simply strain it through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the dried plant material with a spoon to liberate the liquid. Decant the oxymel into sterilised amber bottles. Seal and label, noting the ingredients, remedy recipe name and date made. Oxymels store well at room temperature, but if you live in a hot climate you can extend their longevity by keeping them in the fridge. You can add oxymels to carbonated water, use them as a healthful cocktail/mocktail base, add them to smoothies or herbal teas or just drop them straight onto the tongue!

DOSAGE

Give this blend a go for a good period of time: 6 or more weeks, ideally, if you are experiencing a very low mood. I find that working with this blend for a prolonged period really allows the plants to work deeply to support and catalyse changes within.