When we first began formulating the first recipe concepts for the wild chaga elixir, it was our Apex priority to make it taste insanely good.
The reason the formulae has to taste good is because I knew from my own experience that one of the core foundations for reaping the rewards from superherbs and mushrooms comes from taking them consistently. That habit of taking medicinal herbs daily creates a treasury of immunity and trace minerals that gets you the best results.
What I find to be common in the health industry is products, supplements or powders that simply do not taste great, and disincentive you to want to take it daily.
I love my bitter herbs, wheatgrass shots and mushroom tinctures - there's a time and place for them - but I'd much rather ENJOY taking my natural health supplements. When you turn any habit into a ritual, where you catch yourself reaching for the product automatically, that's when the results start "pouring" in.
Would you rather take some ultra bitter herb or a Shirley Temple cherry flavored dropper filled with the top superherbs in Chinese medicine?
Hint, hint ... Shroomy Temple: Wild Reishi Tincture
Simply put, people always will take more of what tastes good, over what doesn't.
We saw it as a fun opportunity and worthwhile challenge to make a mushroom product actually taste so good, that you'd rather take that instead of anything "naughty".
After literally hundreds of iterations and perfections, we stuck cosmic gold, and resurrected an ancient recipe of roots, barks, berries and herbs that made the base for root beer (used to be called "root tea").
The rest is history, as today the Wild Chaga Rootbeer Elixir has become a quintessential mushroom product sold in over 24 countries, and at some of the most incredible health food meccas and restaurants.
I've seen wonderful success happen for people with their health when go with formulas, diets or lifestyles that have a foundation resting on simplicity.
It makes sense when you think about it. The science of food combing teaches us very similar ideas that no matter how good the foods may be individually, by throwing too many combinations together, you will hit a wall of digestive issues, lethargy and even headaches.
Your body gets overwhelmed by the amount of processes, enzymes and amino acids needed to break down all the ingested substances.
How to Balance Bitter Herbs and Medicinal Mushrooms Together
One of the best ways to pair strong flavored or bitter herbs such as reishi mushroom, ginseng or mugwort, wormwood, etc, is to find an herbal compatibility partner.
This is achieved by pairing together the more intensely flavored options mentioned above, with superherbs that embellish that primary herb's positive effect, while also off-set any strong flavor tones.
Strong herbal recipes have the primary herb, with a secondary and maybe a third herb that pair with it. This helps to round out the strong flavors and hyper target the benefits.
For example, in our Wild Chaga Rootbeer Elixir, the primary superherb is "chaga mushroom", and the secondary herb is "sarsaparilla root". The rest of the recipe; wild cherry bark, juniper, dandelion, etc, adds beneficial compounds and support to the effects of the first two, without being in such a strong dosage as to counteract.
Contrary to the belief that "more is better", where companies are throwing dozens of different mushrooms or superherbs into a formula, ancient wisdom of herbalism promotes the opposite, that "less is more".
Yes there is a time and place for creating a synergy of herbs, but if not done correctly you can experience gastrointestinal upset and counteractive effects like mood swings, sweating and intense detox.
I recorded this video to give you more of an idea of how to pair herbs together with delicious flavors and simplicity - all a part of our alchemy philosophy. It'll give you a great insight when shopping for superfood, herbal and mushroom products.
Click this link or watch the video below!
That's all today fungi friends. We'll have plenty more to share on this topic in future field notes and videos.
As always, we appreciate your questions, comments and feedback; you can drop us a line down below.
Stay magical,
Shane | Founder & Alchemist
Black Magic Alchemy