In the cold months, hot cocoa is my favorite delivery mechanism for medicinal herbs—for kids and adults. Here are two therapeutic cocoa recipes—one boosts immune function with astragalus and licorice, the other is an “adaptogenic” formula made with ashwagandha and licorice.

You can feel it in the lower part of your belly, beneath your belly button, and it makes you double over. Or you might experience it higher up, under your rib cage, and it’s hard to take a deep breath. People describe it as sharp, pointy, stabby. Some call it stomach cramps. Often, it’s from trapped gas. My go-to herb to relieve these symptoms is catnip.

In this talk, I explain how the phytochemicals plants make to protect and heal themselves in a complex ecology become medicine we can use to build strength and resilience against stressors in our own world.

People often ask me what herbal medicine is, and whether I “believe” it works. But herbal medicine is not a belief system. It’s chemicals and science. Coffee wakes you up because of phytochemicals that are found in the plant. (Phyto = plant.)

Balm is the key word in lemon balm. It soothes anxiety, calms digestive upset, and lifts the spirit. Which is not surprising, because Its unique package of phytochemicals works at the intersection of the gut, nervous and immune system.