Tonic Herb Bone Broth… It’s still snowing here in Finland. Winters are long & one way to build immunity & strength during the neverending cold season is by making a pot of herb bone broth every week from your leftover meat or fish bones with some tonic herbs, then drink the broth throughout the week. I think everyone used to make tonic bone broths back in the day, but modern lifestyle has gotten away from it. Let our food be our medicine.
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Bones are simmered with water & vinegar for a long time (10-24 hours) to extract the minerals, cartilage, marrow, gelatin in a form that is easy to absorb & assimilate. Bone broths made from bones of free range animals have been used to treat many types of chronic ailments. If you eat meat, don’t waste the bones & throw them away! Those bones are good medicine.
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It is not necessary to add herbs to your bone broths, but why not? They add flavor, nutrition & medicinal properties. I change the herbs every week, depending on how I’m feeling. But I usually add tonic roots such as Codonopsis, Siberian Ginseng, Astragalus, Dang Gui Angelica Root. I add Reishi Mushroom, known as the Herb of Immortality in Chinese Medicine. I always add Goji Berries & Jujube fruit, which are Blood Tonics. Other tonic herbs I add: Jiagulan, Oatstraw, Nettle Seeds. I usually add Nettle leaves, Goatpipe, Rosehips, Hawthorne berries. You only need half to one TBSP of each herb. If it’s a delicious tasting herb like nettles, goatpipe or goji berries then add as much as you like. I also add Carrot, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Ginger for flavor.
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Here is my recipe for Tonic Herb Chicken Bone Broth: bones from 1 free range chicken (skin removed), 2 TBSP vinegar, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery sticks, 4 cloves garlic chopped, 1 inch piece of ginger chopped, half an onion chopped, herbs of your choice, 3 Liters water. Directions: Place all ingredients into a 3 Liter sized pot. Bring to a boil, remove foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer 10-24 hours. The longer you simmer, the richer it will be. As the broth simmers, the water will evaporate and the broth becomes richer and thicker. After cooking, strain broth into another pot. Broth stays good about 5 days in refrigerator. You can use this broth as a base for soups or just drink it warm in a tea mug. After drinking a cup, you will certainly feel warm and revitalized. Enjoy!
