Herbal Cup of Soups

When the chill of fall and winter starts to set in, there’s nothing like a cup of soup. Soup is warming, grounding and as an ancient healing tradition, it is easy on digestion, soothing to the nervous system, and the perfect vehicle to get more herbs into you.

Adding herbs into soups has been part of herbalism for thousands of years. As any herbalist or nutritionist will tell you, the broth base makes the soup, and is where many of the healing qualities are found. When time allows, we like to simmer our broths for a few hours on the stovetop. But with the busy schedules of life, school, and work, sometimes we just want something that’s simple and fast. This is where our teas come in. By using our herbal teas as the base of your broth, you can create delicious, nourishing broths in just minutes! For your herbal cup of soup, you can get as creative as you’d like by adding simple seasonings, bite-sized vegetables, and fast cooking starches or grains. Below is our herbalist’s take on three familiar favorites that you might recognize.

Three Herbal Cup of Soup Recipes

Thai Ginger Digestive Soup

Inspired by traditional Thai coconut soup, our organic Ginger tea shines here and adds a warm, pungent, and peppery bite.

Servings: Serving size: 1 quart (half the recipe for a smaller amount)

Time: Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Traditional Medicinals organic Ginger tea bags
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 4-inch piece of lemongrass cut finely
• ½ cup fresh mushrooms; button or oyster, sliced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lime

Optional

• 1-inch fresh ginger, minced – for extra spice
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. To make your broth base, boil 2 cups of water, turn off heat and steep the ginger tea bags for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and set aside tea.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Add in the garlic, lemongrass, and scallions and sauté for a few minutes until the garlic is soft.
3. Add in the mushrooms and sauté for another for 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the ginger tea and coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Toss in the fresh herbs, lime zest, and juice, salt, and pepper. Stir and serve immediately.

Lemon Orzo Relaxation Soup

This soup is the perfect thing to relax with after a long day. Our organic Lemon Balm tea is the ideal base for this lemony, Greek-inspired soup. Lemon balm is one of those amiable, easy-to-love plants. A mint family member with broad leaves and a pleasing lemon scent, it has been used for thousands of years to support digestion and calm frazzled nerves.* Settle in with a good book and this warm cup of soup, and you will be feeling like yourself in no time.

Our organic Lemon Balm tea is the ideal base for this lemony, Greek-inspired soup. Lemon balm is one of those amiable, easy-to-love plants.

Servings: 1.5 quarts (half the recipe for a smaller amount)

Time: Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 Traditional Medicinals organic Lemon Balm tea bags
• 4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp parsley, fresh or dried
• 1 tsp thyme, fresh or dried
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 tsp veggie bouillon, we like this one
• 1 tsp salt
• Lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. To make your broth base, boil 4 cups of water, turn off heat and steep the tea bags for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and set aside tea.
2. In a saucepan, sauté olive oil, onions, garlic, celery, and carrots for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is tender.
3. Add in the Lemon Balm tea, orzo, parsley, thyme, bouillon, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the orzo is fully cooked. Turn off heat and cool for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Serve hot. Salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with fresh olive oil and extra parsley and serve with a fresh lemon wedge slice.

Savory Reishi Soup

One of herbalism’s most beloved medicinal mushrooms, reishi is traditionally used to support immune function and is widely used to help keep the body balanced.* As a gentle adaptogenic tonic, our organic Reishi tea is ideal for daily wellness support and as a flavorful addition to this savory soup.

As a gentle adaptogenic tonic, our organic Reishi tea is ideal for daily wellness support and as a flavorful addition to this savory soup.

Servings: 1 quart (half the recipe for smaller serving size)

Time: Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 Traditional Medicinals organic Reishi Mushroom tea bags
• 4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 cup sliced dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tsp mushroom bouillon, we like this one
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Optional

• bay leaf

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté onion and carrots. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until softened.
2. While cooking the onions, make a quart of herbal tea. Boil 4 cups of water, turn off heat and steep reishi tea bags for 10 minutes. Squeeze out any excess tea and discard the tea bags.
3. Add the tea, and the rest of the ingredients to a pot, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the dried mushrooms have softened.
4. Serve hot, salt and pepper to taste and pair with a grilled cheese or toasted baguette.