{{RECIPES}} Simple Autumn Herbal Drinks

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There is something about autumn that makes me want to put herbs in everything (more so than I already do).

Tea. Cider. Soup. Honey. Something simmering on the stove. Something steeping on the counter. Maybe it's because autumn is my favorite season. Maybe it's because I'm an herbalist. Probably both. But I also think there's something deeper happening here.

As we move from late summer into autumn, the qualities around us begin to change. The heat starts to retreat. The air becomes cooler and drier. The days shorten. The wind picks up. Everything begins moving inward.

And our tissues notice, which is why I feel the intense urge to put on my best fluffy socks, grab my tulsi-matcha latte, and sit on the porch as the sun rises (assuming that it's not 90 degrees and muggy here in Florida).

This is why I love using simple herbs during seasonal transitions. You don't always need a complicated formula. Sometimes you just need to look at what the season is asking for and choose one or two plants that meet it.

So let's take the six herbs we talked about in the last post—ginger, rose, hawthorn, chamomile, elder, and tulsi—and put them to work in some very easy autumn preparations.

Rose and hawthorn aren't currently available as Morningstar simples, so those two can simply remain on our “things Danni needs to make someday” list (which is so long, as a mother to a toddler, Sigh).

The other four?

Let's make some drinks.

1. Ginger Apple Cider

For the cool, sluggish, damp side of Autumn

Ginger is one of my favorite transitional herbs because it brings warmth and movement without requiring an elaborate production. And honestly, what says autumn more than ginger and apple? This one is so easy, too. Just get some apple cider from the produce section of the supermarket and we're going to spruce it up.

You'll need:

• 1–2 tsp Morningstar ginger simple
  
• 8 oz warm apple cider
• Honey, to taste (optional, depending on if your cider is sweetened)
• Optional: a cinnamon stick, if you're feeling fancy

Your ginger simple is an alcohol extract, so don't boil it. Heat your cider separately, let it cool a little, and then add the tincture.

The result: spicy, warming, lightly sweet, and very Fall. Fall, the season? Or Fall of civilization? You decide what you're celebrating.

2. Tulsi Ginger Chai

For the cool, scattered, transitional days

This is basically autumn in a mug.

Tulsi brings warmth and aromatic lift, ginger brings its characteristic heat and movement, and the traditional chai spices make the whole kitchen smell like you've got your life together.

You don't have to tell anyone that you made it in twelve minutes.

You'll need — 2 servings

• 1½ cups water
• ½ cup milk of your choice
• 1–2 inches fresh ginger, sliced or grated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3–4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2–3 whole cloves
• 4–6 black peppercorns
• 1 black tea bag
• Honey or maple syrup, to taste
• ½–1 tsp Morningstar Tulsi Simple
  

Make it

Add the water, fresh ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns to a small saucepan.

Bring to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for about 10 minutes. This gives those lovely warming spices plenty of time to release their flavor.

Add the milk and bring everything back to a gentle simmer. Add your black tea bag now and simmer for another 2–3 minutes, depending on how strong you like your chai.

Strain into your mugs and sweeten with honey or maple syrup.

Now comes the important part: let the chai cool just enough that it's comfortable to drink before adding your tinctures.

Add the Tulsi Simple, give it a good stir, and enjoy.

Adding the tinctures at the end means we're not unnecessarily cooking off the alcohol or subjecting the extracted plant constituents to prolonged heat.

And then?

Find a chair. Preferably one near a window. Put on a sweater if the weather permits. Take a sip.

Congratulations. You have made autumn. 🍂

And if you're thinking, “Danni, that sounds suspiciously like a cozy morning ritual,”

Yes. Exactly.

3. Chamomile Tulsi Autumn Tea

For winding down when the day is still buzzing around in your head

This one starts with an actual cup of chamomile tea—the old-fashioned way.

Chamomile gives us the soft, floral base, while a little tulsi simple adds an aromatic, warming note that makes the whole thing feel a bit more autumnal.

You'll need

• 1–2 tsp dried chamomile (or just a tea bag)
• 8 oz just-boiled water
• ½–1 tsp Morningstar Tulsi Simple
• Honey, to taste
• Optional: a splash of warm milk or oat milk
• Optional: a tiny pinch of cinnamon

Make it

Pour the hot water over the chamomile and cover. Let it steep for 5–10 minutes, then strain.

Let the tea cool slightly, then stir in the Tulsi Simple and honey.

Add a little warm milk if you'd like it creamy, and top with a pinch of cinnamon.

The result is floral, gently aromatic, warm, and just cozy enough to make you want to turn the lights down and call it a night.

And this is a perfect example of why I like keeping simples around.

The chamomile is doing what chamomile does best as an actual infusion, while the tulsi simple lets you add a concentrated little splash of another plant without having to make an entirely new tea.

Two plants. Two preparations. One very nice mug.

4. Elderberry Autumn Shrub Mocktail

For something a little more festive.

Now we're going to take elder out of the tea mug and give it a little more personality. An herbal shrub is basically a drinking vinegar made with fruit, vinegar, and sweetener. And elderberry is made for this kind of autumn kitchen experiment.

You'll need:

• 1–2 tsp Morningstar elderberry simple
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1–2 tsp honey or maple syrup
• 6–8 oz sparkling water
  
• Orange peel, optional

Stir the elderberry simple, vinegar, and honey/maple syrup together.

Add ice.

Top with sparkling water.

Give it a good stir.

Add a curl of orange peel if you're feeling fancy.

The result is tart, fruity, slightly sweet, and incredibly pretty. Again, this is a good example of why I love simples. You don't need a pre-made formula to make something interesting. You can take one plant and turn it into a completely different experience.

5. The “Summer Isn't Quite Done Yet” Rose Cup

Rose isn't currently a Morningstar simple, but I couldn't leave her out of the recipes because she is so perfectly suited to this transition.

This is the drink for those strange September days when the calendar says autumn but the thermometer says: LOL. No.

Make a light rose tea. Add a little honey. Let it cool. Serve it over ice with a squeeze of orange or lemon.

It's floral, refreshing, and much more appropriate for lingering late-summer heat than a giant mug of ginger chai.

And this is exactly why I keep coming back to tissue states.

Autumn does not mean every person needs warming herbs every day.

Sometimes it's still 90 degrees outside. Sometimes the tissues are still carrying summer heat. The season is changing, but it hasn't finished changing yet.

6. Hawthorn & Apple Autumn Tea

And finally, hawthorn.

Also not currently available as a Morningstar simple, but absolutely deserving of a place at the autumn table.

Hawthorn berries and apple are a beautiful combination.

Simmer dried hawthorn berries with sliced apple and a cinnamon stick until you've got a deep, ruby-colored tea.

Strain.

Sweeten with honey if desired.

And if you eventually see a little bottle of hawthorn simple appear in the Morningstar apothecary...

Well.

You can probably guess where this recipe came from.

The point isn't the recipe

This is actually the part I care about most.

I'm not giving you these recipes because I think everyone needs to drink six different herbal preparations every autumn.

Please don't turn your apothecary into another job.

I'm giving you these because this is what it looks like to develop a relationship with your herbs. You take something you already have on the shelf and put it into ordinary life.

You make tea. You make a drink. You cook with it. You taste it. You notice how it behaves. You notice whether you actually enjoy it. You start recognizing its energetics.

And eventually you stop thinking of the herb as: “That thing that's supposed to be good for ______.”

It becomes ginger. You know ginger. You know what it tastes like. You know what it feels like. You know when you want it. You know when you don't.

That's herbalism.

Let the Season Be Your Inspiration, Not Your Prescription

This is the thing I want to keep coming back to with seasonal herbalism.

Autumn gives us a general landscape: cooler, drier, more mobile, more inward.

But your tissues are still your tissues.

If you're cold and sluggish, ginger might sound wonderful.

If you're hot and dry, perhaps rose is calling your name.

If you're tense and restless, chamomile might be more appropriate.

If you're feeling like you need a little warmth and aromatic movement, tulsi might be the one.

And sometimes? You just want a mug of something delicious. That is also a perfectly legitimate reason to make herbal tea.

Not everything has to be a protocol.

Some of the best herbalism is simply living with plants.

So go pull a bottle off your shelf. Put the kettle on. Make something cozy. And let autumn into the kitchen.

🍂🌿

— Danni
Morningstar Medicinals

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