The name of this recipe is a homage to one of my go-to cookbooks, The Joy of Cooking, where the extra-special recipes have the moniker “Cockaigne” added. The word comes from a middle-English fable meaning “luxurious and idle paradise;” or abundance! Feel free to add other delicious herbs to the recipe such as organic Vanilla Beans, Hibiscus, Allspice, Star Anise, and more!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup dried, organic Elderberries (or 2 cups fresh elderberries)
• 1 teaspoon organic Cinnamon Chips or 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1 teaspoon organic whole Cloves
• 1 teaspoon organic Ginger (powder or root) or 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon dried organic dried Orange Peel or ¼ cup fresh orange peel
• 1 Tablespoon dried organic dried Bitter Orange Peel
• 1 Tablespoon organic dried Wild Cherry Bark
• 1 Tablespoon organic dried Rosehips
• 10 whole organic Cardamom Pods
• 4-5 cups water

Directions:

1. Put all these ingredients into a large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat to boiling.
2. Once the mixture boils, turn the heat down and simmer for 20-30…

Stachys Officinalis

Also, Known As:

• Betony
• Lousewort
• Purple Betony
• Wood Betony

The herb known as the wood betony is commonly considered to be the most important among the Anglo-Saxon herbs. There are at least twenty-nine uses of the wood betony in the treatment of physical diseases. At one time, the wood betony was probably also the most popular amulet herb – such amulets were used widely until the Middle Ages as a charm to ward off so-called evil or ill humors that supposedly brought disease to the human body. The many uses of the wood betony were written down by the medical herbalist Gerard in 1597, he gave a long list of herbal applications for this plant, adding that –“it maketh a man to pisse well”– an inference to the herb’s effectiveness against urinary disorders. Most contemporary herbalist neglect the wood betony as a potential remedy, however, the…