Dubinet - Dara: Intro to Tonics

This book is dedicated to my mother, Beverlee, who helps me still.

She liked to hold recipes in her hand.

If you should print the following, she will be smiling from above.

<3

contents

recipes

a list of ingredients, their benefits, and links to purchase

introduction

Hi, everybody, its Dara :). Many of you know that I follow a raw, plant-based diet and lifestyle, which I believe is the secret to youth, beauty, vitality, optimal weight, health, and happiness. I hear from many people that the raw food diet is difficult for them to follow. I have an answer, a secret, a way. I was able to stay raw for all of these years in part because I supplemented my diet of raw, living plant-based foods with hot, herbal tonic drinks. These tonics were my secret! I was able to warm my digestive system, stay nurtured, and balanced. (And even if you dont follow the raw food diet, these tonics will still improve your life!) I have been intuitively making these drinks over the past nine years, often for guests. So many of them asked me for the recipes that I began recording my blends. These are a small collection of my favorites.

With this ebook, I am providing a basic introduction to tonic recipes, how to substitute when necessary for individual needs, and where to purchase the highest quality ingredients. Adaptogenic herbs, which are dual directional and attend to what our bodies need, will help boost energy, balanc e hormones, and reduce stress. They also help us sleep, improve brain function, calm the nervous system, tonify organs, enhance libido, and so much more!

Anyone can make tonics. The preparation is as easy as heating up water and blending ingredients. Once you get used to making them, it will become second nature and a part of your regular routine. Tonics bring us physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. By incorporating tonic herbs, we care for ourselves and the universe responds with serendipities and opportunities beyond our imaginations! :)

tips

KEY COMPONENTS

To make the tonic herbs palatable, we use a hot water-based liquid, a sweetener, something to make the tonic creamy, and spices to add flavor.

HOW MUCH AND WHAT KIND OF SWEETENER?

If you need to keep your sugar intake to a minimum -- or eliminate it entirely -- I suggest you substitute stevia or yacon syrup in place of the higher glycemic sweeteners. These will provide a comparable level of sweetness but are low-glycemic. When trying to keep the sugar level low, I often use the trio of coconut sugar, yacon syrup, and stevia.

WHAT ABOUT FAT?

A few of these recipes contain ingredients like coconut oil, coconut manna, cacao butter, or hemp seeds that have fat and add creaminess. If you are following a low-fat diet, feel free to use less or even omit these fats. In such cases, consider substituting dates for the listed sweetener and adding powdered lucuma and maca. Dates will sweeten and give the tonic texture and lucuma and/or maca will help it to feel creamy without the overt fat.

HERBS AND HOW MUCH?

I recommend adjusting the amount of herbs according to your taste and budget. If your body is not accustomed to herbs, you may want to start slowly and add more over time. If you are on a budget, you can also start with less until you build your own apothecary. Two grams per recipe (approximately 1 teaspoon) is a good starting point, but you can use more or less depending on your needs. Many of these recipes are very strong -- the way that I like them -- but feel free to make yours milder. Several of the herbs included in the book are adaptogenic. If were stressed, they calm. If we are low energy, they lift us. Other herbs have specific benefits (see the ). You can add and adjust based on your needs.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO TEA

While the teas I chose are very beneficial, if you dont have time to steep them, feel free to use hot water.

CAFFEINE

Some of the recipes use caffeinated tea. Caffeine acts as a vasodilator that enables the herbs to more efficiently travel through the body. If you are sensitive to caffeine, feel free to substitute an herbal tea or plain hot water. Cacao, which contains theobromine, also acts as a vasodilator. Carob can be used in its place.

HIGH PERFORMANCE BLENDER

A high performance blender (like a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Nutribullet) will blend ingredients such as goji berries, hemp seeds, or dates to a fine consistency. If you have a regular blender, substitute an easily blended fat like coconut oil in place of seeds or flakes to get the best result.

CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

I am not a health care provider and I am providing this information for educational purposes only. As with any new regime, it is important to consult your own health care provider.

COFFEE SUBSTITUTE

I fell in love with raw food and the lifestyle in 2006. I went 100% raw right away. Giving up refined sugar was easy; I could choose from plenty of raw food desserts with natural sugar. Having flax crackers with hummus and raw breads, along with cream cheeses made from nuts, made it easy to give up bread with gluten. The one thing that I had a hard time giving up was coffee. Each time I tried, I would get terrible headaches.

My worst experience with coffee withdrawal was during one of my stays at the Optimum Health Institute in California. I was fully raw but also drinking coffee at the time. I even stopped for coffee on the drive there -- and had it in my hand when I walked in! I stopped drinking it once I was there, and for the next few days, I had a fever, headaches, and even some bouts of vomiting. I realized then how serious an addiction to coffee could be, and I have not let it take a hold of my life since.

One of my secrets to staying raw and being able to avoid coffee addiction is a tonic like this one. From it I get all the elevation I expect from coffee without any of the bad side effects. No more dehydration, fine lines, nervousness, or that drop in energy that follows a coffee high. Its such a great replacement. Heres to youth, beauty, health and peace! :) Cheers!

ingredients

3-4 cups water

one tea bag gynostemma

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

2-3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons Dandy Blend

1 tablespoons cacao powder

1 tablespoons lucuma powder

1 teaspoons cinnamon powder

1 teaspoons fresh ground vanilla

1 teaspoons chaga powder

teaspoon salt

1 dropper liquid stevia

instructions

Steep tea for 3-5 minutes. In a blender, add steeped tea to all other ingredients and blend until creamy. Serve hot, reheating on the stove if necessary.

serves:

store: in a glass container in fridge for up to 3 days; reheat on the stove.

SEXY TONIC ;)

I believe that being sexy is an inside job. We all know what happens after we eat a heavy, cooked meal: we get sleepy. But with proper raw food nutrition, we glow and feel amazing energy. Raw food cleans our insides. When we have eaten light and digested well, we are much more likely to want to make love. Our clean insides show through in the whiteness of our eyes, the dewiness and color of our skin, our hair, and our nails. We attract the opposite sex, not with makeup or the latest clothes, but with a cleanliness and health that is very sexy. This tonic will really get the vascular system moving, enhancing our sexuality and libido. Epimedium (also known as horny goat weed) circulates the blood just where we want it. ;)