Cultivating Joy with Roasted Root Latte

In these challenging times, how can we uplift and support each other to maintain our mental/emotional/spiritual well-being? As we know, ongoing stress, worry and pressure can have insidious effects on our health and can undermine our immune resilience. One way to enhance our mental and emotional health is to cultivate joy in our lives. We can do this both by prioritising doing those things that bring us joy and also by bringing an attitude of joy to all the things we do. I wonder that focusing on joy may be easier than cultivating an attitude of gratitude since joy has no connotation of obligation to appreciate what we have been given but is instead simply an invitation to experience the pleasure of the moment.

Feeling the joy of fresh springtime wind on our face, the pleasure of the connection with our plant friends, the joy of sharing a meal and laughter with friends, a big warm hug! Many of these things have been shown to release oxytocin, known as the love hormone. No wonder lock downs have been so challenging for mental well-being since they have by necessity restricted many of these oxytocin producing activities.

This pleasure-filled project involved bringing together three of my loves - roasted Dandelion and Burdock roots (two of my favourite springtime cleansing herbs), warm herbal lattes and funky kitchen gadgets! My enjoyment of the resulting roasted root latte was enhanced by the satisfaction of problem solving and the manual work of hand grinding these roasted beauties since my usual blender was busy with my Sunday pancake mixture. Usually I would decoct the roasted roots by simmering them in water for 10 minutes or so, however the roasting and grinding helps to break down the plant matter, allowing the constituents and flavour to extract well with the quicker extraction time through the espresso machine. And of course, there is the charm and pleasure of the kitchen gadgets that I mentioned earlier - the rituals around coffee and tea making are a big part of their enjoyment. The creaminess of the frothed milk really sets off the roasted bitter flavours too, perfect for those that require nourishment as well as cleansing. The result is a delicious, therapeutic drink that bought a lot of joy to my morning.

How to prepare a roasted root latte:

• Wash and thinly slice fresh dandelion and burdock roots into strips and place in a dehydrator or warm oven to dry until they are mostly dry, around 2 hrs 
• Place dried roots onto a baking tray and roast at 175 degrees celsius for 20 - 30 mins or so, stirring every 5 mins to avoid burning
• Once they are roasted to a dark brown colour, grind the roots either in a strong blender or espresso grinder until they are a fine to coarse texture
• You can simmer in a pot for ten minutes or express them through a coffee espresso machine. Allow 2-3 Tbsp per 2/3 cup of water, with extra 1/3 cup of water if simmering
• Prepare frothed milk by placing milk option either by warming the milk in a pot and then frothing with a hand held frother, or by placing cold milk in a frothing machine which warms and froths at the same time. Nb alternative milks require a high protein content to froth successfully, oat and soy milk tends to work better than most nut milks. There are also barista blend nut milks that are designed for frothing, these can be a good store bought option
• Pour the espresso roasted root coffee into your mug, allowing space for the milk. Top with frothed milk, holding back the froth initially to let the thinner milk mix with the coffee, then allow the thicker froth to come through at the end. Top with cinnamon if desired and enjoy!

About Dandelion and Burdock root

Dandelion and Burdock roots are both great detoxifying herbs. They also have a bitter/sweet taste that makes for delicious coffee when roasted. Dandelion has a special affinity for supporting liver detoxification, improving the clearance of wastes throughout the body. This in turn aids our immune system functioning, and Dandelion has been shown to have anti viral and anti bacterial actions and well as reducing inflammation - a great combination for many acute infections. By supporting liver function and being a bitter tonic, Dandelion root is a great aid for digestion and can help fat digestion particularly as well as constipation. The general cleansing effects can aid skin conditions such as acne and eczema, joint problems as well as emotions such as irritability  and moodiness (a classic symptom of a congested liver.

Burdock root is another great cleansing herb, and adds a more sweet flavour to your roasted lattes. Burdock has a specific affinity for skin conditions such as acne, eczema, boils and cysts. It is known as a blood cleanser, and as well as aiding the skin this action is useful for toxicity affecting the joints, manifesting in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout. It has a cleansing effect on the lymphatic system, which processes cellular wastes and is also part of our immune system. This makes it very useful for all issues of congestion in this system, such as cysts, swellings and lowered immunity. It has been researched for it's effect on tumors and cancer. Burdock cleanses via the kidney pathway and can also be helpful for urinary tract infections.  A caution for Burdock root is that it often works best when combined with other herbs that aid the elimination of wastes from the body - such as Dandelion root - to prevent any side effects from it's powerful detoxifying actions.