Swapping Alcohol for Herbal Teas & Elixirs from Kitchen to Cabin, Pub to Van

Having a beer or spirits was so much more than just an interesting drink that altered my way of thinking, made me laugh and be more sociable, it was / is almost a ritual in its self, being in England where we have these ancient pubs, incredible history soaked into the walls and beams. Your imagination can run away with what happened in this place over the past few hundred years. Then there is the being with friends, the connection with pals all sharing a common goal... To alter ones state slightly and laugh, let your hair down, unwind, relax in the company of friends. Also mostly in the UK what is open after dark, where would you go after dinner? So you can imagine the dilemma you'd face if you let go of alcohol, or took a short or extended holiday from it, what would you have instead? Well on many occasions I decided to cut alcohol out completely, sometimes find organic red wines or a pure ale so clean and interesting but really at times just nothing, no alcohol at all for weeks or months. This is what I did and what you can do also.

First off it's about setting, I made my kitchen the rustic dream I'd always wanted a kitchen into a cabin, with already having a Ceremonial Cacao in the morning my creativity was on full blast, maybe I've always had an eye for the unusual so it was not difficult for me to pick up old apple crates, golden glowing lamps, retro knifes, wooden chopping boards. I also invested in good solid and cool looking cookware, you may see them in some of my photos of herbal teas on Ancient Purity. Some I found on secondhand market places online, some things I found on my drives up into Suffolk past the old antique and unusual shops. My point is I made my kitchen a warm cosy, unusual and arty place where I would enjoy to create Tea's and Elixirs.

So it's about having a focus and goal I guess, a desire to make this a special thing to do that I'd look forward to in the evenings, but also something fun I'd enjoy to create, with a girlfriend or visiting friends or simply alone. I turned the simple typical British routine of making a tea into a night of fascination, Bohemia, bonding and ascension. That's the first part, create your setting / your pub so to speak. Also I wanna say this is such a thing for me now that I take this show on the road, hence the title Pub to Van. I always keep a little gas stove in the van, but then I have an apple crate with my potions in, the ingredients, a little wind up radio, cushions, blankets. Ok I actually go way further, I have a chess set, playing cards, Jenga, books. I can go to someones house or I can set up in the forest or beach.

Lets get to the creation now, you have your setting and ability to set up anywhere, your cool knife, pots and sacred cup that only you may drink from. Obviously I'm going to say head over to ancientpurity.com and find the absolute essentials, you're going to want natural sweeteners, you won't always need them but other people will and sometimes when an eternal life giving self repairing , eyesight restoring tea doesn't taste that good you can always tip some syrup in to save the day. Get it right with sweeteners you don't need me to tell you about the toxic garbage used as sugar alternatives by the mainstream. Look at sweeteners as a way to enhance your health not only the taste of your drink or trying to mask a taste. Honey is a superfood when not processed it's very easy to find good, organic local honey, local honey can also give you some loal benefits exclusively to your area. But me I like the exotic and weird so of course I have Tropical Forest Honey from Thailand and Longan Honey, however it is the syrups I know the are the ultimate superfood treats that create such incredible health concoctions. I end up using Bush Apple Syrup the most, I just love that apple taste , the Kakadu Plum Syrup is awesome, it's more nutritious being that the Kakadu Plum itself is the No.1 food source of earth for Vitamin C. Maple Syrup again Organic and Grade A is incredible, you must know this, but did you know its good for you? full of nutrition but remember... moderation. Sugar? well why would you, you're saving money by not being out in a pub, use your new found change to get the very best in sweet nutrition , oh yeah Desert Lime syrup... maybe if you're going for an earl grey style or citrus tea it's perfect. Loaded with Folate its another super fruit I always have this but as I said it's all Bush Apple for me.

What do I make? I experiment , I always have to re-read as I'm getting mixed up what does what in the selection of our Herbs, Roots, Powders and Leaves. If I find out something is amazing and creates changes I try it and stock it at Ancient Purity, it's rare I do something we don't sell. Pictured above is Osha Root, I prefer to call it Bear Medicine you can call it Bear Root too. This article isn't about health benefits it's about a lifestyle, a pleasure, a ritual but my example is this. I love to play some music and cut up the root, simmer it away on the stove listening to it lightly bubble, I might read into a book or maybe on my own website and remind myself what I'm taking and what to expect. Of course these are all legal and sometimes depending on dose you can have instant effects, it's very dose dependant. The research is part of the fun so learn learn learn. I might add some Soursop Leaves or Gumby Gumby leaves. If I am feeling ultra medicinal I might use Cascara Sagrada , go easy. My advice on these herbs, Roots, Leaves and materials is a little goes a long way. I sat in my kitchen alone once gazing out of the window across the fields just feeling the whole universe after one tea. When I say tea it's just my name for a hot drink, for me hot is the way to go in the morning especially in Englands climate for the most part. If I was in Asia or Africa I might be writing all about my smoothie nights, that's for another time. Cacao, wether the powder or crushing the beans or going full ceremonial grade is fun, it's part of my lifestyle. Matcha turns up regularly , I find the Desert Lime Syrup goes well with this. You can store your drinks in Kilner Jars or something, but I prefer just to make enough for myself or those around me, it's about the fun of the process and creation not just the consumption. Believe me Syrups are your friends they really will be the rescue remedy many times over as you get more and more out there with your drinks. Heres my faves below.

Meditation, good vibes, calming process, thats what this is to me, I hope this might inspire you to finding peace in a little creative fun in the evening, sometimes I think this could really start a trend. Maybe I could hold these nights at Ancient Purity?? what do you think, leave a comment if you like (you must be signed in or Join us if you haven't already) Anyway Tea nights at Ancient Purity, the new Holistic Night Club. Remember as a huge side effect to this new adventure in your home, on the road or round a friend or lovers house is that you'll become more super human. If you've followed Ancient Purity and been a friend of ours over many years you'll remember some of the incredible benefits we wrote about these teas, herbs, plants, leaves. Now since we were forced to remove 90% of that info you'll have to research more yourself, you'll find on the pages I've still tried to write enough in a way that might give you a clue of the magic behind that tea, herb, plant, leaf, root. But using a little creative searching the info is still out there on everything, anyway what better way to discover what all these things do than to start making, teas, blends, elixirs and potions yourself. Check out our stuff here and why not tag us in on Instagram, yes we have to promote ourselves more now as hiding away in the woods selling to our longtime friends just isn't enough, we are embracing the future of course with our roots still in the ancient world.

Enjoy... Tom