INNER+OUTER WORLDS

enlightened diet

GRAND EXPERIMENTS

The Awakening of an
Elixir Goddess
DISCOVERING ANCIENT, HEALTHY, ALTERNATIVE HIGHS FOR AN ALCOHOL-SOAKED SOCIETY

THE SUN CASTS its last golden rays over the desert, in nature, and backed up by thousands of years of medicinal
illuminating the kind of scene that made me first fall traditions around the globefrom Ayurveda to Traditional
in love with festivals. Hundreds of ecstatic bodies make Chinese Medicine to Mayan and Aztec culture.
And that night I decided to bring medicinal elixirs to the
a sea of multicolored movement, swirling around one
party scene, to offer a viable alternative to the lukewarm
another, kicking up dust that embraces them in the
cocktails and wine hangovers Id grown so used to. This
fading light. The beat drops, and the crowd seems to intention was the birth of the Hippy Zippy Elixir Bar: an
experience a kind of collective joy uncommon in the organic, mobile bar that offers tonic herbs, ancient uppers,
outside world. The night is young, and sunrise will see
the same endless revelry.
I take a slow, appreciative sip from the warm cup in
my hands. Its the end of my shift at our vegan food truck,
and Im powering up for the next 10 hours of dancing. My
potion is a clumsy concoction of every superfood we had
lying around: organic cacao, maca, rhodiola, ashwagandha,
and ginsengingredients that a few years ago would have
sounded more like they belonged in a science lab than in
my mug.
As I tip the last drops into my mouth, I feel my spirit
lift as the potion begins to work its magic. For the rest of
the night, I feel ecstatic, alive, and bursting with energy.
Powered by herbal rocket fuel, I bounce from stage to stage.
Every face I see is a friend, and I am filled with the desire
to connect. I am lucid, grounded, and in control, a far cry
from the clumsy tequila-drunk me that stumbled through
college. Im still dancing when dawn streaks the sky with
pastel pinks, 10 hours later. I feel incredibly high, and its all
legaland even nutritious.
That night, I experienced what a true alcohol alternative
might feel likeone that avoids the head-pounding guilt of
the following day, the rapid system toxification and the inev-
itable drunken mistakes. I also realized that we could design
drinks that actually nourish our bodies, but still make us feel
confident, relaxed, and social, the way just the right amount
of wine might do. And, the tools to do this are ancient, found

Salli S. Swindell

32 spiritualityhealth.com january / february 2017

 I realized that we could design drinks that
actually nourish our bodies, but still make us feel
confident, relaxed, and social,
the way just the right
amount of wine might do.
and restorative adaptogens at events Aztecs gearing up for battle, and gives ceremonial root from the South Pacific
and festivals. strength and stamina for long days that relaxes and relieves tension or
Our menu incorporates some of and nights. We balance our uppers anxiety. For mood boosting we use
the most revered plants from global with herbal adaptogens, using ginseng, mucuna, a bean famous for its L-dopa
traditions. For ecstatic, joyful energy, eleuthero, and astragalus from Chinese content, an essential precursor for the
we use cacao from Central America, Medicine, as well as ashwagandha and neurotransmitter dopamine.
used as a medicine in ceremonies for bacopa from Ayurveda. Adaptogens act
centuries, and recently adopted as a like an internal thermostat, elevat-
New Age heart tonic. Our Peruvian ing or calming as needed. For calm-
maca was once warrior fuel for ing concoctions, we use kavakava, a continued on page 34

january / february 2017spiritualityhealth.com 33

continued from page 33

Admittedly, wine and spirits have emotional space; or to help us handle noncaffeinated tonics, and medicinal
warmed our hearts from ancient stress. We can cure a hangover with mushrooms and adaptogens are sta-
Greece to modern Mykonos. They the right herbs, or dance all night ples in coffee-shop lattes. Essentially,
arent bad, just subject to overuse, and with Mother Natures finest stimu- where we will have greater access to
our modern social scene provides few lants. The Hippy Zippy Elixir Bar is more types of plants to be healthier
alternatives. Bar-hopping sober is our small contribution to the kind of and happier and have more fun.
often a soda-water mocktail of tempta- future we want to see: where cacao Maybe were on to something. Or
tion and disappointment, with no is the coolest party drug, and where maybe we just drank too much cacao.
feel-good fix for those wanting to stay bar-hoppers dont pick their poison, HANNAH MENDOZA
dry. Thats where the power of all these but their potion. Where you can go to a
other plants comes in. festival, bar, or supermarket and grab The Hippy Zippy Elixir Bar is run by Hannah
Mendoza and Roger Coppola and is based in
We can all learn to use these plant a carefully crafted elixir that will nour-
Santa Barbara, California. They bring their
potions to deeply affect our physi- ish your body and mind, and leave you bar to events and festivals on the West Coast.
cal, mental, and spiritual state; as a feeling great the next morning. Where Reach them at [email protected], or
social lubricant, to move out of a tough university libraries sell brain-boosting through Facebook @Hippy Zippy Elixir Bar.

5 ELEMENTS OF A

Perfect Potion
This is simple magic: just add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high for 1 minute.

1. Base 2. Flavor 3. Intention 4. Sweetener 5. Balancer

This is the carrier for Here you add your Ask yourself, What do Sweetening makes This is, essentially, a
your other ingredi- spices, plants, and I need?and pick the bitter herbs palatable, fat or salt. Salt is an
ents, and makes up herbs that make your ingredients to suit. and can accentuate essential flavor com-
the bulk of the drink. drink delicious. Try Feeling tired? Try maca, other flavors. Sweeten ponent to any of our
You can choose a nut classics like cinnamon, cacao, mate, or gyn- to taste with your favor- elixirs, and youll notice
milk, favorite tea, or cardamom, vanilla, and ostemma tea or cordy- ite: honey, maple syrup, if its missing. Fats are
plain hot water. We clove, or get experi- ceps. Need emotional molasses, coconut especially important
prefer cashew mylk mental with lavender, support? Try mucuna, sugar, or monk fruit. For for the absorption of
(using presoaked nuts) rose, peppermint, or tulsi, or rhodiola. diabetics, choose a low- many superfoods, par-
because it is extremely cayenne. Experiment and then glycemic sweetener like ticularly caffeine. Fat
easy to make. Just add sit quietly and notice yacon, agave, or stevia. modulates its release in
cashews, water, and a how your body reacts your system and helps
pinch of salt. Blend for to different ingredients. you stay energized for
a minute and sweeten Every person is differ- longer. Choose ghee,
to taste. ent, so youll learn what coconut oil, MCT oil,
you need by listening or high-fat nuts to
internally and adapting give your elixir longer-
quantities. lasting potency.

34 spiritualityhealth.com january / february 2017

RECIPES
Instructions for all drinks: Add all
ingredients to a blender and blend on
high for 1 minute.

FOR CALM FOCUS

Medicinal Matcha Latte

12 oz. hot or cold water
1 teaspoon matcha
1
8 cup soaked cashews
1 tablespoon fresh ginger juice
teaspoon cardamom
teaspoon reishi mushroom
powder
tablespoon coconut oil
teaspoon blue-green algae
1 tablespoon honey
pinch pink Himalayan salt

TO COMFORT AND REVIVE

Supercharged Chai
12 oz. hot or cold water
cup cashews
tablespoon chai
tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
teaspoon reishi mushroom
powder
teaspoon cordyceps powder
pinch pink Himalayan salt

TO GROUND ENERGY
AND REGULATE CORTISOL
Adaptogenic Coffee
12 oz. organic coffee
tablespoon coconut oil
tablespoon ghee
teaspoon cinnamon
teaspoon ashwagandha
teaspoon bacopa
teaspoon rhodiola
1 dropper Asian ginseng tincture
tablespoon honey
pinch pink Himalayan salt

FOR GIDDY RELAXATION

Kava Latte
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon kava root powder
1 teaspoon mucuna powder
tablespoon ghee
teaspoon cinnamon
tablespoon honey
pinch pink Himalayan salt

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