It is generally believed that coffee dates back to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau known as Kefa (c. 1400 AD.) According to legend, a goat herder named Kaldi was the first to discover coffee when he noticed how lively his goats became after eating the red berries from a particular tree. Kaldi tried them himself and felt the stimulating effect immediately.

Today of course, coffee is grown, consumed, and loved worldwide. It is the second most valuable legally traded commodity in the world, after oil. In addition to the mild central nervous system stimulating properties of caffeine that boost energy and fine-tune concentration, research suggests that coffee contains antioxidants and other compounds that impact health and performance.

This garden perennial, commonly called blue daisy, cornflowers or bachelor’s buttons, has been cultivated and used for food and medicine since ancient Egypt.

Known as ‘chicoree,’ in France, it has been roasted, ground, and mixed with coffee since the 1800’s. During the Civil War, chicory also became popular in the US as a way to stretch coffee supplies due to shortages caused by the war. Mixing coffee and chicory continued and became a cultural tradition in New Orleans that still exists today.

Chicory contains flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, alkaloids, and volatile oils, among other phytochemicals and is a rich source of beta-carotene. Research shows that it acts as a prebiotic, which means it feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

A shrubby plant in the ginseng family, sarsaparilla is a fascinating root that has been used by cultures around the globe to treat a wide variety of symptoms. In Ayurvedic medicine sarsaparilla is considered a sacred herb known as a Rasayana, meaning an elixir for a long life.

Research suggests that the superpower behind sarsaparilla is its high concentration of saponins, more than in any other plant. Saponins are believed to be beneficial phytochemicals that have anti-inflammatory activity and act as a synergist, increasing the bioavailability of other herbs.

With a root beer-like taste, sarsaparilla is one of the 23 ingredients found in Dr. Pepper and one of the first flavorings used in soft drinks. When eaten, sarsaparilla provides fiber and other nutrients including, ferulic acid, sarsapic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, chromium, iron, magnesium, selenium, calcium and zinc.

You may not think of bark as having medicinal qualities, but it’s like a phytochemical shield protecting trees from invaders of all kinds. For centuries, cherry bark has been used for medicinal purposes by Native American tribes and by traditional Chinese Medical practitioners. In the US, it has been used as a cough remedy since the 1800’s and can still be found in some cough syrups today.

Cherry Bark is also used to add a subtle cherry flavor to food and beverages. As a tea, it is believed to have a soothing effect and sometimes consumed to promote sleep and relaxation.

With ancient roots, licorice is considered one of the world’s oldest herbal remedies dating back to 2300 BC in China. It was revered for its strength- and vitality-bestowing qualities by the Chinese and believed to keep evil spirits away in ancient Egypt. In fact, a large quantity of licorice was found in King Tut’s tomb. Native to Western Asia and Southern Europe, it was also used in ancient Greece and Middle Eastern cultures. Today, licorice is considered a powerful adaptogenic herb, meaning that it helps the body adapt to stress.

Although very popular flavor in food and drink, many “licorice” products don’t contain any licorice at all. Instead they’re flavored with anise oil which has a similar taste but is botanically unrelated.