There are all kinds of recipes floating around that purport to be based on ancient remedies containing secret ingredients (or combinations thereof) that hold the key to miraculous healing powers. I have long been fascinated with green lore and herbal remedies—my son was a guinea pig for all kinds of esoteric experiments while he was growing up. Motherhood is one of the best motivations I can think of for getting it right!

An anecdotal principle I once came across, which rang true to my taste for empiricism, is that the qualities in a wild plant that make it considered a tenacious weed in some venues are the same ones that carry healing strength to its use as an ingredient. It’s an energetic principle. I haven’t delved into the science, and in culinary matters (as elsewhere) I don’t buy all my ideas at the same store, but the health benefits of consuming lots of fresh greens is an idea whose time has definitely come.

The following recipe does not purport to be based on any secret magical formula that’s been in my family for generations. It just tastes really good, is convenient to make in batches that last several days, always gives me a boost of energy, and is the kind of thing money can’t buy.

Green Elixir

This is what I call a “template” recipe, where all kinds of optional ingredients can be added into a fixed base. Even the base can have substitutions! It’s hard to go wrong, as long as you have enough liquid in proportion to the fiber. The following is the basic formula I use:

Base

– Several tomatoes (an assortment of heirlooms is the most tasty)
– Juice of one lime
– About ¼ cup of apple juice (this provides more liquid and the sweetness can balance out bitterness from greens or herbs)

Vegetables

– Red or yellow pepper
– Celery
– Cucumber
– Green onion
– Cabbage

Leafy Greens

– Dandelion greens (sometimes bitter, but loaded with nutrition)
– Spinach
– Watercress
– Arugula
– Wheat Grass
– Sprouts

Herbs

– Parsley
– Mint leaves
– Garlic
– Horseradish root
– Burdock root (a blood cleanser; also known as “Gobo”)
– Ginger root

Throw in a heavy-duty blender and pulverize!