Ojas Naturals

With the turn of the year, it’s a beautiful time to begin new habits—especially the small daily ones that shape how we feel. Swapping your morning coffee for a cacao brew or tea can be a simple yet meaningful shift. Cacao offers a gentler, more steady kind of energy, and when paired with nourishing mushrooms like reishi and chaga, it becomes a warm, grounding way to start the day.

I’ve put together a free downloadable recipe for mushroom-infused cacao, including both a traditional long-decoction method and a quick, on-the-go option, along with a short write-up on cacao, reishi, and chaga. If you’re curious about changing up your morning routine, this is a lovely place to start—and trust me, you’ll feel the difference.

There is even a bonus H**p Milk recipe included :-)

You can download this free recipe through the link below

Also we are offering up 30% off your order until January 31-
use the code - NEW YEAR - at check out

Medicinal Mushroom infused Cacao recipe This free downloadable recipe provides a straightforward approach to making mushroom-infused cacao to enjoy on your own or share with others. It includes both a traditional long-decoction method and a quick, simple option, with clear guidance on ingredients, proportions, and preparation. You’ll al...

With the turn of the year, it’s a beautiful time to begin new habits—especially the small daily ones that shape how we feel.

Swapping your morning coffee for a cacao brew or tea can be a simple yet meaningful shift. Cacao offers a gentler, more steady kind of energy, and when paired with nourishing mushrooms like reishi and chaga, it becomes a warm, grounding way to start the day.

I’ve put together a free downloadable recipe for mushroom-infused cacao, including both a traditional long-decoction method and a quick, on-the-go option, along with a short write-up on cacao, reishi, and chaga. If you’re curious about changing up your morning routine, this is a lovely place to start—and trust me, you’ll feel the difference.

There is even a bonus H**p Milk recipe included 🙂

You can download this free recipe through the link below
Also we are offering up 30% off your order until January 31-
use the code - NEW YEAR - at check out

Medicinal Mushroom infused Cacao recipe This free downloadable recipe provides a straightforward approach to making mushroom-infused cacao to enjoy on your own or share with others. It includes both a traditional long-decoction method and a quick, simple option, with clear guidance on ingredients, proportions, and preparation. You’ll al...

Slowly adding some new teas to the website-

2013 Alishan Charcoal-Roasted Oolong

A beautiful high mountain oolong aged 12 years and grown at 4,600 feet on the misty slopes of Alishan.

This tea was roasted slowly and skillfully using traditional longan wood charcoal, a method that brings out a warm, rounded sweetness and deep, comforting aromas. Each steep feels like a quiet unfolding—vigorously sweet, with soft woody notes, hints of dried longan, and gentle vegetal undertones that linger on the palate.

Roasted by one of our favorite roasters who we lovely refer to as "the old man". He has been roasting tea since he was a teenager and his family has been roasting tea in the same spot for 5 generations!! Someone who really knows what truly good tea should be 🙂

Only two available

Don't forget everything is 30% until Dec. 31!!!!!

Use code- WINTER at checkout

2013 Alishan Charcoal-Roasted Oolong A beautiful high mountain oolong aged 12 years and grown at 4,600 feet on the misty slopes of Alishan. This tea was roasted slowly and skillfully using traditional longan wood charcoal, a method that brings out a warm, rounded sweetness and deep, comforting aromas. Each steep feels like a quiet unfo...

Happy Holidays - https://mailchi.mp/9fe302f9b8e3/happy-holidays

Winter invites us inward—toward warmth, reflection, and the gentle support of the plants. I’m grateful to share this season with you through soulful Taiwanese teas, small-batch herbal blends, and the grounding practice of slowing down with a warm cup. As a gesture of appreciation, enjoy 30% off your entire order this December. Thank you for being here and for supporting this community of plant lovers.

Use code WINTER at checkout

As winter settles across the northern hemisphere and the days draw into their quietest hours, many of us feel the call to slow down, to turn inward, to tend the ember within.

Here at Ojas Naturals, we’re honored to walk with you through this season — whether it’s with a steaming cup of herbal tea, a Taiwanese gong fu session to warm your spirit, or one of our small-batch honey extracts crafted to support your body, mind, and inner glow.

This is a beautiful time of year to choose a plant ally to journey with — perhaps the deep, grounding presence of Devil’s Club or the steady, wise medicine of Artist Conk. If you’d like guidance in finding the right companion for your winter months, I’m always here to help.

To share our gratitude for all the years of connection and community, we’re offering our best deal of the year:

30% off all products — no minimum order.
Thank you for being part of the Ojas Naturals family.

Stay warm, stay nourished, and may this season bring you closer to the light within.

https://ojasnaturals.myshopify.com/discount/WINTER

Urtica thunbergiana — Japanese Stinging Nettle
Locally known as “biting cat” here in Taiwan for its fierce sting, which can linger for up to twelve hours.

I came across this nettle variety growing wild in the Xitou Recreational Forest. The moment I saw it, I knew—without question—it was a nettle. Though the leaves look a little different from the species back home, its essence was unmistakable. It’s currently in seed, and true to form, still ready to make itself known to the touch.

Like our nettles in the West, the leaves are covered in fine stinging hairs that can irritate the skin—but once cooked, or after the juice is extracted, they become perfectly safe and deeply nourishing.

It can be used much like our familiar stinging nettle—as a mineral-rich food, a strengthening tonic, and a superb spinach substitute. Harvest it young, before the plants get tough, as older leaves may cause irritation.

If I had access to more dried plant material, I’d make a long, slow infusion to draw out those precious minerals to see the taste and energy of this local variety or if it was earlier in the season I would have harvested some to simply cook the greens down into soups, sauces, or pestos, just as I do back home.

Interestingly, here in Taiwan the leaves are also traditionally used to treat snake bites—a practical and time-honored traditional medicine.

Cooling Nourishment from the Heart of Taiwan

Across Taiwan, this simple, beloved tonic has been shared for generations—Black Fungus Drink (Auricularia polytricha, also called Wood Ear*).*

You’ll find it in market stalls, teahouses, and home kitchens alike—smooth, lightly sweet, and deeply hydrating. It’s cherished for its cooling, yin-nourishing nature, especially through the long, humid summer months.

Traditionally made with black fungus, red dates, and goji berries, this humble drink is both food and medicine—a silky elixir that soothes the lungs, replenishes fluids, and restores balance after heat or exertion.

As described in Healing with Whole Foods, black fungus is a longevity food—known to moisten internal dryness, cool the body, and support healthy circulation.

It’s also rich in fiber and prebiotic polysaccharides that nourish digestion, along with iron, magnesium, and calcium to replenish and renew.

For many in Taiwan, this drink is a daily ritual of care—served chilled, lightly sweetened with honey or rock sugar, and shared as a gesture of nourishment and calm.

Free Recipe Download
Experience this timeless Taiwanese tonic yourself — get the free recipe at-

Traditional Taiwanese Black Fungus Drink Download Cooling nourishment from the heart of Taiwan—refreshing, soothing, and timeless.Simple, traditional, and deeply hydrating—a beloved summer tonic for balance and renewal.

Found some local Elderberry on the trail - Sambucus FormosanaNakai - a traditional medicinal herb in Taiwan for reducing inflammation, enhancing circulation, and treating rheumatoid and low back pain, neuritis, dermatitis, and infection diseases (Yang and Chiu, 1998)

Tea farm adventures to an organic farm in Maokong that specializes in Tie Guan Yin. Such a beautiful space with an abundance of different plant and bird life not to mention some pretty good tea

Back in Taiwan 🌿🍵

I’ve returned to the beautiful island of Taiwan to continue my tea and herbal journey — a place that never ceases to amaze me with its depth, flavor, and heart.

After a long day of travel (and one blissful night of sleep… followed by one not so restful — jet lag is real, lol), I woke up eager to explore. My friend Sam and I wandered through the vibrant morning market in Jingmei, New Taipei, gathering fruits and vegetables and soaking in that familiar hum of local life.

Among the stalls, we stumbled upon something new to me — a black fungus drink blended with fruits like passionfruit and red dates. We each grabbed a bottle, and wow… what a discovery.

These glossy, dark mushrooms — also known as wood ear fungus — are rich in antioxidants, water-soluble fiber, and polysaccharides. The drink itself is thick, soothing, and refreshing… it reminds me a little of aloe vera gel drinks, but softer on the palate and deeply nourishing.

It’s small encounters like these that make me fall in love with this island all over again — where even a humble market drink feels like medicine.

Known as the "Wild Holy Basil," Vana Tulsi has long been history in Ayurveda for its ability to nurture the body and mind. It is found throughout the Himalaya mountains and plains of India as well throughout Asia and Africa where it has a traditional history of use.

Vana Tulsi is cherished for its ability to adapt to various environmental stresses, symbolizing resilience and natural strength. It has been traditionally used to support the body's natural rhythms and to bring a sense of peace and tranquility, especially in times of stress or imbalance. promote balance, Helping to support overall well-being with its grounding, calming, and uplifting qualities. Because of these qualities it is well respected as a tool to aid in ones meditation practice.

The Vana Tulsi Variety is a challenge to grown in the Pacific Northwest. It takes a lot of patience and nice sunny/hot weather which we have but in short supply. It is needed to be started inside under lights and only planted out once the temps get into the 70's on a regular basis. I have been successful with a few plants the last two years but even getting them to germinate has been difficult. Unlike Kapoor Tulsi aka African Tulsi which germinates super well and grows amazing in our region. So it is super rare to find folks growing Vana or Krishna varieties beyond for their own personal use. That being said I was able to make a small amount of Vana Honey Tincture and am super happy with the results. A very unique tasting and energetic feel compared to the Kapoor. If you would like to give it a try you can find it here-

https://ojasnaturals.myshopify.com/products/vana-tulsi-honey-extract-1oz-bottle

You can also find more info on the different Tulsi Varieties with our free download - https://ojasnaturals.myshopify.com/products/four-sacred-varities-of-holy-basil

For a more in-depth Tulsi plant Monograph which goes into all the different varieties we have that also :-) -
https://ojasnaturals.myshopify.com/products/tulsi-plant-monograph-ebook