Two Functional Fall Latte Recipes for Morning and Night

What if your latte could do more than just perk you up in the morning? With the addition of adaptogenic staples like herbs, roots, mushrooms, and other from-the-earth ingredients, a functional beverage works with the body to provide support wherever you need it most. 

What Are Adaptogens?

At their most basic level, adaptogens are plant-based ingredients that help normalize bodily functions. They’ve been used for centuries to help regulate anxiety, fatigue, and other types of mood health, essentially helping your brain and body achieve a state of balance when it’s under stress. Studies have shown that adaptogens exhibit neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, antidepressive, anti-anxiety, and nootropic activity, which encourage the body to return to a state of homeostasis. 

We tapped Sasha Emoniee, a cook, herbalist, gardener, and artist based in Los Angeles, to create two distinctly supportive lattes to guide you through the fall season and beyond. The first, a Morning Adrenal Mocha, uses stimulating ingredients to promote focus and energy without stressing the nervous system in the way that coffee sometimes can. The second, a Golden Dreams Elixir, will gently wind down your systems to help prepare for sleep.  

“These are nourishing and functional drinks that meet us where we are in each part of the day, supporting our body’s daily cycles without compromising on taste,” Emoinee explains. 

Ready to tap into the power of adaptogenic ingredients to make your mornings and evenings a bit better? Try incorporating one or both of these functional latte recipes into your routine. 

Morning Adrenal Mocha Recipe 

Yield: 1 serving
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 sachet Thrive Market Organic Dandelion Root Tea, brewed in 1 cup of hot water
½ cup milk of choice, warmed and frothed
1 date, pitted
½  tablespoon cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon ghee or sunflower seed butter
2 full droppers medicinal mushroom tincture (like Anima Mundi Adaptogenic 7 Mushroom Immortality Tonic)
Optional: Sprinkle of bee pollen

Instructions: 

Brew a cup of dandelion root tea for 10n to 15 minutes in hot water, then strain.

Place brewed tea in a blender with date, cacao, maca, mushroom tincture, and ghee or sunflower seed butter. Blend on high until fully frothed, about 20 seconds. 

Pour into a mug, top with additional frothed milk and sprinkle with bee pollen.

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Herbalist Picks for Energy and Adrenal Support and Sleep

• Dandelion: “This is a bitter herb that aids in liver function, supports the microflora of the gut, and helps prepare the body for digestion.” 
• Medicinal mushrooms: “These are supportive to cognitive function, healthy nerve function and energy levels, keeps the nervous system in check, and helps the body adapt to environmental stressors.” 
• Cacao: “This gentle stimulant is uplifting to mood and energy.” 
• Maca: “This is a root that boosts stamina and optimizes the body’s response to stress.”
• Sunflower seed butter or ghee: “Both are wonderful sources of fat in the morning to support sustained energy and brain function.” 
• Bee pollen: “Bee pollen contains every known nutrient in trace amounts and is highly energizing, so it can be used to increase stamina and endurance.” 

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Golden Dreams Elixir Recipe

Yield: 1-2 servings
Active time: 5-10 minutes 
Total time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

1 sachet Thrive Market Organic Chamomile Tea, brewed in 1 cup of steamed milk of choice 
2 teaspoons coconut butter
½ cup additional steamed and/or frothed milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ashwagandha powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon honey 
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Optional: 2 droppers  full spectrum CBD tincture

Instructions

Brew 1 sachet of chamomile tea in steamed milk for 5 to 10 minutes, then strain.

With a small whisk or electric frother, whisk in coconut butter, vanilla, turmeric, honey, ashwagandha powder, and optional CBD tincture.

Top with additional frothed milk and sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy.

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An herbalist’s favorite ingredients for sleep: 

• Chamomile: “A classic bedtime herb, chamomile is a mild sedative and gastric anti-inflammatory that will calm the nerves, settle the stomach, sweeten your mood, and help release any residual tension from the day.”
• Turmeric: “This golden root supports digestion and liver function, allowing the body to fully recover overnight.”
• Ashwagandha: “This is a warming nervine and adrenal tonic that will support an overly exhausted system, reduce the effects of stress, boost vitality, and allow the body to relax.” 

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