Join me at the Atlanta Science Festival!
In partnership with Emory University, A Capella Books, & the Carter Presidential Library, I'll be speaking about plant hunting adventures & leading a tea blending activity! Book signing to follow!
I’m so excited to be participating in the annual Atlanta Science Festival! This 15-day event runs from March 10-25, 2023 and features 150 events across Atlanta and one big party at Piedmont park! I’m thrilled to partner with Emory University, A Capella Books, and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library to offer a fun evening of storytelling from my plant hunting expeditions, book sales and signings of The Plant Hunter: A Scientist’s Quest for Nature’s Next Medicines, and a flavorful herbal tea blending activity!
Praise for The Plant Hunter
Readers who pick up The Plant Hunter with the idea of a traditional, staid monograph detailing flora around the world will encounter a biography of love, loss and discovery that is most emphatically not traditional or staid. . . .Quave’s storytelling is quite simply refreshing.
—Nature Plants
Cassandra Quave takes us on a fascinating and deeply personal journey to seek out modern medicines from the botanical world. As a scientist she is scrappy and tenacious, and as a writer she is eloquent and disarmingly honest. Fans of Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl will devour this engrossing narrative about Quave’s quest for the next cure.
—Amy Stewart, bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist
[A] spirited, globe-trotting debut . . . Nature-minded readers will find themselves immersed in—and inspired by—Quave’s poignant tale.”
—Publishers Weekly
Cassandra Quave is a woman with incredible grit and courage.
—Temple Grandin, bestselling author of Thinking in Pictures
Grab your tickets while they last!
Seats are limited! Grab your spot today! Here are the logistics:
Date and time: March 22nd from 7:00-8:30 PM
Location:
Carter Presidential Library & Museum
441 Freedom Pkwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Cost: $5
Included in price:
Entry to the event
Free parking
Eight tea recipes (4 blends and 4 single ingredient options)
Access to 13 different herbal tea ingredients
4 ounce tin for tea storage (makes 4-10 cups of tea, depending on preferred strength of the brew)
4 fillable tea bags
Support a local neighborhood bookshop! A Capella Books will be on site with copies of The Plant Hunter available for purchase.
My favorite homemade herbal tea blends
Can’t make it to the event? No worries! I’ve included my herbal tea recipes here exclusively for paid and founding subscribers to the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter. Enjoy!
These are some of my favorite tea blend recipes. For this activity, you will can use a 4 oz. tin for storing your tea, along with a pack of fillable tea bags. Each recipe has been optimized to fit into your 4 oz. tin (I ordered this brand), but these can certainly be easily scaled for larger containers. Your 4 oz. tin will hold 10 teaspoons of plant material.
You should create your blend using one of the following recipes. To make a cup of tea using your blend, simply add 1-3 teaspoons (depending on the preferred strength) of your tea blend to the bag and place it into a teacup. Pour 6-8 ounces (depending on cup size) of boiling water on top of the tea and leave to infuse until cool enough to drink. The recipes are reported in “parts” here for ease of scale, should you wish to make a larger batch at home.
Rosemary’s Herbal Tea Blends
These recipes are taken from herbalist Rosemary Gladstar’s book Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.
High-C Tonic Tea
This tea provides a nice mix of antioxidant bioflavonoids and vitamin C herbs.
4 parts rose hips
3 parts hibiscus
2 parts lemongrass
1 part cinnamon
Nerve Formula for Headaches
These herbs soothe the nerves and makes a pleasant-flavored tea.
3 parts chamomile
3 parts lemon balm
1 part passionflower
1 part skullcap
Dr. Quave’s Herbal Tea Blends
I created some fun herbal blends that I like to use at home.
Calming Garden Formula
I grow these medicinal mints in my garden. I love combining them for a refreshing and relaxing tea.
3 parts lemon balm
3 parts holy basil (tulsi)
3 parts catnip
1 part peppermint
Tummy Time
This blend is great for treating an upset stomach.
4 parts ginger root
3 parts lemongrass
2 parts licorice root
1 part peppermint
If you prefer a simple single ingredient tea, here are some ingredients that can be used on their own to make a delightful brew:
Chamomile Tea
10 parts chamomile
Mint Tea
10 parts peppermint
Hibiscus Tea
10 parts hibiscus
Catnip Tea
10 parts catnip
Do you have a favorite blend? Share your recipes in the comments.
Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a disabled writer, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, ethnobotanist, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.