Medicinal Teas From The Farmacy

As my husband Dan and I walk through a thriving garden with exotic herbs including tulsi, mamaki and ashwagandha, Aaron Moeller pours Tropical Hibiscus tea from an insulated teapot into metal mugs. Stevia makes the tea sweet, and roselle, guava leaf, star fruit leaf, lemon-grass and tulsi lend a bright, tangy taste.

We are at Kauai Farmacy, an herb farm in Kilauea that grows, cures, presses and blends medicinal teas. After two years of research and development, Doug Wolkon, his wife Genna and business partner Aaron are rolling out fresh tea with maximum medicinal value.

“We grow a diverse range of herbs using organic fertilizers,” explains Doug, “and we use a ventilation-based drying system, which maintains medicinal value.”

Walking past cinnamon and allspice trees, Doug explains the intricacies of blending tonic herbs, which are herbs that can be eaten regularly and promote general health throughout the body. Powerful herbs are beneficial on their own, but Kauai Farmacy’s tea blends are synthesized with complementary herbs.

“Two plus two equals five,” says Doug, as we brush past billowy edible hibiscus leaves. “Lemongrass is great. Tulsi is great. But together, they’re superpowers!”

After admiring a tulsi bush with tiers of tiny, pale-lavender flowers, I point out an enormous shrub with fat green leaves and purple veins.

“That is a special mamaki plant,” says Aaron of the endemic plant that native Hawaiians use medicinally (for more information on mamaki, see this week’s Farmers Market column). “We grow four varieties, two of which are not so common.”

The two-stage drying area is just past a span of comfrey, gotu kola and lemongrass. Herbs wilt on outdoor drying racks, which hang from the ceiling. Later, they are placed in a solar dehydrator that Doug and Aaron made. The intricate system is designed to safely dehydrate plants in high humidity.

Large tins filled with dry herbs and spices fill the shelves in the blending room. Doug opens a tray of dried chili peppers, and I take a whiff. They smell fresh and pungent.

“It can be up to two years before most tea gets to your table,” explains Gemma. “They’ve come from Sri Lanka; they sit on storage shelves. Even though our tea is cured, by the time it gets to your table, it’s only 1 month old.”

In the certified kitchen, cold-pressed herbs are made into tonics. Dan and I sit at stools that line a wood-top bar, while Doug and Aaron pass elixirs through a screened window. Turmeric Lemonade ($8 for 8 ounces), sweetened with cold-pressed sugarcane, is a fresh pick-me-up on a warm afternoon.

Turmeric extract ($12 for 2 ounces) delivers a powerful shot of anti-inflammatory benefits. Ginger Oregano ($12) as well as Comfrey, Gotu Kola, Mint and Tulsi ($20) blends are made to order.

There are 12 tea blends that include Tranquility, Wellness, Energy and Love Potion. Kauai Farmacy also makes tea bouquets ($4), Curry and Savory Culinary Herb Blends ($8 to $20) and Herbal Bath Spa Blends ($25).

You can purchase extracts, elixirs and tea blends at the Kauai Farmacy Tea Wagon, which is on Kuawa Road, just before Common Ground. Cups of brewed tea are available at The Garden Cafe, Hukilau Lanai, Small Town Coffee, Living Foods Market, Vim n’ Vigor, Papaya’s Natural Foods & Cafe and Harvest Market.

Kauai Farmacy
4731-G Kuawa Road, Kilauea
KauaiFarmacy.com
Tea Wagon
Tuesday-Thursday
10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Marta Lane is a Kauai-based food writer. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com