Herbal Gummies

Kids are natural herbalists! Their natural curiosity and love of nature gives them superpowers when it comes to herbal encounters. Ever notice how kids engage all their senses the first time they encounter something? When we explore the natural world together, we can share different perspectives and teach each other how beautiful Calendula is or how soft a Mullein leaf can be. Throw in some basic cooking skills and chemistry and the adventure will become even sweeter.

Making herbal gummies is a fun project and a great way to teach kids some basic herbalism techniques such as tea making. The entire project can be completed in less than an hour and your end creation will be full of nutrients and without additives that can oftentimes be found packed in to children’s products. This is a great method for adding nutrients and herbs into your child’s diet without them even realizing it, since most gummies are tasty and fun. Using home-grown herbs is very rewarding but dried herbs are a great, convenient substitute for busy families.

The recipe below can be adapted to ANY tea that is suitable for kids. Just keep the liquid volume consistent with the amount of gelatin.

For the liquid part you can use ANY combination of:

basic herbal infusion (tea) ††
concentrated herbal decoction
juice †
syrup or honey

For example, we like to make a concentrated herbal decoction to get more of the herbal product into each gummy. This sometimes make them less tasty, so you adjust the flavor by adding a bit of juice and some honey.

For the solid part you can use either:

gelatin powder
agar powder (vegan gelling agent)
sugar (optional)

Chamomile & Lemon Balm Juice Gummies

Chamomile and Lemon Balm are wonderful allies for children. The herbs are both very soothing for delicate tummies and excitable nervous systems; and have been researched for their safety in kids. Your child will admire the Chamomile flowers for their miniature daisy-like displays and the fragrance from the Lemon Balm is very citrusy and refreshing.* This recipe makes about 70 larger gummies.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons of Perfect Bovine Gelatin This brand is grass-fed and certified as “Glyphosate Residue Free” OR Agar-Agar powder
1 cup of herbal infusion (made from 1 tablespoon of Organic Chamomile and 1 tablespoon of Organic Lemon Balm in 1 and a 1/4 cups of water)
1/2 cup of orange juice (or other juice of choice †)
3 tablespoons of honey
2 silicon BPA-free gummy mold trays

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the strained infused tea with the other liquids (juice and honey) and add to a jug
Sprinkle the gelatin or agar on the top of the liquid to “bloom” for 10 minutes
Add the mixture to a saucepan and heat gently until the gelling agent dissolves completely (do not boil)
Pour back into the jug
Place the cleaned and dried gummy molds on a baking tray (to facilitate placement in freezer)
Pour the warm liquid into the gummy molds
Freeze for 4 hours to allow them to solidify
Remove from freezer and test they are solid by removing a gummy
If okay, proceed with the gummies and eat as-is. If you want to harden them, you can remove them all and place them in the fridge (uncovered) on a rack for a couple of days
Add to a glass jar and refrigerate in a spot away from children’s unsupervised access

NOTE: If your child has never taken these herbs or ingredients, we recommend giving one gummy and waiting to note any allergies before consuming more.

† except pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and mango juice
†† This is a good resource for safe herbs for kids: https://theherbalacademy.com/choosing-safe-herbs-for-your-kids/
We encourage you to do your own research and seek the advice of a health care professional and use caution when giving herbs for the first time. The dosage in the recipe provided is deliberately low (approximately 3.5 ml of “tea” per gummy). Do not exceed more than 10 gummies per day.