Medicinal Soup Recipe to boost the immune system

Here is a soup that was passed onto me by Leslie Baldwin, a fellow NSP member who I met through our NSPbiz yahoogroup.

Although a few of these ingredients may take some leg work to find the first time, I believe the effort will be worth it. Here in Charlotte, NC I believe most can be found at Talley's Green Grocery or Three Feather's, both on East Blvd.

A medicinal soup broth to boost the immune system, this can be used as a plain broth or as a soup/stew base. There are no set amounts of ingredients so the amounts stated here are estimated. Leslie advises, "Just add, cook and adjust to taste. If I am feeling cold or flu symptoms, I like to make mine a bit spicy to help promote sweating and warmth."

INGREDIENTS:

2 gal. water
1-2 Handfuls Medicinal mushrooms (Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Shitake)
1 - 2 handfuls Ginseng root slices ( slices easier to remove)
1 - 2 handfuls Astragalus root slices (slices easier to remove)
1/4 - 1/2 fresh ginger root thinly sliced
1-2 Echinacea root
1 Bunch fresh parsley
1 Bunch celery chopped
2 med. or 1 large onion
1-2 Hot peppers (optional)
1-2 Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Salt and pepper or other desired seasonings

PREPARATION:

Bring water or broth to a boil. Add roots and cinnamon sticks. Bring the heat down and simmer several hours until roots are soft. Strain out roots and cinnamon sticks. Add all other ingredients except garlic and simmer about an hour.

Add garlic and remove from heat.
After the roots and sticks are removed you can add a grain such as barley. You can add any other vegetables as well.