Herbal Slow Cooker Stock: A Sacred Base for Body & Spirit

Herbal Vegetable Stock

There is something ancient and sacred about soup stock.

A pot simmering slowly. Bones releasing minerals. Roots softening into sweetness. Mushrooms infusing the broth with mystery and medicine. Herbs swirling like whispers from the earth.

This is more than a recipe. It’s ritual nourishment.

Whether you eat animal-based or plant-based, creating a slow cooker herbal stock is one of the most grounding ways to support your body’s immunity, digestion, mood, and mineral balance.

It’s your base. Your anchor. A way to make everything else you cook more healing.

Why Add Herbs + Medicinal Mushrooms?

Because every cup becomes a sippable infusion of wellness. When you infuse your stock with herbs and mushrooms, you’re not just flavoring—you’re layering in:

• Immune support

• Minerals for mood, hair, skin, and bones

• Nervous system regulation

• Gut lining repair + digestion

• Deep nourishment for the adrenals and womb

The longer the simmer, the more potent the magic.

Two Nourishing Base Options

✧ Animal-Based (Bone Broth)

Use pasture-raised chicken bones, beef knuckles, marrow bones, or turkey carcass. These add collagen, gelatin, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus—key for nervous system and hormonal support.

✧ Plant-Based (Veggie Mineral Broth)

Use onion skins, mushroom stems, seaweed (kombu), carrot tops, and celery ends. When simmered with herbs, this creates a deeply mineral-rich, alkalizing, and gut-loving broth. (I save my vegetable scraps in a gallon zip lock bag in the freezer. When the bag is full then it's time to make stock)

Medicinal Mushrooms to Add

These aren’t flavor mushrooms—they’re functional. Dried is best.

• Reishi – deeply calming, immune-modulating, antiviral

• Chaga – antioxidant-rich, supports cellular health

• Shiitake – supports liver + heart health, adds umami flavor

• Turkey Tail – immune and gut microbiome supporter

• Lion’s Mane – supports memory and nervous system repair

Use 1–2 tbsp dried per batch, or 2–3 small whole mushrooms

Herbal Allies to Infuse

• Nettle Leaf – rich in calcium, magnesium, and iron

• Astragalus Root – adaptogen for immunity and vitality

• Dandelion Root – supports gentle detox and liver health

• Burdock Root – gut-friendly, skin-supportive, grounding

• Thyme + Rosemary – antibacterial, lung-loving, and fragrant

• Ginger Root – digestive, warming, and anti-inflammatory

• Turmeric Root – supports joints, gut, and mood regulation

  
  

Charlotte’s Sacred Slow Cooker Stock

Ingredients:

• 1 lb bones OR 4–5 cups veggie scraps

• 1 medium onion, chopped (leave skins on)

• 2 carrots + 2 celery stalks

• 2–3 dried shiitake, reishi, or chaga pieces

• 1 tbsp nettle leaf

• 1 tbsp dandelion or burdock root

• 1–2 slices fresh ginger

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (helps pull minerals from bones)

• 8–10 cups filtered water

• Optional: bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, astragalus slices

  
  

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker or large stockpot.

2. Cook on low for 12–24 hours (for veggie stock, 8–10 hours is enough).

3. Strain and store in jars or freeze in cubes.

4. Sip as a nourishing tea, or use as a base for soups, stews, and grains.

   
   

A Broth as a Ritual

Before you sip, pause.

Wrap your hands around the mug. Inhale the steam. Close your eyes and say:

“I receive this nourishment with gratitude. I am fed. I am full. I am home in my body.”

This is nourishment that doesn’t just fill the belly. It feeds your hormones, your skin, your nervous system, your womb, your spirit.

With every cup, you are remembering that food can be medicine, ritual, and return.

With warmth and broth-stained wooden spoons,

Charlotte

Cascade Herbal Living