Amanda Chantal Bacon's Favorite Superfoods + How To Use Them

The beautiful black and copper book would look as at-home on a coffee table as it would on a kitchen shelf. It's filled with everything from Amanda's personal wellness journey to a veritable pharmacy textbook's worth of herbal and food-based medicine—in addition, of course, to brain-, beauty-, and bliss-enhancing recipes. We've long been fans of Amanda's LA Moon Juice shop (see her talk about her secrets to success onstage at #revitalize2016 here); here, she reveals a few of the power foods she relies on in her recipes.

Amanda calls ashwagandha a "potent root that calms," citing its benefits in thyroid function and alleviating depression, improving sleep, and enhancing virility. It's adaptogenic and as such can adjust to exactly what your body needs.

"Mucuna is a bioavailable source of L-dopa," Amanda notes, which becomes dopamine in the brain, causing it to elevate mood and creativity. Amanda especially loves the rich caramel flavor of this one.

Reishi, Amanda says, is the strongest immune-boosting herb in the world. It's made from dried, ground mushrooms, and Amanda loves it for its ability to "relieve stress and impart feelings of centeredness and strength, soothing allergies and inflammation, protecting the liver and supporting the brain."

A powerful ingredient in Amanda's infamous Sex Dust, maca is another adaptogen that Amanda notes "delivers abundant energy, mental stamina, hormonal balance, enhanced libido, and an elevated mood." It has a nutty, malted flavor that Amanda says complements many other superfoods and herbs.

Amanda recommends incorporating the superfoods into morning smoothies and snacks throughout the day, and her cookbook is filled with elixirs designed specifically to take advantage of their potent, healing benefits. Here, she's shared her recipe for Bliss Brain, a warm, mildly sweet drink designed to "elevate mood, inspire creativity, regulate sleep patterns, and even ignite libido while soothing the nerves and inflammation, and boosting immunity and liver function."

Ingredients

For even more superfood-packed juices, smoothies, snacks, and desserts, be sure to check out Amanda's The Moon Juice Cookbook: Cosmic Alchemy for a Thriving Body, Beauty, and Consciousness.