When It Comes to Botanical Wellness, The Alchemist’s Kitchen Is The Best In NYC
Juice bars are a dime a dozen in a heath-conscious city like New York, but when it comes to healing tonics, vegan food, and herbal remedies, there’s nothing quite like the beautiful botanical offerings found at The Alchemist’s Kitchen.
Located at 21 East 1st Street in Manhattan, The Alchemist’s Kitchen is a cafe, curiosity shop, and folk medicine pharmacy all in one– a botanical wellness hub aimed at “celebrating the power of plants for conscious living”.
The Alchemist’s Kitchen’s “Whole Plant Tonic Bar” features healthy herbal tonics and teas (including an elderberry elixir shot featuring astralagus, ginger, lion’s mane, maitake, vanilla, maple syrup, and a dash of brandy) and State-Changing Elixirs like Joy Juice (rhodiola, St. John’s wort, albizia, rose + pomegranate, carrot and beet juice), Brain Tonic (brahmi, gatu kola, yerba mate + lemon) and Spirit Elixir (blue lotus, skullcap, kava + lemon balm tea). They also have gluten-free baked goods, a fridge stocking everything from nut cheeses and vegan coconut yogurts to glass-bottled almond milk, bitters, intriguing veggie wraps, and other plant-based grab and go delicacies.
An Herbal Pharmacy and ad-hoc book shop behind the bar features books on topics as varied as astrology, ayahuasca, and indigenous medicine while also offering up rare finds from the East Coast folk medicine tradition (there are essential oils, lovely-smelling body mists, healing salves, transdermal CBD patches, and even something called a “Menstruation Tonic”, which prevents bloating, fatigue, and PMS-related pain with a proprietary herbal remedy infused in an apple cider base).
While the food and DIY remedies might be The Alchemist Kitchen’s biggest draw, the cafe also hosts excellent workshops led by herbalists, healers, and whole food chefs. From herbal tincture tastings to classes on how to make your own natural skincare products, each is dedicated to botanical plants and herbal remedies, often with the wisdom and support from leading herbalists, whole plant beauty practitioners, and the best educators in the (literal and metaphorical) field.
The Alchemist’s Kitchen also hosts related events with wellness experts and transformational teachers through Evolver Learning Lab, a series of live online video video courses with leading transformational thinkers. (At the time of this writing, Richard Mandelbaum is hosting a “Medicinal Mushrooms for Mind & Body” workshop– a topic we at GC know a lot about.) Forthcoming programming includes a “Sacred Cacao Ceremony” and classes on the power of the CBD plant— a one-of-a-kind community event which, like The Alchemist’s Kitchen itself– is sure to be worth the trip.
