How to Make Your Own Herbal Pills (Spirulina)

Finished rolled, balls/ pills.

Shaping the dough.

Spirulina, Chlorella, Slippery Elm, and Cacao powders.

4 ounces of Spirulina and 4 ounces of Chlorella

bIt is best to take your herbs as close to nature as possible. My number one favorite way, is of course FRESH and chopped up in food. Parsley in spaghetti, garlic in everything, oregano added to chicken. I usually add my herbs at the very end so that the properties are intact. This works great for the culinary herbs, but when you have medicinal herbs- herbal teas are my next top preference. There is something so comforting and soothing about drinking a cup of tea. 

Then, I would have to say- dried herbs in their whole state, as in these hand roll pills is my third top preference for taking herbs, because they are minimally processed, and you get to taste the herb. Taste and minimal processing are key components for a connection with the remedy of choice. These hand rolled "pills" are easy to make, but can take a while. I suggest you have a few workers on hand. Lucky for me, I have a lot of children, and we were able to make a few hundred in an hour! We have a big family, so we need a lot! I am going to give you a recipe for a large batch, because they will last a long time (and not go bad). You can easily cut the batch in half or thirds. 

For the little herb pills we made, the main ingredients were Spirulina and Chlorella. Both are algaes. Green foods from the sea. I buy in powder amounts, usually 4 ounce bags. You can find these powders at Mountain Rose Herbs (see my banners in the footer below). 

Arthrospira platensis is blue-green algae that is harvested and dried for its healthful value. Spirulina is cultivated and consumed throughout the world as a source of food and nutrition. Our organic spirulina powder can be sprinkled on food or added to spice mixes, smoothies, green drinks, and juices.
For centuries, the native peoples of Mexico, Africa and Asia have eaten spirulina and made it one of their major sources of protein. The blue green algae is plentiful in lakes and inland bodies of water that are warm and alkaline. The plant's chemical makeup is 65% amino acids, including the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA). The high concentration of amino acids has made spirulina a popular nutritional supplement for those who are unable to obtain sufficient calories and protein through diet alone, particularly athletes who burn calories at a high rate. In addition to amino acids, spirulina is also a rich source of numerous other nutrients, including many essential vitamins and minerals. Research into the medical benefits of spirulina is ongoing, but there is no doubt about its nutritional benefits.
- From Mountain Rose Herbs website

Chlorella is not as known and mainstream as Spirulina, but is very similar in that it is a blue/ green sea algae packed with power. This is just a side note, but growing up we have a creek near our house, and sometimes it would become filled with this dark green algae. We never ate it, but I remember thinking how amazingly green it was, and we would play with it, and build things with the sturdy fibers. It was soft and full of life. I am constantly in awe of the splendor of nature and what is provided if we take notice and care. 

Chlorella vulgaris is a single-celled algae and considered to be among the oldest living organisms on Earth. Chlorella is enjoyed for its healthful properties and is often added to smoothies, green drinks, capsules, extracts, and even spice blends. Indian chlorella powder has a strong flavor and brews into a dark color.

Chlorella is a single celled algae that some scientists believe may be among the Earth's oldest living organisms, but it was only in the 1960's that Japanese scientists began to study chlorella as a tool of good health. Natural health enthusiasts know chlorella well as an excellent source of general nutrition. The chlorella offered by Mountain Rose Herbs has a cracked outer cell wall which is broken by a high impact cryogenic jet-spray process that pulverizes the algae's cell wall for enhanced digestibility.
-Shared from Mountain Rose Herbs website

You will also need 1 ounce of slippery elm powder, and 1 ounce of cacao powder, plus more cacao for dusting and serving as a flour to keep your hands from sticking. You will pour all your powders into a bowl and mix. Then add 1 cup water, and 1 cup honey. Stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula. You want the mixture to resemble bread down, or dough for making a pie crust. It should roll nice and shape into a ball. If it is too wet, add some more cacao and slippery elm. If too dry, add a bit more water. 

After you have a nice shaped ball, then you can dust your hands in the cacao powder, and start pinching off pieces of the spirulina dough and roll into pill shaped balls. Set the balls onto cookie sheets. This part will take a while, especially if you work alone. I did this with 2 other children, and it took us an entire hour to make all the balls. (My kids were not as fast as I). I didn't count how many we had when finished, but I filled up three and a half large bottles with the rolled spirulina pills. 

After rolling everything, you need to air dry, or very lightly dry them in the oven. I just turned on the oven light, and set the trays inside for about an hour, and then I set the trays on my kitchen table over night. Our coal stove is running and the house is warm, so I figured they would dry sufficiently overnight and they did. I bottled them pills, by putting a small piece of cotton in the bottom of each jar, before filling (to absorb moisture). 

The end result- is delicious! I love them, and could eat as a treat. My kids absolutely love them, and I am happy to know they are super nutritious!


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