System Talks: Nettle + Soursop Concentrate - Our Ritual for Focus
We make medicine for the system with our own hands. We force ourselves outside when the world is heavy, we pick nettles with gloves on and we gather soursop leaves like a secret. Then we turn them into a fresh green concentrate that tastes like courage and keeps our days threaded with purpose. This is how we do it, practical, ritualised, and made to serve a system who needs grounding, clarity, and a shared task.
System
11/15/20252 min read
What we gather
Nettles - Non flowering plants - young tops and leaves, bright green and alive. Harvest them with gloves and shears.
Soursop leaves - We buy them mature, glossy leaves and then we gently wash and dry them.
Harvesting & prep - how we make it sacred
Go outside together. Make it a system outing. Assign roles: one collects, one watches for ticks, one photographs the ritual, another names the harvest.
Wear gloves for nettles. Cut only the top 4–6 inches of the plant so it keeps growing. Thank the plant before we take its shoots.
Rinse leaves in cool water, spread them on a towel, and let them air-dry a little. We let that breath settle the energy.
Tear or chop the leaves roughly, we like the tactile work; it grounds us.
Making the concentrate - simple, honest, repeatable
Fill a pot with water, bring to a gentle boil. Add the chopped nettles and soursop leaves. Use a 2:1 ratio of nettles to soursop as a starting point; adjust to taste.
Simmer low for 20–30 minutes until the water deepens in color and the aroma feels full. Keep the lid slightly ajar so the essence concentrates.
Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for another 10–15 minutes. This little pause is where the flavor finishes its work.
Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bowl, pressing the leaves to squeeze out every bit of liquid.
Return the liquid to a clean pot; simmer gently to reduce by half or until it reaches a syrupy texture. Watch it as the reduction moves fast.
Add agar agar sweetener or a splash of apple juice if you want a more palatable concentrate. Stir, taste, and adjust.
Bottle warm into sterilised jars or bottles, seal and refrigerate. Label with the date.
Storage & use
Keep refrigerated and use within 7–10 days for best freshness.
Freeze small portions in ice cube trays for single-use doses and longer life.
We sip a spoonful diluted in warm water or tea, or stir a cube into a glass when the system needs a calm reset.
Ritual and systems care - why this matters
The harvest itself is therapy: movement, sunlight, shared purpose, and careful touch.
The process turns scattered days into a repeated practice: gather, boil, strain, bottle. Repetition makes safety and ritual.
Making concentrations together is identity work. It’s a chance for alters to hold roles, show care, and leave a tangible legacy in jars on the shelf.
The taste, the texture, and the shared memory of picking nettles becomes a resource the system can call on when things feel fragmented.
Practical tips we actually use
Wear long sleeves and gloves for nettles. Always.
Don’t harvest from roadsides or contaminated sites. Choose clean, wild places or trusted sources.
Label jars with date and who helped make them. Legacy matters.
Start small when introducing this concentrate into the system routine. Watch reactions and rotate who samples it.
Pair the ritual with a grounding mantra or a short system meeting: three breaths, one check-in, one affirmation.
We call this our concentration ritual because it gives us a moment to be whole together, hands in the earth, heat on the stove, the slow hiss of steam and jars cooling on the counter. It’s nourishment, structure and ceremony.
You alone can do this, but you do not have to do this alone!
Subscribe here for the latest
"Don't see what it is, see what it can become"
© 2025. All rights reserved.