Hello hello! It’s me again, your local apothecary and witch Selena Sparklemoon!

Now I hate to confess this to y’all, but I have been going through a bit of a rough patch. Normally my brain is full of ideas—sometimes so many of them that my head feels like it might explode! But right now I’m running on empty, and my noggin’s got nothing. It’s a condition you are likely all too aware of: brain fog.

Now for anyone who hasn’t the foggiest on what brain fog is, let me give you a quick little summary. It’s like being caught in a constant state of forgetting everything; you’re struggling to find the words you need, or the motivation or focus to get anything done. You feel like slime in outer space, lost and without substance, completely devoid of anything resembling the ability to function. It’s kind of like being underwater and trying to make out what someone is saying outside the water—I tried this with Amon once during one of our swimming classes; could not make out a single word of what they were saying.

In other words, it sucks, and it sucks bad. Especially when there’s keen readers like you who trust me to pump out recipes and rituals by the pound. I’m drowning here, and I’m honestly finding it difficult to cope…

Which is exactly why I’m writing a recipe all about how to get rid of brain fog! That’s right, I’m still gonna provide all you lovelies with another recipe that will hopefully help y’all out with your own brain fog (and maybe get myself out of this little funk).

We will be making a pot of sweet peppermint, lavender and candy caps tea for this one; a herbal, sugary brew that will be sure to perk anyone up and supercharge your brain.

You will need the following:

★ Two cups of peppermint leaves—we’re going for a mighty kick with this brew!

★ Half a cup of lavender. Our ol’ favourite ingredient making another return

★ A quarter cup of candy caps—the sweetest mushrooms that can be

★ A spoonful of licorice extract. I know some of y’all aren’t big fans of licorice, but trust me, it’s necessary (and honestly pretty good)

★ Two drops of genie tears—you can still make the tea without this super rare ingredient, but it’s not gonna have the same kick. As for where to find this elusive ingredient, the night market occasionally stocks it. It also helps to have a genie friend who’s in the mood to help out (like my buddy ol’ pal Peppermint)

★ Scissors as sharp as they can be

★ Your finest mortar and pestle

★ One wooden spoon

★ A bowl of river water purified by your local water dragon spirit. Tea’s nothing without some good ol’ water

★ A kettle to boil the water up to a piping hot steam

★ Your favourite mug—whether it’s covered with flowers and doggos, or your favourite literary or screen characters. Mine’s a picture of Amon napping, so cute!

1. Pick your peppermint, lavender and candy caps. You can do this from your local market or graveyard, or your very own garden. You can also get it shipped, but I would recommend growing them yourself if you can—the fresher it is the better.

2. Cut up your peppermint and lavender and leave them out to dry in the moon until the next sunrise.

3. Grind up your candy caps with your mortar and pestle into a fine dust.

4. Pour your water into your kettle and leave it to boil for seven and a half minutes.

5. Once your water’s well and truly boiled, pour your candy cap powder into your water, followed by your peppermint and lavender. Add a spoonful of licorice extract and stir clockwise for two minutes and anti-clockwise for three.

6. By this point your tea should be golden with specks of green and purple. If you managed to acquire genie tears, carefully add them to your tea and stir for another minute. Be prepared for a small explosion at the end of the minute!

7. Whether you have added your genie’s teardrop or not, drink to your heart’s content, and get excited for when your brain fog’s no more!

I have brewed up a pot of this invigorating genie’s tea. I’m sipping it right now, and I already feel like I can take on any challenge or obstacle! I feel so invigorated, in fact, that I may take up Peppermint’s offer to go to a ghoulish open mic party in the graveyards after all. Who knows, partying may also help keep the brain fog away.

That’s all from me for now! Tune in next time where I will go into detail on how to make the most scrumptious meal that will be sure to give you a burst of energy on your next big adventure!