How to Make Emoliente, Peru's Classic Herbal Drink

May 27, 2026

If you have ever walked through a Peruvian city before sunrise, you have probably seen the emoliente cart. A vendor stands behind a row of tall glass jars, ladling a warm, slightly thick drink into a glass while steam rises into the cold morning air. Office workers, students, and taxi drivers stop for a cup on their way in. It costs about a sol, and for a lot of Peruvians it is simply part of the morning, the way coffee is somewhere else.

Emoliente sounds complicated and turns out to be simple. At its heart it is toasted barley and a handful of herbs, simmered together and served hot. The blend we carry handles the herbal side, so you can make a cup at home without tracking down a street cart. Here is how to do it, along with a little background on why this drink has stuck around for generations.

What goes into emoliente

Recipes change from region to region, and every emolientero swears their mix is the best one. Most versions share a few ingredients. Toasted barley forms the base and gives the drink its grounding, nutty flavor. Flaxseed, or linaza, adds the slightly silky texture emoliente is known for. Then come the herbs: horsetail (cola de caballo), boldo, alfalfa, and often plantain leaf, depending on who is making it. A squeeze of fresh lime at the end brightens everything up.

Our Emoliente loose-leaf blend takes care of the herbal part. If you want the classic thick body, you can simmer in a spoonful of flaxseed and a little barley. If you prefer a lighter, tea-like cup, the blend on its own does the job.

How to brew a cup at home

The traditional method asks for a bit of patience, but none of the steps are hard.

Start with the barley if you want the full version. Toast a quarter cup of barley in a dry pan over medium heat until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker, about five minutes. Add it to a pot with four cups of water, bring it to a boil, then let it simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes so the water picks up that roasted flavor.

Next, add a heaping tablespoon of the emoliente blend and a teaspoon of flaxseed. Turn the heat to low and steep for another ten minutes. The flaxseed is what thickens the drink, so give it the full time. Strain the liquid into a mug.

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime and a little honey if you like it sweet. Vendors often offer a splash of aloe or a spoon of algarrobina too, but that part is optional. Drink it hot.

Short on time? Skip the barley. Steep a tablespoon of the blend with a teaspoon of flaxseed in two cups of just-boiled water for ten minutes, strain, and add lime. You lose a little of the toasty depth but keep the herbal backbone.

When Peruvians drink it

Emoliente is a morning drink first. Vendors set up before dawn, and the warm cup is meant to wake the stomach up gently before breakfast. It also shows up on cold nights in the highlands, where something hot and slightly thick takes the edge off the chill better than plain tea. Plenty of people reach for it when their stomach feels off, or after a heavy meal sits wrong.

What it actually does, honestly

Here is where we will be straight with you. Emoliente has a long reputation in Peru as a soothing drink for digestion and for the kidneys and urinary tract, and the individual herbs do have some research behind them. Horsetail has a mild diuretic effect that has shown up in small studies. Flaxseed is a well-documented source of soluble fiber and omega-3 fats. Boldo has traditional use for digestion, with a few preliminary studies to match.

That said, most of that research looks at the herbs on their own and in larger amounts than a single cup gives you. Emoliente is not a treatment for any condition, and the evidence for the blended drink specifically is thin. We think of it the way Peruvians do, as a comforting daily ritual that happens to be made from plants with a decent track record, not as medicine. If you enjoy it and it sits well with you, that is reason enough to make it part of your morning.

A few cautions

Because horsetail acts as a mild diuretic, go easy if you already take a diuretic medication or have a kidney condition, and check with your doctor first. Horsetail also contains an enzyme that can lower thiamine (vitamin B1) over time with heavy use, so emoliente is better as a daily cup than as something you drink by the liter. If you are pregnant or nursing, talk to your provider before adding new herbs. And if you take prescription medication, a quick word with a pharmacist about possible interactions never hurts.

You will find emoliente alongside the rest of our Peruvian herbal teas if you want to explore more of the tradition.