An Excerpt from “The Teas: Party Recipes to T(raverse)”

Photo: Don Stahl

The Teas: Party Recipes to T(raverse) is an experimental cookbook and guide created by Dia education fellows danyele brown and Sruti Suryanarayanan that resists and challenges the pharmaceutical industry’s abuse and exploitation of trans communities.  

Offering recipes for teas and tings in solidarity with the T- and titty-averse, The Teas: Party Recipes to T(raverse) supports people, especially transwomen, transfemmes, and nonbinary folks who are looking for natural, non-pharmaceutical supplements for male to female (MTF) hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other trans-utilitarian remedies. 

In anticipation of a tea tasting hosted by the fellows to celebrate the launch of The Teas: Party Recipes to T(raverse) on August 20, 2021, enjoy a recipe for danyele’s pain butter.  

Photo: danyele brown

danyele's pain butter 

Tools & Equipment  
Cheesecloth or strainer 
Kettle or pot 
Small bowl 
Mixer  

Ingredients 
5 tablespoons Kokum butter  
3 slices ginger  
1 tablespoon stinging nettles  
1 tablespoon calendula 
1 tablespoon arnica montana  
1 tablespoon St. John’s wort  
1 tablespoon turmeric 
1 tablespoon Gotu Kola  
1 tablespoon wintergreen  
1 tablespoon valerian  
1 tablespoon elderberries 
3 tablespoons hemp seed oil  
¾ pot water  

Preparation 

Step 1 
Fill a small bowl with all ingredients except for the hemp seed oil.  

Step 2 
Cover the filled bowl and place it in a pot filled with water. 

Step 3 
Simmer on a low flame for an hour, refilling the water as needed. 

Step 4 
Strain the butter mixture through the cheesecloth or mesh strainer, then immediately add the hemp seed oil. 

Step 5 
Use a mixer to beat the butter while it cools. Apply to sore spots and aches. 

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For more information about the August 20, 2021, tea party and launch of The Teas: Party Recipes to T(raverse) cookbook, please email fellows@diaart.org. 

The Dia Education Fellowship program provides a unique opportunity for ambitious young people (ages 18–25) to be the authors and protagonists of their own creative, intellectual, and professional trajectories. To learn more, visit 

 diaart.org/learning/internships or email chelseaprogram@diaart.org.