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By NOLA L. SARKISIAN

Staff Reporter

Sipping an herbal elixir and looking supremely relaxed, Siri Satnam says he is already feeling better than when he first arrived at the tonic bar of the Tea Garden Herbal Emporium in West Hollywood.

“I came in here and told them how I wanted to feel tonight and I feel immediately centered,” says the 50-year-old therapist, drinking from a brew of ginseng and reishi mushroom herbs. “I wanted to concentrate, I wanted my heart chakra stimulated and I wanted to be energetic and it’s working.”

Satnam is one of a growing number of Angelenos who have developed a taste for exotic herbal elixirs.

To meet the demands of such discriminating consumers, herb shop proprietors from Santa Monica to Pasadena are stocking an ever-broader array of dried roots, leaves, seeds, fruits and even insect shells. In addition to raw materials, which customers use to make therapeutic teas that are absorbed into the system, shops sell their remedies in capsule form.

“These stores are appealing to more sophisticated customers who demand quality and constant education,” said Grant Ferrier, editor-in-chief of the Nutrition Business Journal in San Diego.

The owners of herb shops and many of their employees are something akin to apothecaries in the early days of medicine. They mix various natural ingredients, often crushing them with mortar and pestle, to dispense an herbal blend aimed at relieving each customer’s particular ailment.

“I make dozens of these (herbal blends) per day and each one is different. To customize these formulas, you need to know how the body works and have the skills to assess a customer’s situation. That requires training,” said Borna Ilich, co-owner of Herb King in Santa Monica, whose five employees hold master’s degrees in Chinese medicine. “Our staff members are not sales clerks who used to sell lattes.”

Ilich was recently making a custom formula for herbal enthusiast Kathy Ross, 31, who had been battling a cold.

Standing behind the counter, Ilich weighed the herbs in grams for the remedy that was prescribed by Ross’ acupuncturist. He started with a little Fuling, which resembles rolled paper but is a fungus, added Pi Pa Eye leaves for the cough, threw in Cangerzi seeds for the mucus, and insect shells of Chan Tui to promote sweating. Then he combined it and charged $10 for the batch, which was to last a week.

To prepare her cold-fighting decoction, Ross must soak the herbal mix for 30 minutes, then boil it and simmer for 30 minutes.

“When I’m sick, this works better than capsules. It takes longer, but it’s worth the effort,” said Ross, sitting on a counter stool. “In the beginning it smells bad, but eventually your body tends to crave it if it needs it.”

Until recently, the mass appeal of herbs had been limited to the “three Gs” garlic, ginseng and ginkgo biloba. But today’s customers are experimenting with everything from the salvia root to boost their circulation to lycium to feel more cheerful.

At the Tea Garden in West Hollywood, gynostemma has been added to the 100-herb inventory. The Chinese substance, known to balance blood pressure, has been a tonic favorite in the past year.

“It’s been extremely well-received. People are telling us about the amazing things that have happened to them on it, including their cholesterol dropping by 50 points,” said Stacy Sillins, a “senior herbalist” at the store.

Deer antler, which often comes from Siberia and is known to promote male and female potency, and dragon bone, a calming agent derived from the fossil of the ancient Mastodon in China, have been hot sellers at Herb King in the past year. In fact, a marketing expert has been hired to sell the product nationwide through mail order.

“(Deer antler and dragon bone) represent up to 10 percent of our business,” said Ilich, who adds an herb or two every month to his store’s stock.

In addition to exotic roots, herbal stores are recognizing the value of more-mainstream American substances, such as saw palmetto (for the prostate) and echinacea (which fights flus).

A special extravagance at the Tea Garden is the domestic-grown Five Wild Ginseng, a tiny supply (only enough for 80 customers) and only available in the fall. A two-ounce bottle of the extract runs $350.

“They just love it. It’s for people who are into subtle energies like yoga and not the strong jolt of coffee,” said John Chambers, the store’s vice president of marketing.