The Herbarium

Part VI

Medicinal teas

25 cups from the folio. Kitchen herbs cross over here on purpose. These are traditional recipes, not prescriptions — steep, sip, and know when to stop.

Chamomile tea tray on cream paper

25 of 25 cups

Infusion8–10 minutes, covered

Evening chamomile cup

A gentle close to the day when the mind will not sit down.

Apple-hay, a thread of lavender, lemon-green if you added balm.

Ratio
1–2 tsp dried chamomile, pinch of lavender, a few lemon-balm leaves · 8 oz just-off-boil

Warm the cup. Chamomile first, lavender as a pinch — more turns soapy — lemon-balm if you have it fresh. Cover so the oil stays in the drink. One cup an hour before bed. Not a second pot.

insomniaanxietyindigestion

Not for

  • Asteraceae allergy
  • Before driving if you are new to the blend

Field note

A habit, not a hypnotic. Persistent insomnia needs a clinician.

Kitchen cup5 minutes, covered

After-dinner mint

Settle a heavy meal — gas, quease, the too-full feeling.

Peppermint is menthol-cool; spearmint is sweeter and kinder to some stomachs.

Ratio
A small handful of fresh peppermint or spearmint · 8 oz

Fresh leaf if you have it. Peppermint for a spicy meal; spearmint if peppermint gives you reflux. A few crushed fennel seeds in the same cup if the problem is gas. Cover, 5 minutes. Not both mint and ginger if you already run hot.

indigestionbloatingnausea

Not for

  • GERD (peppermint especially)
  • Hiatal hernia if mint worsens the burn

Field note

Recurrent pain, black stool, or trouble swallowing is not a mint problem.

DecoctionSimmer 10–15 minutes

Ginger-lemongrass kettle

Warm a chilled, queasy, or first-scratch-cold body.

Hot citrus-pine ginger, lemon-zest grass, a little sweet if you add honey after it cools.

Ratio
6–8 thin slices fresh ginger, 1 smashed lemongrass stalk · 12 oz water

Slice ginger. Smash the lemongrass bulb. Simmer, do not just steep — ginger wants time. Lemon verbena can stand in for lemongrass, added off the heat. Honey after it is drinkable, never for infants.

nauseacoldfeverindigestion

Not for

  • Gallstones in medicinal ginger amounts
  • Infants (honey)
  • Late pregnancy in strong decoction without advice

Field note

Motion sickness: sip warm, not a quart. A fever that lasts or a stiff neck is not this kettle.

Infusion10 minutes, covered; honey after

Thyme-and-honey chest cup

A short, warm cup for a wet or rattling cough — not pneumonia.

Savory-medicinal, lemon-pepper, honey rounding the thymol.

Ratio
1 tsp dried thyme · 8 oz · honey to taste once warm, not boiling

Thyme covered 10 minutes. Honey when it will not kill the enzymes. If the cough is dry and scratchy, a strained mullein or cold marshmallow cup is kinder than more thyme. This is two or three cups a day, not a gallon.

coughsore throatcongestion

Not for

  • Infants (honey)
  • Whooping, blood, or breath that will not come — that is a clinic

Field note

Unstrained mullein hairs scratch the throat. Cloth, twice.

Infusion10 minutes, covered

Linden night blossom

A honeyed European street-tree tea for a tense evening or a dry, tight cold.

Honey, linden, faint mucilage — June in a cup.

On the tray
LindenChamomile
Ratio
1 tbsp dried blossom with bract · 8 oz

Blossom and the pale bract together. Cover. Chamomile can share the pot. Street trees may be sprayed — pick from a tree you trust, or buy dried tilleul.

anxietyinsomniacoldsore throat

Not for

  • Unverified roadside trees
  • Known Tilia allergy (rare)

Field note

Dry the same day you pick or it smells of hay.

Infusion10–15 minutes

Spring nettle pot

A mineral green tea from young tops — food-like, not a miracle cleanse.

Spinach, green tea, a clean mineral finish. The sting does not survive the kettle.

Ratio
A packed cup of young fresh tops, or 2 tbsp dried · 12 oz

Gloves for fresh nettle. Young tops only. A lid. Dandelion leaf makes it bitterer and more draining; chickweed is a cooler spring add. Daily through a known pollen season is the old hay-fever use — start before the pollen, not during the sneeze.

fatigueallergieswater retention

Not for

  • Roadside and dog-walk greens
  • Lithium (theoretical with nettle) without advice

Field note

This is a food tea. It does not replace iron studies if you are actually anemic.

Infusion10 minutes, then chill if you like

Hibiscus cooler

A tart, ruby cold-weather or summer cup — pleasant, not a blood-pressure drug.

Cranberry-sour, floral, deep red. Sweetens honestly with orange or honey.

Ratio
1–2 tbsp dried roselle calyces · 12 oz

Calyces, just-off-boil, 10 minutes. A shard of cinnamon or a few rosehips if you have them. Delicious iced. If you take blood-pressure medicine, this is a beverage to mention, not a second drug.

high blood pressurefatigue

Not for

  • Pregnancy in strong daily pots without advice
  • On antihypertensives without the prescriber knowing you drink it daily

Field note

The color is the plant, not food dye. Enamel cups stain; that is fine.

Infusion10 minutes, covered

Fennel after-meal

Sweet seed tea for bloating and cramp after a heavy plate.

Sweet licorice, warm green anise.

Ratio
1 tsp crushed fennel seed · 8 oz

Crush the seed. Cover. Dill or coriander seed can stand in. Chewing ½ tsp of seed is the older, drier method. Do not forage a feathery umbel you cannot name — hemlock is in the toxic drawer.

bloatingindigestioncramps

Not for

  • Hormone-sensitive disease at high extract dose
  • Unidentified wild Apiaceae

Field note

Kitchen seed from a jar you trust. Not a wild-carrot adventure.

Infusion8 minutes, covered

Tulsi afternoon

A pepper-clove adaptogen cup for a frayed, foggy middle of the day.

Clove, pepper, sweet basil — Krishna types run hotter.

Ratio
1 tsp dried holy basil, or a few fresh sprigs · 8 oz

Cover to keep the eugenol. Lemon balm softens it; gotu kola makes it greener and more bitter. Afternoon, not a midnight pot if it brightens you. Weeks, not a single heroic mug.

anxietybrain fogfatigue

Not for

  • Trying to conceive / fertility treatment without advice (tulsi folklore is mixed)
  • Before a very late bedtime if it wakes you

Field note

This is not coffee and not a deadline drug.

DecoctionSimmer 10–20 minutes; strain well

Rosehip winter

A tart, vitamin-C-leaning red tea from frost-softened hips.

Tart apple-berry, faint tomato, a little tannin.

On the tray
Dog roseRoselle
Ratio
1–2 tbsp chopped dried hips · 12 oz

Chop or crush. Simmer. Strain through cloth — the inner seed hairs itch the gut. A hibiscus calyx makes it redder. After the first frost the fresh hip sweetens. Not a flu treatment; a winter pot.

coldfatigue

Not for

  • People who cannot tolerate the seed hairs if you skip the strain

Field note

Split and scoop, or buy already cleaned dried hips.

Cold infusion4–8 hours in cold water

Marshmallow cold cup

A slippery, almost flavorless coat for a raw throat or irritated gut — mucilage, not spice.

Mild, sweet-vegetal, distinctly slippery.

Ratio
1 tbsp chopped dried root in a jar of cold water, then strain

Cold water pulls mucilage better than a rolling boil. Overnight on the counter is traditional. Plantain or self-heal can be a short hot gargle on the side. Separate from other medicines by an hour — the slime can slow absorption.

coughsore throatindigestion

Not for

  • Taking other oral drugs in the same swallow

Field note

If you boil it you get a different, thinner tea. Cold is the point.

DecoctionSimmer 45–90 minutes; re-simmer the slices once

Reishi evening decoction

A bitter wood cup for a long recovery, not a fever rescue.

Bitter varnish and dark wood. Honey is allowed. It will never be dessert.

Ratio
3–5 thin slices dried conk · 16 oz, reduced

Slice, simmer, be patient. Shiitake in the last 20 minutes if you want food in the pot. Poria cubes are a traditional quiet add. This is weeks of evenings, not a midnight panic.

fatigueinsomnialow immunityanxiety

Not for

  • Organ transplant
  • Bleeding disorders at high dose
  • Trying to make it taste like chamomile

Field note

Mycelium-on-grain powders are mostly starch. Use a real conk or a dual extract you trust.

Kitchen cupSimmer 8–10 minutes

Golden kitchen cup

Food-level turmeric and ginger in milk or oat milk — an anti-inflammatory habit, not an NSAID.

Earth, mustard, ginger heat, the pepper waking the turmeric.

Ratio
½ tsp turmeric, a few slices ginger, pinch of black pepper, fat (milk or coconut) · 8 oz

Turmeric needs fat and a little pepper to be more than yellow water. Ginger and a cinnamon stick if you like. Daily food, not a 2-tablespoon extract. Stains the mug; that is the plant.

joint paininflammationindigestion

Not for

  • On anticoagulants at high extract dose without the prescriber
  • Gallstones (strong ginger)

Field note

Yellow fingers and a yellow spoon are expected. This does not replace a rheumatologist.

Infusion8 minutes, covered

Hops and catnip bitter

A greener, more bitter night cup when chamomile is too polite.

Green-resin hops, lemon-mint catnip. Not a dessert.

Ratio
A pinch of hops, 1 tsp catnip · 8 oz

Hops are strong — a pinch, not a handful, or it is a pillow and a stomach-ache. Catnip is the body of the cup. Passionflower if the mind is circular. One cup. Not before you need to drive.

insomniaanxietycramps

Not for

  • Depression that deepens with hops (some people)
  • Before driving
  • Pregnancy without advice

Field note

The cats will find the tin. A lid that latches is part of the recipe.

Infusion10 minutes

Raspberry-leaf pot

A pleasant astringent women’s tea with a long midwifery folklore — not a labor plan.

Green tea, faint berry, clean tannin.

Ratio
1 tbsp dried young leaf · 8–10 oz

Young unsprayed leaf. Rose or red clover blossom can join. Late-pregnancy use is folklore and belongs in a conversation with a midwife or OB, not a blog. Fruit is dessert, not this tea.

crampsdiarrheasore throat

Not for

  • Early pregnancy without clinician agreement
  • Sprayed ornamental canes

Field note

Astringent means it can bind a loose stool. That is the tannin, not magic.

Infusion10 minutes, then cool

Sage gargle

A dry, aromatic rinse for a scratchy throat — spit or a small swallow, not a pint.

Camphor, eucalyptus, velvety bitter.

Ratio
1 tsp dried garden sage · 8 oz; gargle

Steep, cool enough not to burn. Gargle and spit. A little thyme or self-heal can join. Culinary sage, not Salvia divinorum. Do not drink this as a daily quart — thujone is why.

sore throatcough

Not for

  • Pregnancy in medicinal tea amounts
  • A marathon internal course
  • Confusing it with S. divinorum

Field note

If the throat has pus, high fever, or you cannot swallow water, skip the gargle and get seen.

Kitchen cup5 minutes, covered

Rosemary focus cup

A resinous kitchen tea for a dull head and cold hands — food-like, not a nootropic.

Pine, camphor, lemon peel. Over-steeped it turns harsh.

Ratio
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, or ½ tsp dried · 8 oz

A kitchen sprig is enough. Cover 5 minutes, not 20. Peppermint brightens it; tulsi makes it a longer afternoon. Do not drink the essential oil. Culinary leaf is the cup.

brain fogpoor circulation

Not for

  • Seizure disorder (concentrated oil — this cup is leaf only)
  • Pregnancy in medicinal — not food — amounts

Field note

If you cook with it daily, this is the same plant in water. That is the crossover.

DecoctionSimmer 15–20 minutes

Elderberry winter kettle

A dark, tart pot for the first scratch of a cold — food-like, not an antiviral claim.

Blackberry-tart, ginger heat, bakery-spice. Honey after it is drinkable.

Ratio
1 tbsp dried elderberries, 3 slices ginger, a cinnamon shard · 12 oz

Berries, not leaves or bark — those are a different, harsher drug. Simmer, strain. Ginger and cinnamon are the kitchen spine. This is a few days of a scratchy throat, not a week of high fever. Cooked berry food is the long record; raw berry can upset the gut.

coldflusore throat

Not for

  • Uncooked berries in quantity
  • Leaves, stems, or bark as tea
  • Infants (honey)

Field note

A fever that lasts, a stiff neck, or breath that will not come is not this kettle.

Kitchen cupSimmer 15 minutes

Garlic-and-thyme kettle

A short, savory kitchen broth when a cold is coming in — food, not a penicillin.

Soup, not tea. Garlic sweetens as it simmers; thyme is the antiseptic edge.

Ratio
2 crushed garlic cloves, a thyme sprig, a pinch of oregano · 12 oz; salt

Crush garlic, wait a minute, then simmer with thyme. Oregano if you have the dried pizza jar. Chives at the end for a greener bowl. Honey and lemon after it is not boiling. This is supper, not a capsule.

coldcongestioncough

Not for

  • The hours before a social kiss you care about
  • Reflux that garlic always worsens

Field note

Raw garlic shots are a fad. The cooked clove is the kitchen medicine.

Kitchen cup5 minutes, covered

Sweet basil after-supper

A clove-green cup after a tomato-heavy plate — cooling, not a sleep drug.

Anise-clove, green, sweeter than pesto. Lemon balm if you want it quieter.

Ratio
A small handful of fresh sweet basil · 8 oz

Fresh leaf, torn, covered so the oil stays in the drink. Sweet basil, not tulsi — that is another plate. Tarragon is a French stand-in if the basil bolted. One cup. Not the essential oil.

indigestionbloatinganxiety

Not for

  • Essential oil internally
  • A basil you cannot tell from holy basil if you wanted the other cup

Field note

If the plant flowered and turned bitter, make pesto instead.

Kitchen cup5–8 minutes

Parsley green cup

A mineral, slightly peppery pot after a salty meal — food-like, not a kidney cleanse.

Green, chlorophyll, a little celery-pepper. Dandelion leaf makes it bitterer.

Ratio
A packed handful of flat-leaf parsley · 10 oz

Flat-leaf if you have it. A lid. Dandelion is optional and draining. This is a bunch from the crisper, not seed or oil — those are pregnancy-caution drugs. Garden parsley only; wild Apiaceae include the toxic drawer.

indigestionwater retention

Not for

  • Pregnancy in medicinal seed/oil amounts
  • Unidentified wild carrot-family greens

Field note

If your ankles are swollen for a medical reason, this cup is not the workup.

DecoctionSimmer 10 minutes

Bay after-beans

The soup leaf, drunk as a short cup after a heavy, bean-y plate.

Warm pine-clove, a little bitter. One leaf is a meal; three is a forest.

Ratio
1 dried bay leaf, a pinch of fennel or coriander seed · 10 oz

True Laurus nobilis, not mountain laurel. Simmer the leaf with crushed fennel or coriander seed. Fish the leaf out — it is a shard. This is the same leaf that sat in the beans, drunk on purpose.

indigestionbloating

Not for

  • Any ‘laurel’ that is not L. nobilis
  • Chewing the leaf

Field note

If the neighbor’s shrub is the wrong laurel, it belongs in the toxic drawer, not this kettle.

Infusion10 minutes, covered

Calendula petal cup

A golden, slightly peppery flower tea for a scratchy throat or a dull, irritated gut.

Resin, pepper, faint marigold. Chamomile rounds it if you find it harsh.

Ratio
1–2 tsp dried pot-marigold petals · 8 oz

Petals of Calendula officinalis, not a landscaping marigold you cannot name. Cover. A sip, or a cooled compress on a small irritated patch — not an open wound protocol. Asteraceae allergy is the stop sign.

sore throatirritable skinindigestion

Not for

  • Asteraceae allergy
  • Pregnancy in strong daily pots without advice

Field note

The orange is the resin, not food dye. It will tint the cup.

Infusion8 minutes, covered

Marjoram night

A sweeter oregano cousin for a tense, over-full evening — quieter than hops.

Floral, pine, a little camphor, no pizza-heat.

Ratio
1 tsp dried sweet marjoram · 8 oz

Sweet marjoram, not oregano, unless you want a hotter cup. A pinch of lavender — more turns soapy. Lemon balm if the gut is part of the tension. One cup. Culinary leaf, not oil.

anxietyinsomniaindigestion

Not for

  • Essential oil internally
  • Before driving if you are new to the blend

Field note

If all you have is the pizza jar, that is oregano — see the thyme-and-honey cup instead.

Kitchen cup8 minutes, covered

Cardamom after-chai

A short, camphor-lemon spice cup after coffee or a sweet — digestion, not a latte recipe.

Eucalyptus-lemon, bakery-warm if you add cinnamon. Crush the pod or it stays shy.

Ratio
3 crushed green pods, optional cinnamon shard, optional ginger slice · 8 oz

Crack the green pods. Cover. Cinnamon and ginger if you want chai without the tea leaf. Chewing one seed is the older, drier method. Black cardamom is a different, smoky spice — not this cup.

indigestionbloatingnauseabad breath

Not for

  • Essential oil internally
  • Gallstones in very large spice amounts without advice

Field note

This is pantry spice in water. If you already drank a quart of milky chai, you have had enough.

Broths, poultices, and trays live in Treatments. Kitchen plants are in Part III.