Traditional combinations — teas, broths, and poultices — with the reasons not to use them. For cups alone, open the medicinal tea folio. None of these replace a clinician.
Evening wind-down cup
A gentle kitchen tea when the day will not leave the body.
insomniaanxietymuscle tension
On the tray
Combine a teaspoon of chamomile, a pinch of lavender buds, and a few lemon-balm leaves. Cover 8 minutes. Passionflower can stand in when the mind is circular. Hops or catnip make a bitterer, greener cup. One cup an hour before bed — not a second pot.
Not for
- Asteraceae allergy (chamomile / lavender)
- Before driving if you added passionflower
Field note
This is a habit, not a hypnotic. Persistent insomnia needs a clinician, not a stronger herb.
First-scratch cold tray
Short, early support at the first sore throat or chill — not a flu treatment.
coldsore throatcongestionfever
On the tray
Cooked elderberry syrup by the labeled spoon, echinacea tincture for 2–3 days only, ginger decoction through the day, food garlic. If the skin is dry and hot, a single hot yarrow cup then blankets. Hydrate. Rest.
Not for
- Autoimmune disease (echinacea)
- Raw elderberry
- Infants (garlic oil, honey)
Field note
If breath is short, fever lasts past three days, or a stiff neck appears, stop home care.
After-dinner settle
Carminative cup for a heavy meal — gas, quease, cramp.
indigestionbloatingnauseacramps
On the tray
Peppermint or ginger, not both if you reflux. Spearmint if peppermint is too sharp. Chamomile if the cramp is more nervous than spicy. Fennel seed after a heavy meal. Dandelion leaf as a bitter before fatty meals rather than after.
Not for
- GERD (peppermint)
- Gallstones (ginger in medicinal amounts)
Field note
Recurrent pain, black stool, or swallowing trouble is not a tea problem.
Joint warmth kitchen
Daily food-level anti-inflammatories for dull stiffness.
joint paininflammationbruises
On the tray
Turmeric in food with fat and a pinch of pepper; ginger in the same pot. Willow bark is a salicylate — use as you would a cautious aspirin stand-in, not on top of NSAIDs. Comfrey only as an external poultice on a closed sprain.
Not for
- Ulcer or aspirin allergy (willow)
- Children with viral illness (willow)
- Open wounds (comfrey)
- Blood thinners without advice
Field note
Swollen hot joints, injury that cannot bear weight, or morning stiffness with rash need examination.
Skin folio
Simple topical care for chapped, lightly burned, or irritated skin.
irritable skinburnsminor woundsbruises
On the tray
Calendula oil or salve on chapped skin. Fresh aloe gel (latex rinsed off) on a minor sunburn. Cool chamomile compress. Lavender hydrosol, not neat essential oil. Patch-test.
Not for
- Deep or infected burns
- Asteraceae allergy
- Eye area with essential oil
Field note
Spreading redness, fever, or a burn larger than your palm is clinic-day.
Focus broth
Food-like mushroom and tulsi for a foggy week — not a deadline drug.
brain fogfatiguelow mood
On the tray
Lion's mane seared as food; shiitake in the same pan. Tulsi tea in the afternoon. Reishi decoction in the evening if sleep is part of the fog. Weeks, not days.
Not for
- Mushroom allergy
- Transplant immunosuppression (reishi)
Field note
Sudden cognitive change, fainting, or depression with hopelessness is not a mushroom problem.
Winter hedge
Immune-modulating polypores as broth through the dark months.
low immunityfatiguecold
On the tray
A weekly pot: turkey tail and reishi simmered an hour, shiitake and garlic added in the last twenty minutes. Strain the wood, eat the shiitake.
Not for
- Transplant patients
- Unidentified wild polypores
Field note
This is food-tonic territory. It does not replace vaccination or antivirals.
Circulation hedgerow
Slow, food-like support for aging circulation — adjunct only.
poor circulationhigh blood pressurepalpitations
On the tray
Hawthorn berry daily as tea or food. Culinary garlic. Yarrow only as a brief bitter, not a blood-pressure drug.
Not for
- Undiagnosed chest pain
- On digoxin or multiple cardiac drugs without the prescriber
Field note
Chest pain, one-sided weakness, or fainting is emergency care. Hawthorn is a months-long adjunct.
Liver bitter
A short bitter course after a heavy season — not a hangover cheat code.
liver supportindigestionfatigue
On the tray
Ground milk-thistle seed on food; dandelion root decoction before the day's main meal; tulsi as the pleasant cup. Two to four weeks, then stop and reassess.
Not for
- Bile-duct obstruction
- Jaundice — that is a work-up, not a bitter
Field note
Yellow eyes, pale stool, or dark urine need a lab, not a thistle.
Hay-fever leaf
Nettle taken before and through a known pollen season.
allergiescongestion
On the tray
Strong nettle infusion daily starting two weeks before your usual season. Elderflower (not raw berry) as a hot cup on thick-head days. Peppermint steam for the nose.
Not for
- Anaphylaxis history as a substitute for epinephrine
- GERD (peppermint oil)
Field note
Wheeze, throat tightness, or facial swelling is emergency medicine.
Cooling skin wash
A clean-yard poultice tray for itches, stings, and minor scrapes — not infected wounds.
irritable skinminor woundsburns
On the tray
Crush fresh chickweed or plantain on a sting. A cooled calendula or self-heal tea as a cloth wash on closed, clean skin. Patch-test. This is first aid, not a steroid.
Not for
- Deep, dirty, or infected wounds
- Serious burns
- Spreading redness or fever
Field note
Anything that tracks up a limb, weeps pus, or follows a bite you cannot identify needs a clinician.