Cough
A tickle, bark, or stuck chest cough.
Why Fire
Thyme and sage for a stuck chest; marshmallow or licorice when the cough is dry and scraping.
Bitter is first hot, then cold. It speeds digestion, moves lymph and waste, wakes circulation, and calls bile from the gallbladder. As that hot, caustic bile travels, the body cools — which is why the old bitter cups were given for fever. Bitter is the strongest medicine in this tradition.
Fire · bitter
11Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
The chest herb that already lives in the spice jar.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Sage
Salvia officinalis
A bitter leaf for a raw throat and a damp mouth.
Sore throat · Cough · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Horseradish
Armoracia rusticana
A white fire in the root — it opens a closed head like a door kicked in.
Closed sinuses · Cough · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Horehound
Marrubium vulgare
The old cough bitter — tastes like a dare, then the chest moves.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Red clover
Trifolium pratense
The meadow blossom in the old blood-and-skin jars.
Irritable skin · Hollow energy · Cough
Warm, move, and stimulate
Elecampane
Inula helenium
A deep, camphor-bitter root for a chest that will not clear.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Indigestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
A resinous garden bitter for a tight, damp chest.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Mustard seed
Brassica juncea
A kitchen fire for the chest plaster and the pot.
Chill & congestion · Cough · Stiff joints
Warm, move, and stimulate
Onion
Allium cepa
The everyday fire in the bin — broth, syrup, and a chest poultice.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Ground ivy
Glechoma hederacea
Alehoof — a mint-bitter of the lawn, used in a moderate pot.
Cough · Closed sinuses · Headache
Warm, move, and stimulate
Speedwell
Veronica officinalis
A mild bitter, tea-like herb of the old European jars.
Cough · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Water · salt
3Marshmallow
Althaea officinalis
The original marsh mallow — a slick coat for dry tissue.
Sore throat · Cough · Dryness
Mineralize, soothe, and restore fluid
Mullein
Verbascum thapsus
The roadside torch — a lung leaf that coats and then lets the chest move.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Dryness
Mineralize, soothe, and restore fluid
Violet
Viola odorata
The heart-leaf of spring — a cool green for lymph and dry heat.
Cough · Irritable skin · Dryness
Mineralize, soothe, and restore fluid
Earth · sweet
2Licorice
Glycyrrhiza glabra
The blender’s root — it sweetens a harsh pot and soothes a raw throat.
Sore throat · Cough · Dryness
Ground, build, and settle
Star anise
Illicium verum
One star that perfumes a whole pot of broth or tea.
Cough · Bloating · Chill & congestion
Ground, build, and settle
Air · sour
3Elderflower
Sambucus nigra
The June flower given at the first flush of a feverish cold.
Feverish & flushed · Chill & congestion · Cough
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Elderberry
Sambucus nigra
The deeper winter face of elder — a sour syrup on the pantry shelf.
Chill & congestion · Cough · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemon thyme
Thymus citriodorus
Garden thyme with a lemon rind — roast herb and a bright steam.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Traditional kitchen and folk use only. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are pregnant, nursing, on medicine, or unwell, ask a clinician before drinking anything as a remedy.