Feverish & flushed
Hot, restless, or lightly fevered.
Why Air
Elderflower and peppermint were the old diaphoretic teas — a light sweat, then rest. Sour hibiscus cools the cup.
Sour is cooling and astringent. It draws and binds, thickens thin blood, starts saliva, and hydrates even as it tightens. Sour plants carry the antioxidants of fruit. They move mucous and support the lungs — large doses irritate. Lemon-family plants show up again and again in sinus cups.
Fire · bitter
5Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
The wound-wort and fever herb of the yard.
Feverish & flushed · Crampy cycle · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
The breakbone-fever herb — named for the ache, not for knitting bone.
Feverish & flushed · Chill & congestion · Stiff joints
Warm, move, and stimulate
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
A gentle bitter for a tight belly and a restless night.
Frayed nerves · Restless sleep · Feverish & flushed
Warm, move, and stimulate
Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
The first-shiver cone-flower — a short, purposeful bitter.
Chill & congestion · Sore throat · Feverish & flushed
Warm, move, and stimulate
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
A small bitter leaf for a pounding head.
Headache · Feverish & flushed · Crampy cycle
Warm, move, and stimulate
Earth · sweet
1Air · sour
15Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
A lemon-leaf for a circling mind and a mild viral season.
Frayed nerves · Restless sleep · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Hibiscus
Hibiscus sabdariffa
A crimson sour that drinks like a summer cooler and a winter tonic.
Feverish & flushed · Cold hands & sluggish blood · Dull focus
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Elderflower
Sambucus nigra
The June flower given at the first flush of a feverish cold.
Feverish & flushed · Chill & congestion · Cough
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
A citrus-seed that cools a hot spice blend and a hot belly.
Indigestion · Bloating · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Spearmint
Mentha spicata
The sweeter mint — kinder to children and to a tender stomach.
Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea
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
Willow
Salix alba
The stream-bank bark for an ache — sour, drawing, old as a headache.
Headache · Stiff joints · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Peach leaf
Prunus persica
The orchard leaf for a queasy, heated middle.
Nausea · Indigestion · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Sumac
Rhus typhina
A lemonade from the hedge — sour, red, and cooling.
Feverish & flushed · Sore throat · Dryness
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Borage
Borago officinalis
Star-flower — cucumber-cool, a lift for a heavy heart.
Frayed nerves · Feverish & flushed · Hollow energy
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Oswego tea
Monarda didyma
Bee balm — the bergamot mint that was a cupboard tea.
Chill & congestion · Feverish & flushed · Closed sinuses
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Salad burnet
Sanguisorba minor
Cucumber in a leaf — a salad herb that also makes a clean cup.
Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Kitchen lemon in a grass — the brightest citrus pot after the fruit itself.
Feverish & flushed · Indigestion · Dull focus
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.