Headache
A tight brow, dull pressure, or a head that feels full.
Why Air
Peppermint and rosemary were temple herbs. Sour sips and a walk in air were prescribed as often as the cup itself.
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
4Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
Remembrance in a needle — a head herb as much as a roast herb.
Dull focus · Headache · Cold hands & sluggish blood
Warm, move, and stimulate
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
A small bitter leaf for a pounding head.
Headache · Feverish & flushed · Crampy cycle
Warm, move, and stimulate
Wood betony
Stachys officinalis
A mild bitter tea of the old nervine jars — tea-like, not harsh.
Frayed nerves · Headache · Indigestion
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
Air · sour
4Peppermint
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
Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
A little goes a long way — the pillow herb in the teacup.
Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Headache
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
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.