Traits
- Passionate, creative, extroverted, sunny
- High energy, strong-willed, charismatic
- Honest, independent, likes to lead
- Eats well without gaining much if active
- Athletic, competitive, often intuitive
Fire· bitter
Bitter blood
Fire · bitter · First hot, then cold
It’s all about the project, the job, the chore, the effort. Good vital energy. Needs a lot of movement. Under illness, excess fire may present as deficient water — and the other way around.
Bile and fats. Thyroid, cholesterol-based hormones, the cell membrane.
Head, brain, heart, spine, eyes, upper back, hips, thighs, gallbladder and liver.
The taste
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.
Opposite: Salty blood (Water · salt). Under illness a person may wear the opposite for a while — it is not the true taste of the house.
Excess
- Hot blood, fever, inflammation, irritations
- Temper, impatience, overly critical, control, anger
- Heart palpitations, high pressure, heart strain
- Liver and gallbladder trouble, hyperthyroid states
Cooling herbs and foods. Drink a lot of water.
Deficient
- Cool blood, low pressure, some water traits
- Slow digestion, low bile, lymphatic congestion
- Cries easily, feels victimized, looks tired
- Anemia, lack of motivation, depression
Heating herbs and foods. A little fire back in the pot.
Fire plants · 42
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The stillroom’s first answer to a cold belly or a coming chill.
Nausea · Indigestion · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Cayenne
Capsicum annuum
A pinch that sends heat to the rim of the body.
Chill & congestion · Cold hands & sluggish blood · Stiff joints
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Black pepper
Piper nigrum
The everyday spark that makes other spices land.
Indigestion · Chill & congestion · Cold hands & sluggish blood
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum
Bark that smells like a warmed cupboard and acts like a slow fire.
Indigestion · Chill & congestion · Cold hands & sluggish blood
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Clove
Syzygium aromaticum
A bud used for a toothache and a winter pot alike.
Indigestion · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Turmeric
Curcuma longa
The golden kitchen root of sore winters.
Stiff joints · Chill & congestion · Indigestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Rosemary
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
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
The chest herb that already lives in the spice jar.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Garlic
Allium sativum
The house charm that also went into the broth.
Chill & congestion · Cold hands & sluggish blood · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Sage
Salvia officinalis
A bitter leaf for a raw throat and a damp mouth.
Sore throat · Cough · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
The lawn weed that taught kitchens what bitter is for.
Indigestion · Puffiness · Hollow energy
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Bay
Laurus nobilis
The soup leaf that quietly warms a heavy pot.
Indigestion · Bloating · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
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
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Allspice
Pimenta dioica
The berry that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in one jar.
Bloating · Indigestion · Crampy cycle
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
The wound-wort and fever herb of the yard.
Feverish & flushed · Crampy cycle · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Yellow dock
Rumex crispus
A taproot that goes to the clay — the bitter used for ‘thick blood’ and eruptive skin.
Irritable skin · Indigestion · Hollow energy
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterLimit the cup
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
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
A gentle bitter for a tight belly and a restless night.
Frayed nerves · Restless sleep · Feverish & flushed
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Chicory
Cichorium intybus
The coffee-dark bitter that wakes a sluggish middle.
Indigestion · Hollow energy · Puffiness
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
The first-shiver cone-flower — a short, purposeful bitter.
Chill & congestion · Sore throat · Feverish & flushed
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
A small bitter leaf for a pounding head.
Headache · Feverish & flushed · Crampy cycle
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Hops
Humulus lupulus
The beer-bitter that puts a room to bed.
Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Indigestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Horehound
Marrubium vulgare
The old cough bitter — tastes like a dare, then the chest moves.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
Lion’s-tail — a bitter for a racing heart and a crampy womb.
Frayed nerves · Crampy cycle · Cold hands & sluggish blood
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Red clover
Trifolium pratense
The meadow blossom in the old blood-and-skin jars.
Irritable skin · Hollow energy · Cough
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterLimit the cup
Goldenseal
Hydrastis canadensis
Yellow root — the strongest bitter in many a cupboard, and the one to spend least.
Sore throat · Closed sinuses · Indigestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Elecampane
Inula helenium
A deep, camphor-bitter root for a chest that will not clear.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Indigestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
The dream-bitter — a pinch in the pillow or a short cup for a stuck cycle.
Crampy cycle · Indigestion · Restless sleep
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
A gentle bitter that also draws — belly, liver story, a loose bowel.
Indigestion · Irritable skin
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
A resinous garden bitter for a tight, damp chest.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Mustard seed
Brassica juncea
A kitchen fire for the chest plaster and the pot.
Chill & congestion · Cough · Stiff joints
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Onion
Allium cepa
The everyday fire in the bin — broth, syrup, and a chest poultice.
Cough · Chill & congestion · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterCaution
Angelica
Angelica archangelica
A tall bitter-aromatic of the garden — protection in the old notes, a belly fire in the pot.
Indigestion · Chill & congestion · Bloating
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterLimit the cup
Lad's love
Artemisia abrotanum
Southernwood — a moth-sachet bitter that smells of lemon-camphor.
Limit the cup
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterThin data
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
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Yaupon
Ilex vomitoria
Cassina — a holly tea with a clean caffeine lift.
Dull focus · Hollow energy
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterThin data
Damiana
Turnera diffusa
A resinous, spicy leaf — a flavoring tea, not a long medicinal pot.
Frayed nerves · Hollow energy
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterThin data
Ground ivy
Glechoma hederacea
Alehoof — a mint-bitter of the lawn, used in a moderate pot.
Cough · Closed sinuses · Headache
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterLimit the cup
Labrador tea
Rhododendron groenlandicum
A northern resin cup — weak, rare, and respected.
Limit the cup
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterThin data
Speedwell
Veronica officinalis
A mild bitter, tea-like herb of the old European jars.
Cough · Sore throat
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Tea
Camellia sinensis
The true tea — green, black, oolong, white. The pot most cupboards already know.
Dull focus
Warm, move, and stimulate
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Yerba mate
Ilex paraguariensis
A holly tea of the south — earthy, grassy, caffeinated. Drink it warm, not scalding.
Dull focus · Hollow energy
Warm, move, and stimulate
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.