The cupboard

Kitchen herbs & spices

Filter by element or search a plant. Traditional kitchen and folk use — four tastes, not a clinic monograph.

13 plants

Fire· bitterGenerally safe

Bay

Laurus nobilis

The soup leaf that quietly warms a heavy pot.

Indigestion · Bloating · Chill & congestion

Warm, move, and stimulate

Earth· sweetGenerally safe

Chamomile

Matricaria chamomilla

The evening apple-scent that settles both belly and mind.

Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Bloating

Ground, build, and settle

Earth· sweetGenerally safe

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

The after-dinner seed that lets wind leave quietly.

Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea

Ground, build, and settle

Earth· sweetGenerally safe

Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum

A sweet, eucalyptus-green seed that finishes a heavy meal.

Indigestion · Bloating · Hollow energy

Ground, build, and settle

Earth· sweetCaution

Star anise

Illicium verum

One star that perfumes a whole pot of broth or tea.

Cough · Bloating · Chill & congestion

Ground, build, and settle

Earth· sweetGenerally safe

Caraway

Carum carvi

The rye-bread seed that was also a wind-breaking tea.

Bloating · Indigestion

Ground, build, and settle

Air· sourGenerally safe

Peppermint

Mentha × piperita

The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.

Bloating · Indigestion · Headache

Brighten, circulate, and clear

Air· sourGenerally safe

Coriander

Coriandrum sativum

A citrus-seed that cools a hot spice blend and a hot belly.

Indigestion · Bloating · Feverish & flushed

Brighten, circulate, and clear

Air· sourGenerally safe

Spearmint

Mentha spicata

The sweeter mint — kinder to children and to a tender stomach.

Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea

Brighten, circulate, and clear

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

Air· sourGenerally safe

Dill

Anethum graveolens

The pickle seed — a bright, green ease for a windy belly.

Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea

Brighten, circulate, and clear

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

Water· saltGenerally safe

Lovage

Levisticum officinale

The celery of the herb bed — one leaf seasons a whole pot.

Indigestion · Bloating

Mineralize, soothe, and restore fluid