The cupboard
Kitchen herbs & spices
Filter by element or search a plant. Traditional kitchen and folk use — four tastes, not a clinic monograph.
Any feelingBloatingNauseaIndigestionRestless sleepFrayed nervesWorriationChill & congestionCoughSore throatClosed sinusesHeadacheCold hands & sluggish bloodStiff jointsDull focusFeverish & flushedDrynessPuffinessIrritable skinHollow energyCrampy cycle
Air· sourSour 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.
2 plants
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
Oswego tea
Monarda didyma
Bee balm — the bergamot mint that was a cupboard tea.
Chill & congestion · Feverish & flushed · Closed sinuses
Brighten, circulate, and clear