Pain paste
Boil berries to a thick paste, spread on cloth, apply to an ache or a bug bite.
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Allspice
Pimenta dioica
Immature dried berry · warming · aromatic
The berry that tastes like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in one jar.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Clove-cinnamon-pepper in one berry. Warm and round.
Traditional use
A carminative and a fever spice, used for menstrual cramp, nausea, loose bowels, and a toothache. The boiled paste went on pain and on insect bites.
In the cup
½ teaspoon berries steeped 10 minutes for a gas cup. A few berries in mulled cider or the cupboard chai.
From the receipt book
Gas cup
½ teaspoon allspice steeped 10 minutes in a cup of hot water.
Blood
Bitter blood · bitter
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.
Read bitter bloodReached for
The promise
A careful hand
Ordinary tea for a healthy adult.
Food-like in the pot. A strong solo tea can feel hot in the mouth and the belly.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
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
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The stillroom’s first answer to a cold belly or a coming chill.
Nausea · Indigestion · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Earth· sweetCaution
Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans
A sweet, warm grate for a restless night and a tight middle.
Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Indigestion
Ground, build, and settle
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.