Low-mood cup
¼ teaspoon holy basil and ½ teaspoon sage in a cup of hot water.
Air· sourGenerally safe
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Leaf · warming-aromatic · lifting
The pesto leaf that also wakes a dull head and a cold meal.
On the nose
How it smells
Sweet-peppery, herbaceous, and slightly minty or clove-like. Some leaves add licorice, anise, or a citrus edge.
More anise & seedIn the mouth
How it tastes
Sweet, aromatic, fresh-herbal. Anise, clove, pine, or citrus by the leaf. Warming. Turns slightly bitter if you forget it in the pot.
Traditional use
Sweet basil was chewed or brewed for stagnant digestion and a heavy head, and used in the kitchen to make tomatoes and cheese feel finished. A cousin to holy basil, more culinary, still airy.
In the cup
Fresh leaves torn into food at the end of cooking. A few leaves steeped 5 minutes make a surprising, clove-green tea.
From the receipt book
Fever pot
Equal lemongrass, holy basil, and fennel. Steep 10 minutes.
Hoarse voice
10 basil leaves with honey, eaten slowly.
Itch oil
2 parts chopped basil to 1 part sesame oil, warmed over a water bath 10 minutes.
Story
A pot by the door. The leaf that sweetens a strained table.
Hearth working
A sprig in the pocket when you must speak with someone you love and have bruised. Crush it once, smell it, then talk.
Blood
Sour blood · sour
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.
Read sour bloodReached for
The promise
A careful hand
Ordinary tea for a healthy adult.
Food is very safe. Moderate tea is common. Estragole in the oil and in huge extract doses is a theoretical worry — ordinary leaf tea is low risk. Some authorities skip medicinal doses in pregnancy. An occasional or moderate daily cup is the kitchen story.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Air· sourGenerally safe
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
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
Earth· sweetGenerally safe
Sweet cicely
Myrrhis odorata
Anise in a ferny leaf — the old sweetener of a sour pot.
Indigestion
Ground, build, and settle
Air· sourGenerally safe
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
Anise in a narrow leaf — the vinegar herb and a sharp kitchen green.
Indigestion
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.