Tea
Camellia sinensis
Leaf, by the style of the house · warming · lifting
The true tea — green, black, oolong, white. The pot most cupboards already know.
In the mouth
How it tastes
The true tea. Green is vegetal, grassy, marine, or floral. Black is malty, fruity, astringent. Oolong and white have their own faces.
Traditional use
The world’s ordinary leaf. This stillroom keeps it beside the herbal jars so the caffeine cup has a name and a caution like the rest.
In the cup
As you already brew it. Green cooler and shorter; black hotter and longer. Do not make it a scalding daily gallon.
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.
Caffeine and L-theanine. Safe for most adults. Moderate in pregnancy (caffeine limits). A very strong daily pot can bind iron and upset a tannin-sensitive stomach.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Rosehip
Rosa canina
The autumn fruit of the rose — a sour pantry vitamin.
Chill & congestion · Hollow energy · Irritable skin
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.