Catnip
Nepeta cataria
Leaf and flowering top · cooling-bitter · settling
A gentle bitter for a tight belly and a restless night.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Mildly minty, slightly bitter, earthy and herbaceous, softly aromatic. Grassy or faintly lemon.
Traditional use
Mint-family, faintly bitter. Folk cups used catnip when a child or a worn adult could not settle — a fever that needed a light sweat, a belly in knots, a mind that would not lie down.
In the cup
1 tsp dried leaf, steeped covered 8 minutes. Mild enough for a short evening cup. Honey if the bitter shows.
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.
Generally well-tolerated. A mild settler. Thin formal data in pregnancy — many hands go gently. Moderate tea for most adults.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
The evening apple-scent that settles both belly and mind.
Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Bloating
Ground, build, and settle
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
A lemon-leaf for a circling mind and a mild viral season.
Frayed nerves · Restless sleep · Feverish & flushed
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
The after-dinner seed that lets wind leave quietly.
Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea
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.