Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Seed (leaf is cilantro) · cooling · digestive
A citrus-seed that cools a hot spice blend and a hot belly.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Citrus-seed, warm, slightly soapy-floral to some noses.
Traditional use
The seed is the stillroom half of the cilantro plant. Folk kitchens used it to temper fiery curries and to settle a warm, windy digestion. Air’s cooling sour in spice form.
In the cup
Lightly toast and crush 1 tsp, steep 8 minutes, or cook into dals and pickles. Culinary: almost every warm-climate spice drawer.
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.
Seed is gentler than the leaf for those who taste soap in cilantro.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
The after-dinner seed that lets wind leave quietly.
Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea
Ground, build, and settle
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
A sweet, eucalyptus-green seed that finishes a heavy meal.
Indigestion · Bloating · Hollow energy
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.