Cramp bark
Viburnum opulus
Bark · cooling · relaxing-astringent
The bark named for its job — a sour ease for a gripping cramp.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Bitter bark, slightly sweet, viburnum-astringent.
Traditional use
Folk practice used the bark when the womb or the gut seized. Sour, a little bitter, a tree medicine: it draws and lets go at once.
In the cup
A small piece of dried bark, decocted 12–15 minutes. Short cups at the time of cramp.
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
Who it feeds
The living bloom
The promise
A careful hand
Old use exists. Modern safety is thin.
Bark tea is the tradition, kitchen-scale. Not a daily beverage. Identify the shrub — several viburnums share the hedge.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The stillroom’s first answer to a cold belly or a coming chill.
Nausea · Indigestion · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
Lion’s-tail — a bitter for a racing heart and a crampy womb.
Frayed nerves · Crampy cycle · Cold hands & sluggish blood
Warm, move, and stimulate
Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
The evening apple-scent that settles both belly and mind.
Restless sleep · Frayed nerves · Bloating
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.