Dill
Anethum graveolens
Seed and leaf · cooling · settling
The pickle seed — a bright, green ease for a windy belly.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Green seed, caraway-cousin, bright and pickle-sweet.
Traditional use
Seed tea after a heavy pot. Leaf chopped into fish, potato, and cucumber. Folk cup for colic-wind and a sour stomach.
In the cup
½ tsp crushed seed steeped 8 minutes, or a handful of fresh leaf at the end of a soup.
Story
The seed of the pickle jar and the windowsill.
Hearth working
A pinch of seed on the sill. A handful floated in the bath before you go out — the old ‘be hard to sour’ charm.
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-like. Seed is stronger than leaf. Culinary amounts are the tradition.
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
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
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.