Fever pot
Equal lemongrass, holy basil, and fennel. Steep 10 minutes.
Earth· sweetGenerally safe
Holy basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum
Leaf · warming · clarifying
Tulsi — the daily cup for a long, demanding season.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Clove-pepper, sweet basil, a little lemon. Warmer than sweet basil.
Traditional use
A household plant and a daily tea in many Indian kitchens. Folk use gave it for frayed nerves, a heavy cold, and the kind of tired that is more spirit than muscle. Earth with a little fire and air.
In the cup
1 tsp dried or a few fresh leaves, steeped 6–8 minutes. Pleasant alone or with lemon and honey. Culinary: some varieties in stir-fries.
From the receipt book
Blood
Sweet blood · sweet
Sweet first warms, then cools, and it softens. It is relaxing — the reason sugar went into cough syrups — nutritive, building, and hormonally active. Sweet herbs feed the brain and nerves, nourish spleen and pancreas, and coat dry tissue. They cleanse by moving blood toward the organs that wash it.
Read sweet bloodReached for
The promise
A careful hand
Ordinary tea for a healthy adult.
Culinary-and-tea amounts are the tradition. Strong extracts are a different product.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Fire· bitterGenerally safe
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The stillroom’s first answer to a cold belly or a coming chill.
Nausea · Indigestion · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Air· sourGenerally safe
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Air· sourGenerally safe
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.