Labrador tea
Rhododendron groenlandicum
Leaf · warming · resinous
A northern resin cup — weak, rare, and respected.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Aromatic, resinous, spicy-pine or camphor, a northern character. Strong if you over-brew it.
Traditional use
A swamp-tea of the north woods. Folk pots used a weak infusion, sparingly, for the aromatic pine-camphor of the leaf. The plant asks for a careful hand.
In the cup
½–1 tsp dried leaf, a short steep, not a decoction. Infrequent. If it tastes fierce, you used too much.
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
A pinch or a rare pot — not a daily habit.
Ledol and kin. A weak infusion, a teaspoon or less, rarely. Too much: vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, cramps. Skip in pregnancy. Not a daily pot.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The stillroom’s first answer to a cold belly or a coming chill.
Nausea · Indigestion · Chill & congestion
Warm, move, and stimulate
Cayenne
Capsicum annuum
A pinch that sends heat to the rim of the body.
Chill & congestion · Cold hands & sluggish blood · Stiff joints
Warm, move, and stimulate
Black pepper
Piper nigrum
The everyday spark that makes other spices land.
Indigestion · Chill & congestion · Cold hands & sluggish blood
Warm, move, and stimulate
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.