Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Stalk, sliced · cooling · lifting
Kitchen lemon in a grass — the brightest citrus pot after the fruit itself.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Bright, strong lemon-citrus, grassy, slightly sweet or gingery. Clean and refreshing.
Traditional use
A soup and tea herb of warm kitchens. Folk cups used it to finish a pot of ginger or to cool a hot day.
In the cup
Bruise a stalk, simmer 8–10 minutes, or steep sliced dried grass 8 minutes. Fine with ginger and honey.
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.
A kitchen tea. The essential oil is not the same job. Moderate food-and-tea use is the ordinary story, including in pregnancy as an ingredient.
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
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemon verbena
Aloysia citrodora
The sharpest lemon leaf in the garden — a cup of crushed green citrus.
Frayed nerves · Indigestion · Dull focus
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.