Raspberry leaf
Rubus idaeus
Leaf · cooling · astringent
A mineral, tightening leaf — sour air for a heavy cycle or a loose bowel.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Black-tea astringent, green, faintly fruity.
Traditional use
Sour and tightening. Kitchens used raspberry leaf for a heavy cycle, a loose bowel, and as a late-pregnancy tea in the oral tradition. It is astringent air: it draws tissues together.
In the cup
1 tbsp dried leaf in a pint, steeped 15 minutes or long-infused. Pleasant, tea-like, easy to drink.
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
Some people, or a long pot, need extra care.
Culinary-tea amounts are the tradition. Pregnancy use is folk custom, not a standing order — ask the person who is actually catching the baby.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Nettle
Urtica dioica
A green salt — the mineral broth of the hedgerow.
Stiff joints · Hollow energy · Irritable skin
Mineralize, soothe, and restore fluid
Oatstraw
Avena sativa
The mineral tea of a nervous system that has been spent.
Frayed nerves · Hollow energy · Irritable skin
Mineralize, soothe, and restore fluid
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.