Spearmint
Mentha spicata
Leaf · cooling · gentler-mint
The sweeter mint — kinder to children and to a tender stomach.
On the nose
How it smells
Cool and green like mint, but sweeter and less piercing than peppermint. A kinder menthol — jelly, leaf, a summer porch.
More mint-coolIn the mouth
How it tastes
Cooling and refreshing, milder and sweeter than peppermint. A kinder mint in the cup.
Traditional use
Where peppermint is a push, spearmint is a breeze. Folk kitchens used it for a mildly upset belly, a hot day, and as the mint of jellies and lamb. A good first mint if peppermint feels too much.
In the cup
A handful fresh or 1 tsp dried, steeped 5–7 minutes. Excellent iced. Culinary: yogurt sauces, peas, fruit salad.
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.
Safe as tea. Gentler than peppermint, still a mint — can bother reflux in a few people. Ordinary tea amounts.
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
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
The after-dinner seed that lets wind leave quietly.
Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea
Ground, build, and settle
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.