Sweet cicely
Myrrhis odorata
Leaf, seed, root · warming · sweetening
Anise in a ferny leaf — the old sweetener of a sour pot.
On the nose
How it smells
Strong, sweet aniseed and licorice — anethole in the leaf. Aromatic and pleasant the moment you crush it.
More anise & seedIn the mouth
How it tastes
Sweet, distinct anise or licorice, a soft green. Naturally sweet.
Traditional use
A kitchen herb that tastes of licorice. Folk cooks used the leaf to sweeten rhubarb and tart fruit so less sugar was needed, and chewed the green seed. Sweet earth in the anise family.
In the cup
Chop fresh leaf into fruit or a pot of rhubarb. A few leaves steeped 5 minutes make a sweet anise tea. Unripe green seeds are a spice.
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.
A kitchen and tea herb. Generally regarded as safe. Know the plant — ferny umbellifers have dangerous look-alikes. Grow your own.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
The after-dinner seed that lets wind leave quietly.
Bloating · Indigestion · Nausea
Ground, build, and settle
Star anise
Illicium verum
One star that perfumes a whole pot of broth or tea.
Cough · Bloating · Chill & congestion
Ground, build, and settle
Lemon
Citrus limon
The bright slice that finishes almost every stillroom cup.
Chill & congestion · Indigestion · Sore throat
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.