Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Flowering tops · cooling-bitter · moving · astringent
The wound-wort and fever herb of the yard.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Bitter, aromatic, a little chamomile-and-iron.
Traditional use
Bitter, and therefore strong medicine in this system. Folk use trusted yarrow to bring a stuck fever to a sweat, to slow a bleed, and to move stagnant blood in a crampy cycle. A bitter that is first hot, then cold.
In the cup
1 tsp dried tops, steeped covered 10 minutes. Drink warm to encourage a sweat, then get in bed. A cooled tea was used as a wash.
Story
Achillea — named for Achilles. The old telling says the hero’s mentor, the centaur, taught the wound-wort, and the leaf went into the field kit. The plant still answers to that name: a bitter that moves blood and closes what has been opened.
Hearth working
A small bunch of dried tops over the door is the old ‘keep this house’ gesture. In the cup it is still a short, purposeful bitter — not a daily sip.
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
Some people, or a long pot, need extra care.
Aster-family allergy possible. Avoid in pregnancy. Not a daily beverage — a short, purposeful cup.
Read the whole promiseSits well with
Elderflower
Sambucus nigra
The June flower given at the first flush of a feverish cold.
Feverish & flushed · Chill & congestion · Cough
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
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
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.