Yerba mate
Ilex paraguariensis
Leaf · warming · lifting
A holly tea of the south — earthy, grassy, caffeinated. Drink it warm, not scalding.
In the mouth
How it tastes
Earthy, grassy, slightly bitter, robust. Smoky if the leaf was roasted. An acquired cup for some.
Traditional use
A shared gourd in some houses, a teapot in others. This cupboard keeps it as a caffeinated pot with the same respect as yaupon and camellia.
In the cup
Steep as you like, but not boiling-hot by the sip, and not all day every day. Lemon if the grass-bitter wants lift.
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
Ordinary tea for a healthy adult.
Caffeine, theobromine, theophylline. Safe for most healthy adults when prepared as tea. Do not drink it scalding — very hot, repeated cups have been tied to harm. Moderate heat and amount. Caffeine cautions in pregnancy and for the sensitive.
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
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The lift in the cupboard — head, belly, and a closed room.
Bloating · Indigestion · Headache
Brighten, circulate, and clear
Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Kitchen lemon in a grass — the brightest citrus pot after the fruit itself.
Feverish & flushed · 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.