The cup
A cup is a promise. These ratings, flavors, and asterisks are the house rule — drawn from herbal literature and safety reviews, written for this stillroom. Not a diagnosis. Not a prescription.
Not in this cupboard
Hedeoma pulegioides / Mentha pulegium
Pulegone. Liver, kidney, seizures, multi-organ failure. Documented deaths from the oil and from teas, including in infants. Even a ‘small’ pot has caused serious harm. There is no safe recreational cup. Not in this cupboard.
Dictamnus albus
Strong phototoxicity: sap plus sun can blister and stain the skin for a long time. Internal use has been tied to liver injury. No established tea dose. Not in this cupboard.
29 promised teas
Caution
Capsicum annuum
Sharp heat, fruity-pepper, then a slow burn. A pinch in a cup is plenty.
Caution
Syzygium aromaticum
Hot, sweet-numbing, dental and festive. One bud flavors a cup.
Caution
Allium sativum
Sulfur, heat, then sweet if cooked. Raw in honey is fierce; broth is kinder.
Caution
Salvia officinalis
Earthy, savory, slightly bitter and camphor, warm and distinctive.
Caution
Petroselinum crispum
Fresh, green, bright herbal, a mild bitterness. The familiar kitchen leaf.
Caution
Apium graveolens
Intense celery, salty-bitter, a little musty-spice.
Caution
Laminaria spp.
Ocean, iodine, brine. A flake, not a handful.
Caution
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Distinctly sweet, anise, earthy, a little woody. Sweet even without sugar.
Caution
Trigonella foenum-graecum
Maple syrup or burnt sugar with bitter, celery-seed, savory undertones. Strong and unmistakable.
Caution
Illicium verum
Strong licorice, sweet and piercing. One star is a pot.
Caution
Armoracia rusticana
Sinus-clearing heat, mustard-tear, then sweet root. A scrape, not a tea.
Caution
Myristica fragrans
Warm wood, sweet-spice. A grating. A teaspoon is the wrong story.
Caution
Achillea millefolium
Bitter, aromatic, a little chamomile-and-iron.
Caution
Rumex crispus
Bitter iron, earth, a tannin finish.
Caution
Rubus idaeus
Black-tea astringent, green, faintly fruity.
Caution
Echinacea purpurea
Tingling tongue, earthy-floral, a faint numbness. Root is stronger than flower.
Caution
Tanacetum parthenium
Bitter daisy, slightly camphor. Not a sweet cup.
Caution
Leonurus cardiaca
Very bitter, leonurine-green. Honey is not optional.
Caution
Trifolium pratense
Mildly sweet, floral, hay-like, soft green. Pleasant and light.
Caution
Inula helenium
Bitter aromatic, camphor-iris, old-closet sweet.
Caution
Artemisia vulgaris
Bitter Artemisia, sage-camphor, a little mint.
Caution
Hyssopus officinalis
Mint-camphor, bitter-herb, a little anise.
Caution
Medicago sativa
Light, grassy, herbaceous. Iceberg lettuce, lentils, a whisper of lemon or sweet hay when well-dried. Mild and clean; flat or musty if the leaf is old.
Caution
Panax quinquefolius
Bitter-sweet, earthy, a little licorice-root.
Caution
Salix alba
Bitter bark, aspirin-green, tannin.
Caution
Prunus persica
Green almond, mild bitter, a faint cyanide-cousin if you overdo wild Prunus.
Caution
Brassica juncea
Pungent heat, nutty when toasted. A spice, not a tea.
Caution
Angelica archangelica
Celery-musk, bitter-sweet, a candied-stem perfume.
Caution
Gaultheria procumbens
Strong wintergreen — methyl-salicylate, minty-sweet, intensely aromatic.
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.