Cold & Flu Tea Recipe







Monarda didyma
Monarda didyma



Add ½ cup each of the following and mix well:




Add ½ cup of ONE of the following:





gardening weeds



Based on symptoms, add appropriate things to your tea like:







8 thoughts on “Cold & Flu Tea Recipe

  1. Can you please identify the species of hyssop you are talking about? I live in the southern US and when hyssop is mentioned they go all biblical. The hyssop we use today did not exist in the ancent world, rather the closest species referred to as hyssop is something called Syrian oregano. What species were you describin here? Hyssop is referred to as Licorice Mint ad well buy that’s a totally different plant.


    1. Hi Lynda,

      Common names can get confusing. You’re thinking of other plants; there’s only one true medicinal hyssop. There are several plants with the word “hyssop” in one of numerous common names, but actual hyssop is a specific plant with the latin name Hyssopus officinalis. Syrian oregano is Origanum syriacum, in other words it’s an oregano through and through–I’m not sure where the hyssop reference is coming from there, or the biblical stuff. Licorice mint is a common name that sometimes refers to Anise-Hyssop, so here your confusion makes more sense. Anise-hyssop, or licorice mint as you’re calling it, is not an anise, a hyssop, a licorice, or a mint, although it is in the mint family! Anise-hyssop’s latin name is Agastache foeniculum. Sometimes the common name licorice mint refers to another plant in that genus, Agastache rugosa.

      The common names that include hyssop and some adjective are not related to hyssop, they’re almost always referring to Agastache, at least the ones I’ve run in to like giant hyssop, lavender hyssop etc. “Hyssop” got worked into common names for multiple sweet-tasting plants in the mint family. But actual medicinal hyssop that is called “hyssop” in a medicinal or botanical context is always going to be Hyssopus.

      Anise-hyssop & friends are lovely plants, many with lovely medicinal constituents, but you won’t hear herbalists, botanists, or even serious gardeners refer to them simply as “hyssop.” It’s confusing when the common names overlap like that.

      Next time you run in to species confusion with common names, you can always type something like “latin name medicinal hyssop” into google and you’ll probably get a quick clarification. Good luck!


  2. Perhaps this link will clear up the biblical references and help you ubderstand why I asked. Hyssop is mentioned often in the OT…but the plant we call hyssop -Hyssopus officianlis, was unknown in the ancient world. I guess if you went with pure medicinal, you’re certainly correct, but if know hyssop from it’s biblical references, it is NOT the same plant.


  3. Classifying plants based on their presence or absence in the bible isn’t really relevant when we discuss common names, Latin/botanical names, or the medicinal and botanical constituents and uses of plants, unless you are specifically examining them through the lens of biblical scholarship, as is that college’s website. It’s not surprising at all to hear that hyssop, which is native to Europe, didn’t exist thousands of years ago in the Middle East–nor is it surprising to hear that during the subsequent millennia, a useful European medicinal was given a biblical name by a largely christian society (how many people do you know named Matthew, Adam, or Mary?). Science has (thankfully) evolved since the days of the Old Testament, and botany, physiology, and our understanding of how the two sciences interact has happily evolved, too, especially in the last 200 years or so. We are not operating with a biblical-era understanding of science, so there’s no reason to disregard appropriate modern botanical classifications when discussing modern concepts of health and healing.


    1. I clearly didn’t get my point across. Kinda weird to be accused of dismissing science in favor of biblical usage…that was never my intention. You provided the botanical name for the referenced plant that was originally omitted from your blog entry. Thank you. I’ll leave it at that.


      1. I don’t generally include Latin names unless there’s space for confusion, like when multiple species are used medicinally and I’m only taking about one. WordPress doesn’t let me italicize Latin names in the middle of a sentence without italicizing the whole sentence (annoying) so they look weird and incorrect, so I only use them when I need to for clarity. Since there’s only one hyssop, no need to bother with it–especially since it’s so easy for the curious to do a google search and discover that there’s only one medicinal species of hyssop.


  4. I am just happy to have found a use for this plant, which is a favorite of mine to grow. Bees love it, too. I had several left over in the nursery this year, and will be planting all of them now that I know something to do with them. I am really loving your blog. Thanks for all the information.


  5. Thanks for posting. My favorite medical plant is rosemary. I named my homepage after it, its in slovenian language, but here is the link if anybody is interesting: We mainly talk about wild herbs. Best regards.


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