Rooted in the rhythms of the land, this guide invites you to sip with the seasons. Every blend in this collection draws on native herbs, traditional plant wisdom, and a little California magic to support your body and spirit through the year.
🏡 Welcome to Your Cup
Here at SoEpicurious, we blend more than just herbs—we blend memory, earth, and ritual. Whether you’re reaching for clarity, glow, comfort, or rest, tea offers a grounding practice to align with nature’s flow.
What you’ll find inside this guide:
- Seasonal tea blends that follow California’s natural cycles
- Holistic tonic teas for everyday wellness
- Remedial blends for specific health needs
- Supportive teas for acute and chronic concerns
- Preventative brews to stay ahead of imbalance
- A wildcrafted herbal index to guide your blending
Pour a cup and wander through the pages. Let the land steep into your life.
🌿 Seasonal Tea Wheel
🌸 Spring – Renewal & Lightness
Support your liver, clear your skin, and awaken your senses.
Featured herbs: Dandelion, nettle, cleavers, mint
Mood: Fresh, clarifying, energizing
- Recipes for gentle detox and skin support
- Notes on wild greens and early garden herbs
- Brewing tips for hot and cold infusions
🔆 Summer – Glow & Vitality
Stay cool, uplift your heart, and embrace the bloom.
Featured herbs: Hibiscus, lemon balm, rose, calendula
Mood: Joyful, vibrant, heart-opening
- Recipes for iced and sun teas
- Blends to support skin, circulation, and mood
- Flower-focused teas to sip in sunshine
🍂 Fall – Grounding & Comfort
Nourish your immune system and prepare for rest.
Featured herbs: Ginger, cinnamon, astragalus, marshmallow root
Mood: Earthy, cozy, immune-supportive
- Recipes for fire cider blends and warming teas
- Drying and storage tips for herbs
- Digestive blends for transitional meals
❄️ Winter – Stillness & Protection
Build resilience, rest deeply, and sip warmth into your bones.
Featured herbs: Elderberry, licorice, tulsi, pine
Mood: Restorative, quiet, internal
- Immune and stress support recipes
- Decoction techniques and honey infusions
- Winter solstice rituals and slow sipping
🌺 Tonic Teas: Everyday Holistic Wellness
Tonic teas are gentle blends meant for daily sipping. They nourish, regulate, and restore slowly over time.
You’ll find blends for:
- Skin clarity and digestive health
- Energy, focus, and mood balance
- Hormone harmony and gentle detox
Each recipe includes:
- “You’ll need” (ingredients)
- “To make” (steps)
- “Helpful tip”
- “How it helps”
🌾 Remedial & Medicinal Teas
These blends support specific body systems and concerns. Use them for short bursts or in cycles depending on your body’s needs.
Sections include:
- Herbal actions explained simply (e.g., adaptogen, nervine)
- System-by-system tea blends: digestive, nervous, respiratory, reproductive
- Brewing techniques: infusion, decoction, cold soak
- Notes on potency, dosage, and safety
🛌 Acute & Chronic Tea Support
A guide for tea as a response to what your body is feeling right now—or what it’s been carrying for a while.
Acute support:
- Colds, fevers, cramps, headaches, bloating, insomnia
Chronic support:
- Hormonal imbalances, inflammation, long-term stress, fatigue
Includes:
- Symptom index for fast lookup
- Recommended herbs and blend suggestions
- Notes on pairing with food, rest, and healing rituals
🧭 Preventative Teas & Immune Support
Prevention is sacred. These teas are crafted to build resilience and protect your body before illness begins.
You’ll find:
- Daily-use immune and adaptogen teas
- Seasonal wellness rituals (e.g., fire cider, daily chai)
- Herbal allies to cycle in and out with the seasons
- How to create a weekly tea routine
📚 Wildcrafted Herbal Index
📚 Wildcrafted Herbal Index
A California-friendly herbal guide rooted in mindful wildcrafting and cultivation.
🌿 California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- Key Uses: Sleep aid, anxiety relief, gentle pain relief (nervous system)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, calming, gentle sedative. Safe for most adults; avoid during pregnancy.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Thrives wild in sandy soils and sunny areas; easy to cultivate and self-seeds generously in garden beds.
🌿 Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
- Key Uses: Anxiety, digestive issues, antiviral (digestive, nervous systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, relaxing, uplifting. Generally safe; may affect thyroid function with excessive use.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Best cultivated in gardens or pots due to aggressive spreading; rarely found wild in California.
🌿 Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Key Uses: Throat health, respiratory issues, cognitive function (respiratory, digestive systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Warm, drying. Safe in culinary amounts; high doses may irritate kidneys.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Commonly cultivated; wild harvesting limited to certain regions in coastal sage scrub.
🌿 Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)
- Key Uses: Allergy relief, mineral-rich tonic, inflammatory support (respiratory, musculoskeletal systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Neutral to drying, nutritive, strengthening. Safe but handling fresh leaves requires gloves due to stinging hairs.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Abundant in damp wild areas; easily grown in nutrient-rich garden soil.
🌿 Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
- Key Uses: Digestive soothing, sleep aid, anxiety (digestive, nervous systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, calming. Safe for most; rare allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Widely cultivated; occasionally found wild, particularly in disturbed soils or meadow edges.
🌿 Red Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus)
- Key Uses: Reproductive health tonic, nutrient-rich tea (reproductive, digestive systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, tonifying. Safe and gentle for regular use, especially in women’s health.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Commonly cultivated; wild growth limited but can be found along stream banks or woodland edges.
🌿 Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Key Uses: First-aid, fever, circulation (immune, circulatory systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, drying. Generally safe; avoid in pregnancy.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Easily wildcrafted from meadows and roadsides; grows well in gardens.
🌿 Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
- Key Uses: Immune support, antiviral, respiratory health (immune, respiratory systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, slightly drying. Berries safe cooked; avoid raw berries and leaves.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Commonly wildcrafted near streams and damp areas; easily cultivated.
🌿 Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
- Key Uses: Digestive aid, headache relief, respiratory comfort (digestive, nervous systems)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, stimulating. Safe; avoid in large doses during pregnancy.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Aggressively spreads in gardens; wild harvesting less common.
🌿 Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Key Uses: Calming, anxiety reduction, skincare (nervous system, skin)
- Energetics & Safety: Cooling, relaxing. Safe externally and internally in moderation.
- Wild vs. Cultivated: Primarily cultivated; wild lavender rare in California.
🧭 Measurement Conversion Chart (US Volume-Based)
- 1 tbsp = 3 tsp
- ¼ cup = 4 tbsp
- ½ cup = 8 tbsp
- 1 cup = 16 tbsp
- 1 oz dried herb (by weight) ≈ 1 cup loosely packed (varies by herb)
⏳ Steeping Times & Best Practices
- Flowers & Leaves: 5–10 minutes (covered)
- Roots & Bark: 15–20 minutes (simmer gently, covered)
- Seeds & Berries: 10–15 minutes (covered)
- Always steep teas covered to preserve essential oils and therapeutic benefits.
🌻 Herbal Friends Grid (plants that pair harmoniously)
| Herb | Pairs Well With |
|---|---|
| California Poppy | Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Lavender |
| Lemon Balm | Mint, California Poppy, Chamomile |
| Sage | Thyme, Lemon Balm, Elderflower |
| Nettle Leaf | Raspberry Leaf, Peppermint, Oat Straw |
| Chamomile | Lavender, Lemon Balm, California Poppy |
| Red Raspberry Leaf | Nettle, Alfalfa, Oat Straw |
🌞 Harvesting & Preservation Tips
- Ethically harvest, leaving at least ⅔ of the plant intact.
- Dry herbs in a cool, dark, ventilated space; store in airtight containers away from light and heat.
🍃 Sustainability & Ethical Wildcrafting
- Respect plant populations, harvesting only abundant species.
- Harvest during dry weather to avoid mold and contamination.
🔍 Glossary of Herbal Terms
- Adaptogen: Supports body’s resilience to stress.
- Carminative: Eases digestive gas and bloating.
- Nervine: Supports the nervous system, reducing anxiety.
- Tonic: Strengthens and nourishes specific organs or the whole body.
💡 Safety & Contraindications
- Avoid certain herbs during pregnancy or with specific medications.
- Always consult healthcare providers for personal guidance.
“May your herbal adventures be grounded in respect, steeped in wisdom, and flavored by the wild heart of California.”
Also includes:
✨ Sip Into the Sacred
Tea is also a ritual. These blends are crafted for emotional and spiritual connection—when you need more than just physical healing.
Includes recipes for:
- Grief tea
- Dream tea
- Creativity and focus blends
- Lunar + seasonal rituals
Bonus: Make your own signature seasonal tea using local herbs and your personal intention.
🌼 From soil to steam, may your days be slow, your body supported, and your spirit wild.
~ SoEpicurious