FIELD NOTES
Three cups. A rhythm to the day.
Morning, midday and night: following the herbal tea ritual through the dated archive.
The same red cup.
In September 2025, three small entries follow a familiar kitchen setup. A press pours into a red cup. One is labeled “Morning tea blend.” Another says “Mid day tea.” The next is “Night tea to finish the day.” They are small scenes, but together they describe a rhythm more clearly than a grand statement about a routine could.
The ritual stayed.
By January 2026 there is a photograph of jars and a press, with a note about blends for three parts of the day. In February, steam rises from a clear mug outside and the caption says, “Herbal tea maxxing - about 6 months now.” Those dates show me returning to something. They do not tell us that every ingredient stayed the same, or that the routine caused a particular change in my body.
What I want to keep here is the human scale of it: make something, pour it, sit with it. There is a different feeling to a cup at night than to another thing rushed between tasks. That is a reflection on a habit, not a claim about what a herb will do for everyone.
A diary before a recipe book.
An exact recipe needs more than a photograph. Ingredient names, amounts, frequency and context all matter. I will only turn these records into recipes when those details are checked, rather than filling the gaps with guesses. Herbal products can interact with medicines; a personal blend is not automatically a suitable blend for another person.
For background on herbal products and interactions, read NCCIH’s guidance on using supplements.