Creating Herbal Teas
INFUSION
An infusion is a tea made
with flowers and leaves, or soft parts of the plant.
To
prepare one serving of tea:
Finely chop the herbs used, whether they are dry or fresh.
Boil 1 cup of water. Turn off heat. Add
1 teaspoon of dried herb or 2 teaspoons of fresh herb to the hot water.
Add the herb to the water. Stir
the herbs, then cover the vessel. Steep
the herbs in the water for 15 minutes, unless you want a stronger brew.
If you would like a stronger brew, you can steep the brew up to 24 hours
in the fridge. Strain the tea before
drinking.
To
make quantities: 3 cups of water to 1 heaping tablespoon of dry herb or 2 tablespoons of
fresh herb, finely chopped.
DECOCTION
A decoction is a tea made
with roots, bark, dried mushrooms and dried berries, or hard parts of the plant.
Chop the plant parts into small pieces. An
electric coffee grinder works especially well for very hard parts, but you can
use a knife to cut up what you can, or break into pieces what you can’t chop.
To
prepare one serving of tea: boil 1½
cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon of dry
herb or 2 teaspoons of fresh herb to the boiling water.
Allow this mixture to slow boil for 15 minutes.
Turn off heat, strain and drink. To
make the brew stronger allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes longer.
To
make quantities: 4 cups of water to 1 heaping tablespoon of dry herb, 2 tablespoons of
fresh herb, finely chopped.
COMPOSTING:
Place the plant material
from the herbal tea brewing around the base of your potted plants.
Use it also for the plants you have around your yard.
It is an organic fertilizer, which will feed and nourish your plants.
The plants will sprout and grow quickly.
Natural Health Hut
