How to Make a Medicinal Cup of Tea
Did you know that plant medicines need to be prepared in particular way in order to me them potent medicine remedies?
There are a few main ways to make a good medical cup of tea. The first is called an infusion and is best for aerial parts of plants like leaves, flowers and berries. The second is called a decoction which is best for denser parts of plants like roots, bark and some fruits. Lastly is a cold infusion where we use more mucilaginous type plants like marshmallow, slippery elm and licorice.
Fresh plant infusions are some of my most favorite types of tea to drink. Each cup holds a live vibration of the plants essences. When you can try a cup of sunshine.
Infusions
You don't need anything fancy to make an herbal infusion. I typically use a quart size mason jar and a small hand held strainer. You can use a French press, mug with a mesh ball or muslin tea bag or your favorite tea pot.
Bring clean water to a boil. Pour over herbs and let sit for at least 20min. The longer it sits the more potent but the flavor is stronger as well. Some more nutritionally dense herbs can sit over night creating a tea that is like a vitamin in a cup. After steeping strain and enjoy. I like to give the spent plants back to the earth. This can be in a compost pile or in your garden or yard. You can drink hot or cold depending on needs and can store in fridge for about 3 days. After 3 days feed to your plants.
Good for leaves, flowers and some dried fruits. Good herbs for overnight infusions are dandelion root, burdock root, nettle leaf, oat straw, red clover blossoms, alfalfa and red raspberry leaf.
Typically 1Tbsp / cup
Decoctions
Here you'll need a sauce pan with a lid and a hand held strainer.
Place water and plants into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and let simmer for 20min then turn off the stove and let steep the same amount of time. Strain and enjoy! The rest is the same as infusion. As a side note, mushrooms need a longer simmer time of 2-3 hours for most. Good for roots, barks, mushrooms and berries.
Typically, 1tsp / cup
Cold infusions
All ya need here is a quart size jar (or any jar really)
Place herbs in jar and cover with room temp water. Store in fridge overnight. Strain and enjoy! The rest is the same as infusions. Good for mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow, slippery elm, licorice, linden, plantain as well as mints. This type of infusion is good for hot/dry conditions like acid reflux, dry irritated cough, dry eyes and skin...
Typically 1Tbsp / cup
