General Herbal Recipes




Herbal Infusion

An infusion is made in a way similar to tea. Because it's steeped longer, it's considerably stronger than tea. Infusions don't have a long shelf life so they need to be drank right away. With most herbal infusions, drinking 1-3 cups a day is sufficient.


Ingredients: 
  • 1/2 to 1 rounded tsp of dried* herb
  • 1 cup water
Directions:
  1. Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat.
  2. Add herb and stir. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
  3. Strain pulp out of liquid.
*You can also use fresh herb if you double the amount.

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Herbal Decoction

A decoction is an extract made from stems, roots, bark or rhizomes. Like an infusion, drinking 1-3 cups a day should be sufficient.


Ingredients: 
  • 1 heaping tsp* of stems, roots, bark or rhizomes**
  • 1 cup of water
Directions:
  1. Pour water into a non-aluminum pan
  2. Stir in the herbs.
  3. Heat until just before boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Let simmer 20-30 minutes. The liquid should be reduced by 1/3 or 1/2.
  4. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
  5. Strain through cheesecloth to remove pulp
  6. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container
*Some herbs may require more or less
**The herb needs to broke down into the smallest pieces possible before adding to water.

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More information on how to dry, prepare and store your herbal recipes