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| TEAS. To prepare an infusion, the preferred method for brewing most teas composed of leaves and blossoms, pour 1 cup (8 ounces) boiling water over 1 tsp. dried tea in a covered container. Let stand 10 minutes, strain and serve. These proportions of water and herbs brew a beverage strength tea. For a medicinal tea, brewed to treat a specific condition, use 2 to 3 tsp. (1 Tbsp.) dried herb per 1 cup of water and let the infusion stand 1/2 hour to several hours or overnight. For convenience, brew 2 cups (1 pint) or 4 cups (1 quart) at a time. |
| To prepare a decoction, the preferred method for brewing most teas composed of barks and roots, use the same proportions of tea and water but place them in a covered pan, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes; let stand an additional 5 minutes, strain and serve. |
| Teas can be sweetened with sugar or honey, although for medicinal purposes, most herbalists recommend unsweetened tea. Preferred sweeteners include stevia, which is sold as a liquid concentrate or dried herb, and fruit juice or juice concentrates. |
| TINCTURES are liquid extracts made by soaking fresh or dried herbs in grain alcohol such as rum or vodka, vegetable glycerine or a combination of both. Tinctures have a long shelf life and are concentrated, especially if made with a sufficient quantity of plant material and aged for several weeks before straining. |
| Despite their concentration, tinctures aren't as strong as their labels suggest. According to Rosemary Gladstar, who pioneered popular herbology in the 1960s and is one of America's foremost herbalists, the miniscule doses on most tincture labels date back to the early days of commercial tincture making when the only comparable products were homeopathic. In homeopathy, doses are measured by the drop. For lack of a better system of dosages, herbalists |
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