Use of teas:

You can use herbal teas to drink, to soak cloths for external application, or even to pour into bath water where it will be absorbed into the body through the skin. The bath method is particularly helpful for the ill, children or to provide an absorption method for bitter tasting teas.

Containers for teas:

The boiling container and/or teapot and the tea cup or drinking utensil should all have non-metallic surfaces, such as glass, ceramic, earthenware, or enameled metal. The teapot and the drinking utensil may also be made of wood or gourd. Certainly not non-stick!

Preparation of herbs:

Cut the herbs into very small pieces or bruise them. If you are buying herbs for tea, buy them “cut and sifted.” If the parts are too big, you will not get enough out of each piece. If powdered, the powder will go right through a tea strainer. (Powdered herbs may be used, however,  if the tea is then strained through a cloth. Homemade teabags may be made from squares of cloth, and these are also available to purchase.

How much to use for pure enjoyment:

Use 1 teaspoon dried or 3 teaspoons fresh herbs for each cup of water, to make tea purely for enjoyment.

How much to use for medicinal purposes:

Medicinal herb tea is usually made stronger than tea for enjoyment.  The difference is simply the amount of herb to a given amount of water.  By making the tea stronger, you only need to drink a little at a time – maybe a quarter of a cup. This makes it easier to get it down, if it doesn’t taste wonderful.  However, if you really will drink cups and cups of it, it’s fine to make it like regular tea-for-enjoyment!

For the stronger teas, use 1 ounce dried or 3 ounces fresh to each pint of water.  (For a very intense herb, however, like cayenne, use a very small quantity.) An ounce of roots, rhizomes, bark or seeds measures around 3-4 tablespoons.  An ounce of loose leaves or flowers measures about one half cup. If the flowers take up a lot of space, like red clover, mash them a bit when measuring, so you are not measuring a lot of air.  Herbalists or herbal reference books provide more exact proportions for specific herbs.

Drinking temperature:

For medicinal purposes, it is best to drink tea hot or warm, since the warmth aids your digestion, and less of the volatile oils will be lost if you don’t wait for the tea to cool down all the way.  That said, herbal tea may, nevertheless, be chilled or even iced.

Sweetening:

Use something other than sugar if possible, since sugar has a deleterious effect on the immune system.  Alternative sweeteners include honey, stevia, molasses, maple syrup, agave syrup, or licorice root (which can be added to the tea while steeping or decocting). If you must use sugar, choose those less processed, such as maple sugar, date sugar, xylitol, or evaporated cane juice, or even organic cane sugar. Avoid beet sugar as it may contain GMOs.  Under no circumstances use a chemical sugar substitute, as these are toxic!

How to make a hot infusion tea:

Make an infusion for soft parts; such as leaves, green stems, softer seeds, or flowers:

  • Boil water separately.
  • In the meantime, warm your teapot or pitcher with hot water, and place the herbs in the pot.
  • Pour the water over the herbs, but only after the water has cooled slightly from the boil. (It should not be actively bubbling when poured, for that is too hot.)
  • Cover the container and leave the tea to steep for ten to fifteen minutes, or up to as much as a half hour for stronger tea.
  • Strain the tea, pressing out the liquid.
  • Use it soon. You may store it in a closed container in the refrigerator for a short time, but discard it if there are any signs of spoiling.

How to make a cold infusion tea:

  • Add the herbs to cold water in a non-metallic container.
  • Leave to soak for six to twelve hours.
  • Strain the tea, pressing out the liquid.
  • Use it soon.

How to make a decoction tea:

Make a decoction for hard parts such as twigs, roots, rhizomes, hard seeds, resin, nuts, or bark:

  • Add the herbs to cold water in a pot (1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh herbs for each cup of water).
  • Cover the pot to prevent the escape of any volatile oils.
  • Bring the water just to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes (longer if the herb parts are large or particularly hard).
  • Strain the tea, pressing hard to get as much of the herbal properties as possible into the liquid.
  • Use it the same day

Special circumstances:

  • To make an infusion out of hard herb parts, instead of a decoction, use powdered herbs. To strain, drape two layers of clean, thin, cotton cloth over a strainer. Good cloths to use include old sheets, T-shirts, muslin, or flour sack type dishtowels. Alternately, make teabags from the cloth, tie with string, and infuse the tea in the teabags.
  • If a hard herb has volatile oils, it is better to powder it and make an infusion (in a covered vessel). Otherwise, the volatile oils might simmer away during decoction.
  • Combination teas. If you are planning a tea made from soft and hard parts, prepare them separately for best results – the soft as an infusion and the hard as a decoction. If that is not possible, because they are already mixed, you can powder them and prepare an infusion, then strain through a cloth. The last choice would be to prepare as a decoction, but keeping the heat low after the initial boil, and to only simmer for 10 minutes. Be sure to keep the lid on.
  • Teabags: To make teabags either for powdered herbs or for your convenience, cut pieces of of thin, clean, cotton cloth, such as old sheets, T-shirts, muslin, or flour sack type dishtowels, place the herbs in the center, gather the sides together to form a purse and tie with string.