Herbal teas are one of our oldest forms of both beverages and medicines. Since the dawn of time, humans have been using herbal teas as food and medicine to help support body processes, enhance immunity and build good health. In addition, they support the healthy functioning of organ systems.

As beverages, non-caffeinated herbal teas offer a tasty alternative to the more commonly used herbal drinks: coffee and green or black tea. As medicines, herbal teas provide a simple, effective way to employ the healing power of plants. While these teas can be made from the leaves, flowers, berries, seeds, roots, bark or rhizomes of various plants, not all herbaceous plants are suitable for tea making.

Both people and plants were made from the clay of the Earth. Plants, especially those with tap roots, bring the nutrients up from the clay in a form that is needed and useable by us. As a traditionally trained Appalachian herbalist, I was taught that these green cousins were put upon this earth for our benefit. They are the best source of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and medicines available in Nature.

Infusions

Both infusing or decocting herbs releases their healing properties. To make an infusion, add about a teaspoon of herb to a cup of boiling water. Put a saucer over the top of the cup and let sit for five minutes. You now have a mild infusion.

Infusions prevent the essential oil evaporation which occurs from a decoction (see below for details) and are a beneficial way of conserving vitamins, which are often concentrated in the leaves. Mint teas should always be infused for maximum flavor delight. My favorite infusion combines spearmint and wintergreen. Though the flavor is not everyone’s “cup of tea,” for me it offers a serenely relaxing beverage to sip at the end of a long day.

Sun teas infusions are relatively fuss-free. To make a sun tea, place fresh or dried herbs in a clear glass gallon jar, fill with water and leave in the sun to brew for 3 to 4 hours. This slow process adds a gentle energetic component to the tea, bringing delicious flavor to the tongue and supplying the body with nutrients. My favorite freshly, picked combination of plants for sun tea includes red raspberry leaves and vine, a touch of mint, a bit of marshmallow and a handful of ground ivy. The tea is tasty and tonifying.

Keep in mind that infusions require a large amount of plant material. The infusion process is not an alchemic process, but tends to release easily accessible nutrients and volatile oils. On the other hand, less plant material is needed in a decoction because the intense and prolonged heating releases the deeper medicines within the plant.

Decoctions

Decoctions are strong medicine and form the foundation of care in Southern and Appalachian Folk Medicine and in the Western Herbal Tradition. Traditionally, the herb(s), either dried or fresh, are placed in a pot of water and cooked for a lengthy amount of time, anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours. The resulting tea is a strong, dark brew. A stainless steel or glass pot is used to keep the decoction as free from impurities as possible.

In the process of decocting, the volatile oils are released and are not the medicines being sought. Instead, during this alchemic process, the deeper medicines locked in the plant are brought forth during cooking. The prolonged heating of the plant releases its strength. Sometimes the herb needs to cook for an extended time, sit and soak without heat, and then be cooked again to release its full strength.

Good taste is not the primary goal of decoctions which often taste strong or bitter. The purpose of a decoction is to draw out the most medicine from the plant for use in healing in a timely manner. Traditionally in folk medicine, decoctions of simples or single herbs were used to influence an organ system or to offset a pattern of dysfunction assessed by the herbalist. Decoctions can be used short-term for acute situations or taken long term for chronic problems.

Remember, in a decoction less of an herb is initially needed because of the heating process. My favorite decoction for strengthening the kidneys is a combination of marshmallow, sumac, hydrangea, yucca and lady’s thumb. To prepare this mixture: Combine the herbs and bring to a boil in a gallon of water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Let sit until cool. The mixture can be refrigerated for about 3 days.

One of my favorite simple decoctions is chickweed. Using either dried or fresh chickweed, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. You are in for a unique experience! Even though dried chickweed can appear brownish, once it starts cooking and releasing, the plant perks up and changes color.

Healing Begins with Taste

When we drink an infused or decocted herb, we taste the herb. This is a crucial stage that is skipped when taking a capsule. It is also muted when we taste a tincture. The taste and sting of the alcohol tends to cover up the taste of the herb. Tasting the herb starts the process of digestion and signals the body that something important is about to happen. Drinking a brewed herb or combination of herbs engages the mind, body and soul in the process of the healing journey. Those who take this journey are committed and dedicated to a path toward becoming healthy, a commitment that elicits a cooperative response from the plants.

Going through the action of gathering or buying, measuring, combining and brewing herbs engages us in the process of caring for ourselves and our health. As a form of self-help, brewing highlights our dedication to being healthy. The more we help ourselves, the more we demonstrate our desire to help ourselves and our families.

General Considerations

1. Roots need to be brewed the longest amount of time due to their density. They contain the highest amount of minerals.
2. In order of required brewing time, after roots, bark needs the most followed by twigs, leaves and flowers.
3. Leaves contain the most vitamins. Since vitamins are lost during the heating process, infusion, which requires less cooking, retains more nutrients in herbal preparations.
4. Flowers contain volatile oils that are dispersed when decocted. Therefore, they should either be gently infused or placed in a medicinal combination and only decocted during the last few minutes of the process, if you are trying to conserve the volatile oils.

I was also taught that taking an alcohol-based tincture drives the herb(s) to the liver for breakdown with less herb available to move through the digestive tract. And that drinking a decoction drives the herb(s) to the kidneys and through the digestive tract.