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By:Jackie G.Lake George, NY
Herbal Remedies
Tinctures,Decoctions and Infusions...
Tinctures derive MORE from the herbs but take time.
The reason for each herb done in a separate container is that if herbs are combined one or more the herbs may inhibit the other herbs.
TINCTURES:
Alcohol is a better solvent than water for most plant constituents.
Alcohol is also acts as a preservative allowing for a longer shelf-life.
Each herb MUST be done in separate containers, mixing only after the tinctures are complete.
Place 4 oz. of finely chopped or ground dried herb into a container that can be tightly closed.
Fresh herbs, 8oz. Pour 1 pint of vodka, or grain alcohol, over the herbs and close tightly.
Keep in warm but dark place and shake it once a day for a minimum of 2 months, longer is better.
After decanting the bulk of the liquid, pour the residue into a muslin cloth suspended over a bowl.
Wring out all the liquid.
Pour the tincture into a dark colored bottle and keep well stoppered.
Since tinctures are much stronger than infusions or decoctions, a smaller amount doseage is needed, according to the herbs used.
Tinctures may be taken straight, though I wouldn't recommend it. I did and it tasted awful.
They can be mixed with water or juice.
A few drops can be added to a bath, footbath, compresses. Mixed with oil and fat to make an ointment.
If you do not want to use alcohol, you can make a glycerine based tincture.
However, it will not have the advantage of disolving oily and resinous materials as alcohol does.
As a solvent, glycerine is better than water but not as good as alcohol.
Instead of alcohol, use 8oz. glycerine and 8oz. water, add 4oz. dried herb. Follow same procedure as above, same amount of time.
For fresh herbs, use 12.oz glycerine and 4oz water, 8oz fresh herb.
What are the THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A DECOCTION AND INFUSION?:
A decoction is to be used when using the tougher parts of a plant, roots, bark, rhizomes, whereas infusions are for leaves.
Both are basically teas, infusions are steeped for 10 min. and decoctions are simmered for 10 mins.
The method is similar, it's like making tea, very easy and very effective.
Infusions are steeped, decoctions need a little boiling time.
How to know when to use either?
Infusion are generally for remedies that use leaves, flowers and green stems, whose cell-wall will break down easily, giving you the properties you require.
Boiling, as in decoction, would break it down to nothing rendering it useless.
You can infuse roots, stems, seeds and resins but you must powder them first.
I find this too time consuming; for me a decoction is much easier.
Seeds such as fennel and aniseed should be bruised to release the volatile oils from the cells. Make sure you have a well-sealed lid so only a minimum of vloatile oil will escape through evaporation.
Decoctions are for remedies that use roots, stems, seeds, boiling is needed to break down the cell-wall so it will be accessable to the water. Check your recipe to determine which method you need to choose.
Be aware that some recipes use both leaves and roots, so you will need to make both, mixing them together after the process is completed separately for both.
HOT INFUSIONS:
*Note... In recipes that prescribe 1 part fried herb, you can replace it with 3 parts fresh herb, the difference being the higher water content in the fresh herb.
In a china or glass teapot that has been prewarmed, place 1 tsp.of dried herb per cup of water.
Only the dried herb goes into the pot at this point.
In a kettle or separate pot, boil 1 cup of water per each teaspoon of herbs. Add the boiled water to the glass/china pot, put the lid on, let steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out the herbs while hot and drink.
Normally best for a medicinal herbal tea to be drunk hot, it is ok to drink cold.
I usually make 3 cups of herbal tea since the recipe I used called for the tea 3 times a day. It is important to refrigerate until being used, as fermentation can occur and will have to be discarded.
Infusions can be sweetened.
COLD INFUSIONS:
If the herbs you are using are sensitive to heat due to highly volatile oils or because they break down at a high temperature, use a cold infusion.
I personally have never used this method. Herb to water ratio are the same as hot infusions but in this case the infusion should be left for 6 to 12 hours in a well-sealed pot. Strain and use.
DECOCTIONS:
Roots, rhizomes, wood, bark, nuts and some seeds are hard, with very strong cell-walls.
To ensure that the constituents are transferred to the water, more heat is needed than in an infusion.
Same herb to water ratio as infusions.
Use only china, glass or earthenware.
Place herbs in pot, add water and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn down to simmer and cover, 10 to 15 minutes.
Strain out the herbs while hot and drink.
SELF DIAGNOSIS AND RESEARCH:
I am not a doctor, nor do I have ANY medical training whatsoever. Self-diagnosis is a tricky thing if you don't know what you're doing.
I recommend getting a proper diagnosis from a licensed physician, it can make all the difference in helping you with your ailment.
The wrong herbs will not help, just as the wrong medication will not, in fact, it may do more harm than good.
It is important to know EXACTLY what you're dealing with, so you can find the proper treatment.
Example: I had what I thought was an ear-ache for about 2 months, thinking, it'll go away.
It didn't, it got worse. I went to the doctor and found out I had TMJ, a type of arthritis of the jaw.
Had I not gone to the doctor and started treating myself for an ear-ache, I would not have helped myself in any way, possibly harming myself instead.
The treatment for an ear-ache is very different than arthritis.
Always RESEARCH your chosen herbs carefully. Some herbs can harm you if taken incorrectly, same as incorrect dosages. Juniper, for example, is a herb I stay away from.
Taken in the wrong dosage can give you permanent kidney and liver damage.
I'd be no better off than with pharmaceuticals.
There are so many herbal remedies that it is foolish to engage the more harmful ones.
Research is vital to working with herbs, I can not stress this enough.
FEEL FREE TO USE THIS, IF YOU FIND IT APPLICABLE.
WHEN MAKING HERBAL MEDICINES FROM HOME, THERE ARE ONLY 3 CHOICES ON HOW TO MAKE THEM, TINCTURE, INFUSION OR DECOCTION.
Personally, I prefer tincture because it draws more of the properties I want from the herbs, and I make them for things I know will eventually come up.
But for a quick fix with a temporary ailment, the teas are easier.
Discuss Tinctures,Decoctions and Infusions Here
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