Making Herbal Preparations

Herbal Preparations

Simples and Blends
A simple is a single herb. Blends are combinations of herbs. A blend can combine two herbs or dozens. Chinese medicine uses teas and tinctures that contain 10, 20 or 30 different herbs, and long ingredient lists are not unusual in European and American herbal. A specific is any herb known for its effectiveness in the treatment of a condition, such as crampbark for muscle spasms or milk thistle seed for liver disease.

Specifics can he used alone, in which case they are simples, or combined with other herbs, in which case they act as the blend's active ingredient.

A catalyst, stimulant or activator herb is often used in herbal blends to increase circulation and digestion. The world's most widely used stimulant is caffeine, which is an ingredient in many over-the-counter medications because it helps them act faster. Some stimulant herbs are used alone, but most make up a small portion of an herbal recipe. Lobelia and ginger are examples of catalyst herbs added in small doses to many teas and tinctures. Cayenne pepper is a more powerful catalyst, but its hot taste makes therapeutic doses difficult to take by mouth. Small amounts of cayenne can be added to food and some animals — notably dogs and birds — often seem to relish it. Cayenne can be given in capsules for its own beneficial effects or to enhance the performance of other herbs or supplements taken at the same time. In fact, by giving cayenne at the same time, it is often possible to reduce the dosage of a therapeutic herb without reducing its effectiveness.

How to Brew an Herbal Tea

To brew loose tea, which is usually recommended, you will need some kind of strainer. Stainless steel is good. Paper coffee filters can be used, but finely chopped or ground herbs may clog the Filter long before the tea is strained. Stainless steel "tea balls" are widely sold, but if you decide to use one, be sure to fill it less than half full. Dried herbs swell in water and a ball that's full will not allow water to circulate for optimum brewing. If you are making a medicinal tea, most herbalists recommend using loose tea that floats in the pot for best results. Tea bags are convenient, but they contain only a teaspoon of herb, so you will need quite a few. In addition, they alter the flow of liquid around and through the herbs. Use only the best quality cookware and teapots. Avoid anything chipped, rusty or cracked. If you use a wire mesh strainer, be sure it is made of stainless steel.

Brew your tea in clean ceramic tea pots or glass jars. Obviously, you will want to avoid using ceramic ware that might contain lead pigment. The coffee maker called a French press (Coffee Plunger), sold in kitchen supply stores, makes loose tea brewing especially convenient. Most people associate the French press with coffee, but it's a great way to brew tea as well. Press the perforated disc down to strain the brew, and the result is a clear beverage with superior flavour. Although it's common to make beverage teas by the cup, that's an impractical way to make medicinal teas. Most herbalists make all their teas, medicinal and beverage, in large quantities, at least a litre at a time and often by the gallon. For pet use, a 500ml or 1L jar is convenient and easily fits in the refrigerator for storage.

Parts and Other Units of Measure Herbal tea recipes are usually given in parts rather than tablespoons, cups or other familiar units of volume. When a recipe calls for 1 part peppermint and 2 parts lavender, your parts can be anything: a teaspoon, a tablespoon, an ounce (measured by volume, not weight), a cup or a bucket. The herbal ingredients should be of similar size, usually cut and sifted, crushed by hand or powdered just before blending.

Once the tea is blended, you will use it like any other herb tea, measuring a teaspoon of the mix to make a cup of beverage tea or a tablespoon per cup for medicinal tea.

Infusions or Tisanes

The simplest teas are infusions, also known as tisanes (pronounced tee-SAHN in French). An infusion or tisane is made from fresh or dried herbs and hot water. Chamomile, peppermint and most other leaves and blossoms lend themselves to this method although a few leaves, like those of uva ursi, an herb used in the treatment of urinary tract and bladder infections, do not release their medicinal constituents unless simmered the way roots and barks are. Only a few delicate roots are brewed as infusions; one is the relaxing herb valerian, which contains fragile essential oils that would evaporate if the tea were boiled.

Infusions extract mucilage, volatile oils, some vitamins and other nutrients. Water quality is always a concern. For best results, use distilled, filtered or bottled spring water, not chlorinated tap water. The water should be heated to just below the boiling point. Proportions of herbs to water for most beverage teas: • 1 teaspoon dried herb per cup of water • 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh herb per cup of water • 4 to 6 teaspoons dried herb per Litre of water • 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh herb per Litre of water These are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. For example, use less of an herb that is dense and heavy, more of an herb that is light and fluffy, less of an herb that is fragrant .Ind in excellent condition and more of an herb that is old and tired. Everything depends on the quality of the herb and the tea's purpose.

European recipes measure herbs by weight, which makes measurements more exact, but in the U.S., recipes almost always measure quantity by volume. To follow a European herb tea recipe, invest in a kitchen scale that measures metric units (grams and kilograms).

There is more than one way to brew an infusion. Here are four:

1. Place the herbs in a preheated ceramic teapot, glass jar, French press or ceramic cup. Pour the right amount of boiling water over the herbs, cover tightly (if using a cup that doesn't have a lid, cover it with a saucer) and let the tea steep 10 to 15 minutes or until cool; serve at room temperature. Add to your pet's food or water, use as a rinse after shampooing or apply externally as needed.
   
2. To make a stronger infusion, place the herbs in a pan with the proper amount of cold water. Cover and heat the water over low or medium heat until it just reaches the boiling point. Before it can come to a boil, remove the pan from the stove and let it stand without removing the cover for another 10 minutes, or until cool.
   
3. Solar infusions are fun to make, and some believe that the rays of the sun make this type of tea more therapeutic. On a hot sunny day, fill a clear glass gallon jar with cold water and one cup of loosely packed dried herbs (use less if the material is dense rather than fluffy) or 3 to 4 cups loosely packed fresh herbs. Place the jar in direct sun and leave it there for six hours or longer. See cold infusions, below, for an effective way to position the herbs in the jar.
   
4.  Some recipes call for a cold infusion. To brew this type of tea, soak fresh or dried herbs in a measured amount of cold water for 10 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally, then strain and gently heat until warm. Cold infusions can be made with leaves, flowers, roots, seeds and bark. Be sure to cut, chop, shred or grind any hard or tough plant material before soaking. The most efficient way to brew a cold infusion is to place your dried herbs in a roomy muslin or cheesecloth bag, dampen the bag as you fill a 1L jar with cold water, then tie the bag so it's suspended at the top of the jar. Be sure the bag is large enough to allow the herbs inside to drift and move. Close the lid and let it stand overnight. A natural current will move from the bottom of the jar to the top and back, releasing the tea's constituents.
   

Decoctions
A decoction is a simmered or boiled tea. Roots and seeds are brewed by this method, though some roots with volatile oils require the more gentle infusion procedure, and some leaves must be simmered instead of steeped. Always check individual descriptions in herbal reference books. To make a decoction, use a stainless steel, glass or enameled pan with a tight-fitting cover. Roots, whether fresh or dried, should be cut into small pieces. Use the same basic proportions of tea and water as for infusions.

1. Stir the herbs into cold water, cover the pan, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure the pan's lid fits well to prevent steam from escaping. Remove the pan from heat and let the tea steep an additional 5 to 10 minutes; strain and serve. If you have to take the lid off for any reason, put it back quickly; high temperatures and an open pan allow volatile oils to escape.
2. Alternatively, bring the water to a boil by itself, then add the herbs, lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand an additional 5 to 10 minutes; strain and serve. Unlike leaves and blossoms, roots and seeds can be reused, usually three to four times. As flavour and colour decrease with use, you can extend the brewing time, or you can replenish herbs by adding small amounts of new material.

Combination Infusion/Decoctions

Some herbal blends combine leaves that need infusing and roots that require decoction or flowers that should be infused and seeds or bark that should be decocted. To make a combination tea, start with the roots, bark or seeds and brew a decoction using the full amount of water required for the combined tea; then remove from heat, lift the lid, add the leaves and flowers, replace the lid and let the tea stand another 10 to 15 minutes. If the tea is a premixed blend containing some herbs that should be defused and some that should be decocted, take half the recommended amount of herbs and brew a decoction; then add the other half and let it steep.

Medicinal Teas

A medicinal tea is made by increasing the proportion of herbs to water, increasing the brewing time or both. Use up to twice as much plant material as for a beverage tea; again, the quantity depends on the quality of the herb, so you may need less.

To brew a medicinal infusion, place the herbs in a pan of cold water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and heat just to boiling point. Do not allow it to reach a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for a hour longer or overnight.

To brew a medical decoction, place the herbs in water, cover, heat to boiling, then turn the heat down to a slow simmer and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Let stand for an hour, several hours or overnight before straining.

Alternatively, use a 500mL or 1L glass jar to make a medicinal infusion or decoction the way the Chinese use ceramic ginseng cookers. This method is appropriate h or all plant material (leaves, blossoms, stems, roots, bark and seeds) for it extracts the plants' constituents at a controlled temperature and prevents evaporation while brewing.

Place cold or room-temperature distilled, filtered or pure spring water with the measured herbs in your canning jar, leaving about an inch of empty space at the top. Screw the lid on and place the jar upright on a wire rack. It is important to elevate the Jar slightly from the bottom of the pan so the jar doesn't rattle or break, ceramic ginsing cookers have tiny feet for this purpose. Fill the kettle with enough water to cover most or all of the canning jar. Put the kettle's lip I on, bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down and let the water simmer gently li it one or more hours. You can also use a crock pot or slow cooker for this purpose. Place the tea jar on its roasting rack, fill the crock pot with boiling water and leave it on low heat with the lid on while the tea brews. For jars too tall for the crock pot's lid, use aluminium foil to fashion a lid to prevent evaporation.

For teas made of fragile plant material, such as most leaves or blossoms, the tea will be fully infused within an hour. For teas made of woody stems, bark and most roots and seeds, let the tea simmer as long as two or three hours or even longer. Using a jar lifter or wearing insulated rubber gloves (a pair of cotton gloves inside household rubber gloves works well), remove the jar to check the tea's color, which will usually darken as the tea brews. Let the tea cool, then strain and use. Store leftover tea in the refrigerator.