Texas Gardener – Preparing Medicinal Herbs
How to Use Herbs from the Garden in Healing Mixtures
Sep 3, 2009
Herbs have been used for medicinal purposes since recorded time. People who understood how to gather, prepare and select medicinal herbs were sought out and appreciated—except when herbalism was associated with witchcraft. Of the four ways to prepare medicinal herbs for use (infusion, decoction, tincture, and distillation) the first three are relatively easy to accomplish in the kitchen with tools commonly available.
Distillation is more challenging for the gardener requiring special equipment to extract the herb’s essential oil. Most gardeners and herbal practitioners recommend purchasing essential herbal oils from reputable wholesalers or specialty health food stores.
How to Make an Infusion with Medicinal Herbs
An infusion is made by adding boiling water over herbs and allowing the mixture to steep for several minutes before straining and drinking. Do not bring the infusion to a boil with the herbs in the container. Rather, pour the hot water over the herbs into a separate container for infusing. Use about ½ to 1 cup of fresh herbs for 2 ½ cups of water.
Chamomile, mint, ginger, lemon balm, rose hips, and sage are easy to grow herbs that make refreshing and healthful teas.
How to Make a Decoction with Medicinal Herbs
Decoctions involve simmering an herb in water to extract the flavor and medicinal properties. Decocting is used for tough plant parts like woody stems, roots and bark of medicinal herb plants. “The amount of plant material will vary depending upon which plant you are decocting. Usually, the proportion is 5 parts medicinal herb to 100 parts water, but the amount of herb varies based on what form it takes.” according to this Herb Companion article June/July 2009.
Softer herbs, like ginger, may decoct in about 20 minutes, while other herbs require up to an hour of simmering. Do not boil the decoction, but simmer gently reducing the water to about half during the process. Strain and drink. Or, store the decoction for up to a week in the refrigerator. Decoctions may be somewhat bitter and adding a sweetener will make them more palatable.
How to Make a Tincture with Medicinal Herbs
A tincture uses a solvent, usually alcohol, as opposed to the water-based methods of infusion and decoction to extract healing materials from medicinal herbs. Drops of the finished tincture may be added to teas or taken directly. Tinctures are often quite bitter and will be tastier when slightly sweetened.
To prepare a tincture, select one or many fresh herbs. Using about seven cups of clean herb parts to 4½ cups of liquid made of two parts water and three parts vodka. Place the herbs in a jar and cover with liquid. Put the jar in a dark place for two to three weeks, shaking daily. Then pour into dark, glass containers through a cheese cloth or filter paper. Tinctures may be stored for several months.
Texas grown herbs often used in medicinal tinctures include: St. John’s Wort, chamomile, peppermint, yarrow, Echinacea (from Purple Coneflower flowers and roots), ginger and catnip.
When preparing herbs for medicinal use, a gardener should assemble all the tools and containers needed beforehand. Make absolutely certain that all of the items used in the preparation are sterile. Sterilization can be accomplished in the dishwasher using very hot water or by boiling for 20 minutes. Store herbal preparations in dark glass containers removed from sunlight.
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