This is a great reference for all the wonderful peeps out there who support our small brown, women-run plant shop!

I get the same question nearly everyday when someone purchases herbs from our bulk section for making a medicinal tea...

"How do I make this?"

I absolutely LOVE to teach others how to really get the most out of their medicinal plants and I will tell you that there is no hard and fast rules but these are some general guidelines on making a medicinal infusion (aka tea).

Preparing an herbal tea is a very simple process anyone can do but the trick to getting the benefits lay in the details.  Otherwise, a remedy can end up becoming nothing more than a beverage instead of bringing you all the wellness support you're looking for...and when I say "beverage" I mean nothing more than a drink- empty of nutrients and medicine.

So, Let's get to it!

Leaves and Flowers:

1) Bring water to a boil, preferably distilled (if you don't have distilled than spring water, reverse osmosis, or filtered water will do)

General ratio
1 tablespoon: 8 oz (or 1cup) water

2) Remove boiling water from heat

3) Add your herbs and stir until they are incorporated with the water, (this can be in any vessel, whether a tea pot, saucepan, french press or mug), then cover for 15 minutes to an hour depending on what herbs you are using (typical rule of thumb is 30 minutes) covered.

Barks, Berries, Roots and Seeds:

1) Add these harder parts of the plants to a pot using the General ratio as above and then add your water.

2) Boil until you see a reduction (sometime's it can be hard for me to tell so I typically go by the "ring" around the pot that the infusion forms as it boils down).

3) Strain the brew once it is reduced and replace with the leftover herb back into the pot and fill it with the same amount of water it was started with and repeat the process.  

Hope this is helpful to you!

-Merihelen

You may also be interested in:

• Preparing Fire Cider

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Written by Merihelen Nunez Creatress of Tangled Root Botanicals.

Merihelen Nunez is the Owner and Herbalist of Tangled Root Botanicals. She graduated from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts but has had many teachers before ever stepping into an herbal class or program. Before practicing at a professional level most of her education came from the plants themselves and her family.