The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [62]
A properly prepared herbal infusion or decoction is not merely a cup of tea. These extraction processes are quick, efficient methods for preparing and administering an easily assimilated herbal tonic/medicine/food, and they help supply water for keeping the body properly hydrated, as well as provide appropriate materials for abundant pro-biotic proliferation.
The term infusion is derived from the Latin infundere, meaning to pour in. An infusion is a liquid preparation made by treating fresh or dehydrated vegetable substances with either hot or cold water to extract the medicinal and nutritional principles. Herbalists also use other fluid menstruums for preparing infusions, such as vinegar, dilute glycerin, wine, juice, etc.
Infusions can be made in three ways:
Maceration (soaking a properly ground or chopped herb in a menstruum until it is thoroughly penetrated and the soluble portions softened and dissolved)
Digestion (maceration subjected to moderate continual heat below boiling temperature, the heat quickening the solvent powers of the menstruum)
Percolation
Because infusions are generally extemporaneous preparations, and are frequently needed immediately, the process of maceration is the most simple, practical, and usually preferred method. In this chapter I will discuss primarily the maceration method of preparing herbal infusions.
By definition, herbal infusions represent the solvent action of boiled water (or in some instances, cold water) on herbs for a given time period. This period of time varies according to the degree of ex-tractability of the principles to be dissolved. During the infusion process, the herb is not subjected to boiling, although it is common to pour boiling water over the plant material. The infusion process is particularly suitable for substances with a light structure and comparatively soft tissue easily exhausted of their principles, such as flowers, most leaves, soft stems, and some roots. This process of extraction is also most suitable for those plant tissues containing volatile or other principles which would be dissipated or injured by boiling, such as Chamomile and Red Clover blossoms, Peppermint leaves, or Valerian root. Because the constituents of many of the plants that are normally infused are volatile, infusions should always be conducted in closed vessels.
HERB PREPARATION
Herbs are best prepared for extraction with water as a menstruum by cutting them into thin slices or grinding to a coarse powder, especially harder parts you want to infuse (like volatile roots such as Valerian which, unlike most roots, should not be boiled as a decoction). In this form, they can be easily permeated by the liquid. If you are wanting to separate all undissolved particles (pro-biotic fodder) from the final infusion (which I do not recommend, but some folks insist on relating only to clear liquids), the use of fine powders should be avoided for they are difficult to remove. Fresh, undried herbs should be cut into small pieces and/or bruised. Flowers can be infused whole.
WATER
Clear soft water, rainwater, or distilled water are best for making infusions. Hard or limestone water from springs or wells are often unfit, for they are apt to foster precipitation. While the common practice of using hot water has time-saving advantages, in some cases, depending on the herbalist’s preference and intent, it can be inefficient. This is because (for those insisting on clear liquid) many inert components in an herb are dissolved by the hot water, and as the infusion cools, these components separate out in a finely divided condition. When one wants to, it is often difficult to remove them even by filtration. This mainly affects