The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [65]
2. Pour boiling water upon the herb.
3. Stir well (do not stir if using the circulatory displacement technique).
4. Cover the vessel tightly, and let it stand for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place.
5. Strain and, if possible, press out the marc (pulp). It is obvious that bulky herbs and flowers (i.e., Chamomile, Red Clover blossoms, Mullein leaves) will retain a considerable proportion of the extract, and this will be lost if the marc is not pressed.
6. Add enough hot water (pour it through the pressed marc) to make the infusion measure 500 ml (1 pint).
COLD INFUSION
Cold infusions are made using 1 part of herb to 20 parts of water, or 25 Gm (1 ounce) of coarsely ground herb to 500 ml (1 pint) of cold water. (Depending on the quality of the herb, a small amount of Slippery Elm bark or Marshmallow root can provide an abundance of mucilaginous slime—experiment with this.)
1. Put the herb into the water and let it remain overnight at room temperature. With cold infusion it is recommended that the herb be contained in a small cotton pouch, suspended in the water overnight, and squeezed out when the infusion process is completed.
2. Strain, and press the marc.
3. If necessary, add enough cold water to make the infusion measure 500 ml (1 pint).
Bitter herbs do not require quite as large a quantity of crude herb as other herbs do, and only a pinch of a very intense herb like Cayenne is needed for an effective infusion (use more if you like the heat wave).
The properties of Goldenseal root are not soluble enough in water to be efficiently prepared as a tea.
HERBS ON THE “35 HERBS AND A FUNGUS” LIST
THAT ARE WELL PREPARED AS AN INFUSION
Including a recommended dosage—ex. 3–5 Gm (grams) dry herb. This amount would be infused in approximately 1 cup water.
As recommended in Chapter Four, “Kitchen Pharmacy Equipment,” it’s best to obtain a scale that measures gram weight. Using this scale, you can easily prepare the following recommended dosages; it is impractical and maddening to attempt to measure these as fractions of ounces or portions of a spoonful.
HOT INFUSION
Cayenne A pinch to a tolerable amount
Chamomile 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Cleavers 3–5 Gm: 3x a day or as needed
Comfrey leaf 2–4 Gm: 2x a day (See discussion of Comfrey in Chapter Two.)
Dandelion leaf 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Elder flower & berry 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
Fennel, crushed seed 2–4 Gm: 3x a day
Ginger, dry 2–3 Gm: fresh a few slices
Ginkgo 2–4 Gm: 3x a day
Goldenseal leaf, dry 1–3 Gm: 3x a day
Hawthorn leaf, flower, & berry 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
Mugwort 2–3 Gm: 3x a day
Mullein leaf 3–5 Gm: to 4x a day
Nettle herb 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Oat spikelets and straw 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Peppermint 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Plantain 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
St. John’s Wort 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Saw Palmetto berries 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
Scullcap recently dried 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
Valerian 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
Yarrow 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
COLD INFUSION
Burdock root 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Chamomile 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Cleavers 3–5 Gm: 3x a day or as needed
Comfrey root 2–4 Gm: 3x a day (See discussion of Comfrey in Chapter Two.)
Crampbark 3–5 Gm: up to 4x a day
Marshmallow root 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Mugwort 2–3 Gm: 3x a day
Nettle root or whole herb 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
Peppermint 3–5 Gm: 3x a day
Uva Ursi 2–4 Gm: 3x a day
Slippery Elm* 2–5 Gm: 3x a day
*Slippery Elm has to be included in this section for it is such an important and commonly prepared cold infusion.
Decoctions are liquid preparations made by boiling either fresh or dehydrated herbal substances with water or other fluids. Along with infusions, decoctions are a standard method for preparing medicinal teas. Decoction is also the chief method used to extract herbal constituents for use as fomentations, syrups, and enemas.
Decoction, from the Latin decoquere, meaning to boil down or away, is normally reserved for herbs that will not yield their active virtues at a lower temperature and for situations in which no loss of