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Basic Guide to Medicinal Herb Preparations

The easiest way to prepare medicinal herbs is to make an infusion or decoction, which is just adding your medicinal herbs to water. If you would like to explore more involved ways to make medicine, there are other techniques listed below. Enjoy!

  • Tea aka Infusion (fresh or dried) – best for leafy, aerial parts of medicinal herbs

    Hot/Fresh herbs
    1. Cover a handful of fresh leaves and/flowers with cool water and slowly bring to a simmer.
    2. Turn off heat and steep covered for 10-30 minutes.
    Hot/Dried herbs
    1. Add 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces of hot water.
    2. Steep covered for 5 -15 minutes
    Cold Infusion – good for herbs like Marshmallow!
    1. Fill a cup or jar ¼ full of cleaned, chopped Marshmallow roots
    2. Fill container with room temperature water and cover.
    3. Let sit for at least 4 hrs., ideally overnight. The color of the water should change slightly.
    4. Strain. For Marshmallow, the liquid with be thicker and viscous. You can add to juice or smoothies if the texture is unpleasant for you.

  • A simmered tea best used for hard roots, barks and seeds of medicinal plants

    1. Add about a handful (4-6 tablespoons) of fresh or dried roots to a quart of water in a saucepan.
    2. Cover and slowly bring the water to a low boil for at least 30 minutes.
    3. Let steep for an additional 15 – 20 minutes.
    4. Strain and enjoy hot or cold.
    *If you are making a larger quantity of a decoction, you can place cooled decoction in ice cube trays to have over a longer period of time. As you are ready, pop a medicinal ice cube out and put into a cup of boiling water to enjoy as a tea. You can also pop medicinal ice cubes in soups, broths and stocks.

  • Extract made with alcohol – best made with at least 80 proof alcohol, I like to use organic vodka because the taste from vodka is minimal

    1. Chop the fresh herb or grind up the dried herb.
    2. Fill a glass jar, label with the herb name and date.
    3. Add alcohol to cover the herbs. You may have to add a little more alcohol later as the herb absorbs the alcohol.
    4. Screw on lid. If you are using a metal lid, I recommend putting a layer or wax or parchment paper over the jar, then screw the metal lid on. Alcohol tends to corrode metal when in direct contact.
    5.Put the jar in a dark, cool place that you won’t forget about. Try to shake once a day if you remember, no worries if you don’t!
    6. After at least 3 weeks, strain the contents of the jar through several layers of cheesecloth into a clean container. Squeeze thoroughly to express as much liquid as possible.
    7. Allow the liquid to settle in a clean jar for several hours/overnight.
    8. Decant the clear liquid through a filter paper or coffee filter.
    9. Store in a container that is labeled with the date and name of the herb. Woohoo! You made a tincture!!
    *If you can not have alcohol, you can make a glycerite – an alcohol-free tincture. Replace the alcohol with organic, food grade vegetable glycerin and follow steps 1-6 as above. I love making glycerite with fresh holy basil/tulsi –so yummy and one even children will enjoy!

  • Most fresh, soft-fleshed roots can be made into this delicious honey preparation. This includes elecampane and even marshmallow!

    1. Clean and wash roots. You can peel some roots if necessary (elecampane often benefits from peeling).
    2. Thinly slice and put into a single layer of a saucepan.
    3. Just cover the root with honey.
    4. Bring the honey to a simmer on low and keep there for a few minutes. You will see the honey begin to froth around the roots.
    5. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
    6. Return to heat and repeat steps 4-5 several times until the roots are cooked and infused with honey.
    7. Store this in the fridge and eat both the honey and roots as you’d like. Great to add to tea also!

  • Great for dried herbs like calendula!

    Medicinal Oils – Great for dried herbs like calendula!
    1. Fill a clean container or mason jar about 2/3 full with the dried herb.
    2. Cover the plant material with the oil of your choosing. I use organic extra virgin olive oil. You can use many other oils including coconut oil or sweet almond oil.
    3. Cover with a lid.
    4. Place container on warm, sunny windowsill and try to shake the jar once a day if you can.
    3. Allow to sit for at least 3 weeks – 4 weeks is ideal!
    4. Strain the herbs out using cheesecloth.
    5. Pour oil in clean, glass bottle and store in a dark, cool place. This oil can be used to make salve.

  • Medicinal oils mixed with beeswax (about 1 ounces of beeswax per 4 ounces of medicinal oil)

    1. Place beeswax in a double boiler and gently warm over low heat until the beeswax melts.
    2. Add herbal oil and stir well over low heat. Allow the oil and beeswax to be well-mixed.
    3. Remove from heat and quickly pour into clean container of your choice.
    * If you would like a softer or harder salve, alter the amount of beeswax. More beeswax makes a harder salve, less = softer

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