Posts Tagged ‘Herbal’
Using Your Fresh Herbs In Infusions, Herbal Teas, or Decoctions As An Herbal Medicine.
Recently it has been shown that high herbal tea and quality teas have many health benefits, especially Black and Green Tea. With all the news on Black and Green Tea lately, you may be considering adding it to your daily diet regime. If that is so, only use the best quality and freshest tea available for the maximum health benefits. Also consider the health benefits of herbal teas using fresh herbs. Think of these as herbal medicine.
Millions of people all of the world have been drinking tea and infusions for centuries specifically for herbal medicine. In America, it has been considered a cheap convenient drink for soothing the soul and stimulating the senses. Yet there is a far more important reason that people drink tea more than any other beverage: the tea leaf has potent health-enhancing powers. The Japanese have known this for thousands of years and the modern West is just catching up to the remarkable health benefits of drinking tea.
To make a tea or infusion you must steep the fresh herb in boiling water. Many think of teas and infusions as the same, but there is a slight difference.
When making teas or herbal teas you are brewing it and you don’t leave it steeping for very long. An easy way to brew it is to place the tea bag or fresh herbs into a measuring cup with 8 ounces of water. Microwave for two minutes and you have a cup of tea. Fresh herbs make a marvelous cup of tea and are considered essential in herbal medicine.
Infusions on the other hand stay in the boiling water longer, anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes. Obviously the longer the fresh herbs steep the stronger the brew will become and it will become a more potent herbal medicine. Infusions should be used immediately after brewing to reap the most out of this herbal medicine, especially when using fresh herbs. Rule of thumb is to use 1-2 teaspoons of dried, crushed, or powdered herbs. If you want to get the most out of this herbal medicine use fresh herbs and double the amount to steep. After the steeping time your infusion will be at room temperature. It is okay to warm it back up if you prefer it hot.
Infusions can be therapeutic as well as being considered herbal medicine. While your infusion is steeping bend over the container and breathe in the steam. This will act as a decongestion when you are suffering from colds or allergies. Close your eyes, try to envision this herbal medicine as attacking the germs in your system. Visualizing the fresh herb infusions attacking the malady will help to fight illnesses quite well, according to some published studies. It is like the grounding technique used in yoga. Here again, fresh herbs make the best infusions in herbal medicine.
There is a problem with infusions as they tend to be quite bitter. And of course, if you can’t drink the infusion then it will not be an advantageous herbal medicine. To make it taste better try adding honey or sugar. If you still can’t get it down, try a different infusion. There are many different fresh herbs to try when brewing your herbal medicine.
Decoctions are a different story as they don’t use strictly fresh herbs. Here you would use the dried roots, flowers seeds and barks for their medicinal purposes, not fresh herbs. To get the most from your mixture heat will be used since it is more difficult to extract their active chemicals. Start by boiling the roots and allow them a good head start. Next add the bark, the seeds, the flowers and any spices in that order. Allow a few minutes of simmering after each addition. Then simmer the herbal medicine slowly for 10 to 20 minutes.
Now you have another use for your fresh herbs. This gives you yet another excuse to plant a beautiful herb garden
Happy Healthy Gardening!
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Using Your Fresh Herbs In Infusions, Herbal Teas, or Decoctions As An Herbal Medicine
Recently it has been shown that high herbal tea and quality teas have many health benefits, especially Black and Green Tea. With all the news on Black and Green Tea lately, you may be considering adding it to your daily diet regime. If that is so, only use the best quality and freshest tea available for the maximum health benefits. Also consider the health benefits of herbal teas using fresh herbs. Think of these as herbal medicine.
Millions of people all of the world have been drinking tea and infusions for centuries specifically for herbal medicine. In America, it has been considered a cheap convenient drink for soothing the soul and stimulating the senses. Yet there is a far more important reason that people drink tea more than any other beverage: the tea leaf has potent health-enhancing powers. The Japanese have known this for thousands of years and the modern West is just catching up to the remarkable health benefits of drinking tea.
To make a tea or infusion you must steep the fresh herb in boiling water. Many think of teas and infusions as the same, but there is a slight difference.
When making teas or herbal teas you are brewing it and you don’t leave it steeping for very long. An easy way to brew it is to place the tea bag or fresh herbs into a measuring cup with 8 ounces of water. Microwave for two minutes and you have a cup of tea. Fresh herbs make a marvelous cup of tea and are considered essential in herbal medicine.
Infusions on the other hand stay in the boiling water longer, anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes. Obviously the longer the fresh herbs steep the stronger the brew will become and it will become a more potent herbal medicine. Infusions should be used immediately after brewing to reap the most out of this herbal medicine, especially when using fresh herbs. Rule of thumb is to use 1-2 teaspoons of dried, crushed, or powdered herbs. If you want to get the most out of this herbal medicine use fresh herbs and double the amount to steep. After the steeping time your infusion will be at room temperature. It is okay to warm it back up if you prefer it hot.
Infusions can be therapeutic as well as being considered herbal medicine. While your infusion is steeping bend over the container and breathe in the steam. This will act as a decongestion when you are suffering from colds or allergies. Close your eyes, try to envision this herbal medicine as attacking the germs in your system. Visualizing the fresh herb infusions attacking the malady will help to fight illnesses quite well, according to some published studies. It is like the grounding technique used in yoga. Here again, fresh herbs make the best infusions in herbal medicine.
There is a problem with infusions as they tend to be quite bitter. And of course, if you can’t drink the infusion then it will not be an advantageous herbal medicine. To make it taste better try adding honey or sugar. If you still can’t get it down, try a different infusion. There are many different fresh herbs to try when brewing your herbal medicine.
Decoctions are a different story as they don’t use strictly fresh herbs. Here you would use the dried roots, flowers seeds and barks for their medicinal purposes, not fresh herbs. To get the most from your mixture heat will be used since it is more difficult to extract their active chemicals. Start by boiling the roots and allow them a good head start. Next add the bark, the seeds, the flowers and any spices in that order. Allow a few minutes of simmering after each addition. Then simmer the herbal medicine slowly for 10 to 20 minutes.
Now you have another use for your fresh herbs. This gives you yet another excuse to plant a beautiful herb garden
Happy Healthy Gardening!
Brewing the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea
There is nothing quite as good as the taste of teas made with fresh picked herbs. However, many herbs may not be available fresh, either because of the season or their growing environment. A perfect cup of tea can still be brewed with quality dried herbs.
Although numerous gadgets exist for tea making, all that is really required is a pot or kettle to boil water in, a teapot or glass canning jar for steeping, and a strainer. It is important to use a glass, porcelain, or glazed earthenware pot for brewing as some metals can react with the herbs. Always warm the teapot or jar to prevent the tea from cooling off too quickly and to prevent the container from breaking. Many types of strainers and tea balls are available but you might want to just use the herbs loose to allow the herbs to float and move around during brewing. If you prefer a tea ball, use a large one. The tea can be strained after brewing with a stainless steel kitchen strainer.
Because herbal teas can be brewed from leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers; alone or in combination, a couple of brewing techniques need to be acquired.
Teas made from the leaves or flowers are infused to protect the more delicate oils from evaporating. To make an infusion, place the herbs in the warmed teapot or canning jar, pour gently boiling water over the herbs, cover to prevent evaporation, steep for 10 – 15 minutes, and strain. In general, use one teaspoon of dried or 3 teaspoons of fresh, bruised herb per cup of water.
Teas made from the roots, bark or seeds are decocted to release their properties. A decoction requires the roots or bark to be cut into small pieces and the seeds to be bruised with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. Place 1/2 to one ounce of herb into a pot with one pint (2 cups) of cold water, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, simmer gently for 10 – 20 minutes, and strain. Teas made with stronger spices such as ginger, clove or cinnamon will need to be adjusted for personal tastes.
To make a tea with both roots/bark/seeds and leaves/flowers follow the directions for making a decoction using just the roots, bark or seeds. Pour the strained decoction over the leaves or flowers and infuse as above.
Herbal iced teas follow the same procedures as above but should be brewed double-strength. After straining, chill for 30 minutes and pour over a glass full of ice. Most herbal teas are delicate enough that sweetening is not necessary but sugar or preferably local honey can be added. There are also naturally sweet herbs that can be added to the teas such as licorice root and stevia (up to 250 times sweeter than sugar! All natural with just a pinch required to sweeten a whole pot of tea).
Unused tea should be refrigerated and used within 24 hours of brewing.
A wonderful supplier of organic and wildcrafted herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs.
Natural Organic Herbal Jasmine Green Tea 1 lb. Caffeine Free
Product Description
This is a rich Jasmine Blossom green tea is blended with Organic Rooibos Green tea and is full of Polyphenols and antioxidants. This 1 lb package makes 96 delicious cups of tea.
Buy Natural Organic Herbal Jasmine Green Tea 1 lb. Caffeine Free at Amazon
Buy Natural Organic Herbal Jasmine Green Tea 1 lb. Caffeine Free at Amazon
Chamomile Herbal Tea 20 Pyramid Infuser Bags
Product Description
Whole dried Chamomile flowers with a high component of flavor oils. Yields a light yellow cup. NO CAFFEINE.
Buy Chamomile Herbal Tea 20 Pyramid Infuser Bags at Amazon
Buy Chamomile Herbal Tea 20 Pyramid Infuser Bags at Amazon
