There are different ways to use your dried or fresh herbs in healing.
- Tea is the most common way of turning herbs into medicine. Medicinal teas taste much stronger than normal herbal teas — commercial herbal teas contain about a seventh of the amount of herbs in a medicinal tea. Steep one ounce of dried leaves, flowers, and/or stems in one pint of boiling water. If you’ll be using fresh herbs to make tea, use twice as much — two ounces of fresh herbs in one pint of boiling water. Always use pure water in your tea!
- An infusion is tea brewed for a longer time. The herbs may be steeped for as little as fifteen minutes or as long as several hours. Infusions are generally made in greater quantities and kept in a bottle for use over several days. Store your infusion in a glass or ceramic container. Always use pure water in your infusion! Strain the infusion before storing.
- A decoction is similar to tea, but uses coarse plant parts like bark, roots, and heavy stems. Simmer the coarse material in pure water for up to an hour and strain before drinking.
- Syrups can soothe sore throats and relieve coughs. Make an herbal syrup by boiling two ounces of a dried herb in a quart of water. Once the water is reduced to one pint, add two tablespoons of honey. Store your herbal syrup in the refrigerator for up to one month.
- Compresses, poultices, and plasters are a way to use herbs outside the body. Hot and spicy herbs (like mustard, pepper, and ginger) or cool herbs (like aloe, slippery elm, and comfrey) can be applied to the skin to relieve swelling, tension, congestion, aches, and more. Compresses are made by soaking a towel in a hot herbal tea. Wring out the towel completely and apply to the affected area. Leave the compress on until it loses heat, then replace it with another towel. Repeat for up to thirty minutes. Poultices are made by mixing dried or powdered herbs with hot water and oatmeal or flour to make a paste. The mass is put directly on the skin and covered with a towel. Do not use very hot, irritating herbs in poultices, as they can burn the skin. A plaster is an herb paste set between layers of cloth and applied to the injured area.
- Oils and ointments are easy to make at home. Add two ounces of dried, powdered herb to a pint of vegetable oil and let it sit in a warm place for several days. Strain the oil into a bottle. You can also speed up the process by warming herbs and oil over low heat for an hour, then straining and bottling the mixture. Want a thicker cream or ointment? Add an ounce of melted beeswax to the herbal oil.
- Tinctures are made by mixing powdered or finely cut herbs with alcohol. Use four ounces of herb for one pint of spirits (like brandy, vodka, or gin — never rubbing alcohol). Shake several times a day over two weeks to mix. Strain and bottle for storage.
- Herbal baths are gentle and safe. A warm bath will help relax the sick person; the herbs will help ease symptoms.