Herbal Lesson 04

Types of Herbal Preparations
Daniel B - Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Here are the Different Kinds of Herbal Preparations Explained.

When you enter into the world of medicinal herbs it is easy to get overwhelmed and confused by all the different kinds of preparations. To help you understand what they mean, here is a list explaining how some of the most popular herbal preparations are made and used.

TEA or TISANE

Teas are probably the most well-known herbal preparation in the world. Herbalists often call herbal teas TISANNE to distinguish from those made from CHAI or Chinese Tea. To make a cup of tea, Use 1 teaspoon of the powdered herb. Bring 1 cup of water to boiling. Remove the heat. Add the herb. Cover and steep for 10 minutes.Teas are a very mild form of herbal administration, and can be enjoyed regularly as a beverage.

INFUSION

A tea made of the leaves and blossoms. Use 1 teaspoon of the powdered herb. Bring 1 cup of water to boiling. Remove the heat. Add the herb. Cover and steep for 10 minutes.

DECOCTION

A tea made of the roots and bark. Use 1 tablespoon of the cut herb or 1 teaspoon of the powdered herb. Gently boil in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.

COLD INFUSION

Of all the water preparations, cold infusions take the longest to prepare. To make a cold infusion, 1/2 jar of herbs are covered and submerged in unheated water for 24 or 48 hours. Because no heat is added to draw the herbal constituents out, these preparations are usually milder than teas.

COLD HERBAL INFUSED OILS

This is an extraction of the Herb in an unheated oil base. Fill a pint jar 1/2 way with 1 Cup of dried herbs then fill the jar to the pint line. Close tightly and shake and again daily every day for 3 to 6 weeks. Open the jar each time and smell to see if it has become rancid. At the end of that time, pour into cheesecloth or muslin and hand squeeze into amber jars or store your clear jars in a dark cupboard. It is ready to use.

COMPRESS

Compresses are also used topically on wounded skin. Compresses are made by infusing or decocting fresh or dried herbs, soaking cloth in the warm liquid extract, and then applying the wet cloth to the affected area for up to an hour.

SALVES AND OINTMENTS

Salves are made by decocting herbs in oils, straining the physical herbs out, then adding beeswax to the herbal oil and letting the mixture cool. Salves are used as lip balms or healing ointments on wounded skin.

HOT HERBAL INFUSED OILS

This is an extraction of the Herb in a heated oil base. This works better for herbal parts that need to be decocted like dried roots, bark, twigs or nuts. Place the ground or powdered herb in the top of a double boiler. Cover with the herbal oil of your choice.. Olive oil is a good one or almond oil. Cook on low heat for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Pour into cheesecloth and extract the oil with mechanical pressure from the mixture, and bottle in dark glass bottles. NOTE a hand potato ricer makes a good home press.. put herbs in the cheesecloth and the whole ball cloth and all into the potato ricer and use the handles to squeeze it out.

POULTICE (there are two types)

A Poultice is a moist hot herbal pack applied locally. If using fresh herbs crush and bruise it. The powdered herb maybe used also as in making a mustard plaster. Mix with pure water or other liquid to form a thick paste. Spread on a clean cloth and cover the affected area. Leave on for several hours. Always use a fresh poultice, never re-heat to us one over.

TWO COMMON POULTICES

FRESH: Crush the fresh herbs and mix with enough water to make a thick paste and apply to the affected area. Put cloth over the wound and change as it dries out. (Plastic may be used to hold moisture in)

DRIED: Mix herb with cornmeal, slippery elm, or flaxseed. Add enough boiling water to hold together. Spread on a clean cloth and cover the affected area. Cover and use plastic to hold in moisture.

 FOMENTATION

A cloth wrung out of a hot infusion or decoction and applied to the affected area. This is usually not as effective as a poultice.

TINCTURE

A tincture is an extraction of herbs in vinegar, alcohol or glycerin. To make a tincture, fill a pint jar halfway with 1 cup of dried chopped herbs,then fill with Ethyl Alcohol to the 1 pint line. Make sure the herbs are submerged and shake the mixture once or twice a day for 14 days. The resulting strained and lightly squeezed mixture is your tincture.

EXTRACT

An extract is basically a Tincture to which mechanical force is applied to further extract the herbal constituents. It may be blending and then pressing or only pressing in a mechanical press. Often it is used with decoctions or hot infusions as heat provides some extraction force. In any case the resulting mixture is your extract. Pure herbal extracts from the spice aisle may be used medicinally. NOTE a hand potato ricer makes a good home press.. put herbs in the cheesecloth and the whole ball cloth and all into the potato ricer and use the handles to squeeze it out.

CORDIALS AND HERBAL WINES

A cordial or herbal wine is similar to a tincture but generally the herbs are infused in brandy (for a cordial) or wine, rather than the more highly-alcoholic liquors most-often used for tinctures. This means the constituent extraction may be less profound than in a tincture. However, these preparations are meant to be tasty, and are therefore often enjoyed regardless of their medicinal properties.

GRANULE

Granules are most commonly found in modern Chinese medicine practices. They are produced by dehydrating herbal decoctions into concentrated granulated forms. Tablespoons of the granules are then added to the water when they are to be consumed. This method is prescribed by practitioners of Chinese medicine to make Chinese formulas less arduous for the lay person.

ESSENTIAL OIL (Difficult to Make we buy these)

Not the same as an infused oil. An essential oil is obtained through a distillation process that leads to a highly concentrated herbal extraction. Essential oils are so strong that they are mainly used for external aromatherapy purposes in drop doses. Very rarely are they used internally.

FLOWER ESSENCE (Aromatherapy)

Here other herbal preparations can have clear physiological effects based on material constituents, flower essences elicit an energetic reaction similar to homeopathy. With the belief that energy guides matter, flower essences may have physical effects, but their focus is generally on the emotions.Flower essences begin with a plant infusion, generally placed in direct sunlight. After a certain amount of time the plant parts are removed, and the liquid essence is preserved with brandy. Because they act on the energetic body, flower essences are taken in drop doses.

PILL (Pillule)

An herbal pill is generally made by combining powdered herbs with honey or dates and rolling the combination into small pills. Pills can then be dehydrated or kept in the refrigerator and enjoyed as needed. They can be made like Doc Adams did in the TV series Gunsmoke.. combine herbal ingredients with cornstarch and moisten and roll out into thick spaghetti like strand and cut into even pill sizes of about 1/8 inch. There were pill rollers/cutters for that purpose back then.

LOZENGE

A throat lozenge (cough drop, troche, cachou, or cough sweet) is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs and lubricate and soothe irritated tissues of the throat (usually due to a sore throat), possibly from the common cold, cold or influenza. Cough tablets have taken the name lozenge, based on their original shape, a diamond. They are made similar to most hard candies and a recipe will be shown.

SUPPOSITORY Suppositories are a form of rectal or vaginal herbal application, generally in pill form.

SITZ BATHS AND SOAKS

Sitz baths and soaks generally use herbal teas, decoctions, or essential oils to immerse the skin and achieve desired therapeutic effects. Sitz baths are specifically for the hips and legs, whereas an herbal soak can involve any part of the body. They may be preparations of BATH SALTS which sometimes fizz or make some other action when added to the bath.

 IN THIS COURSE You will learn how to make each type of herbal preparation. It is Important to note that the same type of preparation can be made using different herbs as ingredients. Most lessons will share a free video of making the preparation so you can get some DIY “Hands On". WE WILL INCLUDE making herbal Capsules and Lip Balm although these depend on the added mechanism and containers for your preparation.

© Copyright 2018 by Daniel Blankley. All rights reserved.