How-To Guide


There are so many ways that herbs can be used. The following is a short guide to help explain some quick and easy methods to use plants and herbs not only outlined in this course, but overall.


What are the best way to consume herbs: tinctures, capsules,

or infusions?

“The best form to take herbal medicine really depends on the herb. Some of our herbal constituents, the chemical makeup of the plant that delivers the health benefits, are best extracted in alcohol, glycerine, water, or oil.  I often find tinctures, alcohol extracted preparations, are the easiest for my patients to take for compliance, as there is no preparation required to consume. However with tinctures, some individuals find the alcohol difficult to take or are unable to consume alcohol. Tea infusions I personally find has the least compliance with taking  regularly everyday as the patient needs to prepare the medicine. I also like giving capsules, however only 2-3 herbs can go into the capsule itself, so for many of my patients that are on 10 herbs, taking 9 capsules 3x/day is not very agreeable to them. Additionally, with capsules as it is just dried herb the individual needs to extract out the medicine, therefore they need to have a good digestion system to break down the capsule and herb and absorb the medicine into their system.” Krista Poulton

Just a personal note, I personally prefer glycerine tinctures over alcohol. I feels much gentler on my body and better absorbed. However, glycerine tinctures are much harder to find. The brand, Soria Natural, based in Spain is completely glycerine based. Not affiliated in any way. I’ve used their products for years and really enjoy them.

 

Water •Always use spring or filtered water. If chlorinated water has to be used, boil it for 10 minutes before using.

Infusion •One of the best and easiest way to take an herbal remedy is by consuming an infusion. You’ll need a glass jar that holds up to 4 cups or 1 litre, a tight lid, a non aluminum pan to boil the water in, and the dried herb(s). By steeping herbs for a longer periods of time, you’re able to extract more minerals, phytonutrients and medicinal factors that otherwise extract poorly in teas and tinctures.

  • The general rule is 1tsp of dried herb for one cup of hot water.

Leaf infusion •(ie. Nettle, violet, mugwort, etc) . Use 1 oz of dried herb in a litre jar and fill the jar to the top with boiling water. Put the lid on and let it steep for at least 4 hours. Make your infusion before going to bed and let it steep overnight. Strain the herbs out and give them back to the earth. This infusion can be stored for a day or two in the fridge.

  • Can be drunk hot, cold with sweetener or salt.

Root or Bark Infusion • Put 2 ounces of dried root in a jar and fill with boiling water. Put lid on and let it steep for 8 hours.( ie. burdock, dandelion root, pau d’arco)

Flower Infusion • Follow the same procedure for the leaf infusion (i.e. red clover blossoms )

Seed infusion• Pour a cup of boiling water over a tablespoon of seeds . Cover and steep for no more than 30 min (i.e Burdock seeds)

Poultice •Brings the healing properties directly  into contact with the problem area.  This helps to increase circulation of bloodl, lymph and fluids into and out of a local area. Poultices can dissolve lumps,  decrease inflammation, check infection, stop or slow the growth of abnormal cells. 

Fresh plant poultice • Grate, chop, grind, chew or cook fresh plant material until the juices flow. Save those juicing leftovers!  Apply the wet herbs directly to the skin and cover with a close figure bandage. You can repeat several times using fresh plant material. You can create variations mixing the herbs with infused herbal oil, powdered clay, slippery elm or honey. (ie. cabbage, comfrey leaf, dandelion flowers/leaves, poke root, potato, violet leaves.

Dried Plant Poultice•For example violet comfrey, ginger. Infuse dried plant material overnight. In the morning, reheat the infusion then strain the herbs out of the liquid, keeping both, Apply the hot plant material directly (poultice). Or wrap in a cloth and apply (compress). Or soak a cloth in the liquid and apply that (fomentation).

Fomentation •This entails using strips of cloth that are soaked in a liquid herbal extract such as a tea and place over the affected area on the skin. A piece of plastic or waxed paper covers this and is held in place with a bandage for a period of time.

Tip • Combine internal and external use of remedies to increase healing powers.