Infusions  Decoctions  Washes  Juices  Macerations  Inhalants  Syrups  Wines  Tinctures  Creams  Ointments  Infused Oils  Massage Oil  Compresses  Poultices

Infusions and Decoctions

Herbal Infusions
Herbal infusions, sometimes called tisanes, are made as you would make tea, except that the usual standard therapeutic dose is 25g/ 1 oz of dried herb to 1/2 litre/ 1 pint of water that is just off the boil rather than boiling vigorously. Infuse for ten minutes, then strain and drink the infusion in three equal wine glass or cup doses during the day. Infusions are used for the flowers and the leafy parts of plants. If using fresh herbs then triple the quantity (for example 75g/ 3oz instead of 25g/ 1 oz) to take account of the extra water content in the herb. If making individual cups, then you will generally need 1-2 tsp of dried herb per cup. The infusion should be stored in a covered jug or teapot in a cool place and used within 24 hours.

Decoctions
Decoctions are usually made with 25g/ 1oz of herbs to 3/4 litre/ 1 1/2 pints of cold water, brought to the boil and then simmered until the volume has been reduced by about one third. Drink three wine glass or cup doses during the day. For individual doses, use 1-2 tsp of herb per 1 1/2 cups water. Decoctions are used in the West for roots, barks, some berries, and the twiggy parts of plants. In China, decoctions, often called soups, are always used instead of infusions with as much as 100g/ 4 oz or more of dried herbs heated in 1/2 - 1 litre/ 1 - 1 3/4 pints of water. The decoction can be reduced to 250-500ml/ 1/2 - 1 pint by simmering then this concentrated mix can be given in drop dosages, either neat or diluted in water or fruit juice. Strong decoctions can be extremely bitter and unpleasant to taste and this can be a good way of persuading reluctant patients to drink them. Strong decoctions can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 48 hours, although if possible they should be freshly prepared each day.

Combining infusions and decoctions
Many herbal prescriptions use a mixture of the leafy parts of plants and the roots, so it is necessary to use a combination of infusion and decoction techniques to extract the healing components. You can make two separate brews and then combine them. Alternatively, decoct the roots or bark in 3/4 litre/ 1 1/2 pints of water and then pour this decoction onto the dried herbs and infuse for a further ten minutes before straining the entire mix as before.

Washes

Washes
Infusion or decoction can be used to bathe wound, sores, skin rashes, and ulcers, Use cotton wool to apply the wash, bathing from the centre of the wound or sore outwards, A plastic atomizer can be useful to spray rashes or varicose ulcers with the mixture. Sterile and well strained infusions and decoctions can also be used in eyebaths.

Maceration
Some herbs, such as valerian or marshmallow roots, are best macerated (soaked) in cold water rather than made into an infusion or decoction. Use the same proportions as for an infusion and simply leave the mixture in a cool place overnight. In the morning strain the mix and use as an infusion.

Juices
To prepare herb juices, pulp the plant in a domestic juicer or food processor, and then squeeze the mixture through a jelly bag to obtain the juice. Large quantities of herbs are needed (a 9 litre/ 2 gallon bucket full of fresh herbs may yield only 100ml/ 3 1//2 fl oz or less of juice). Juices need to be stored in a refrigerator and should be used within a week. Discard if there are any signs of fermentation.

Steam Inhalants
These are ideal for asthma, catarrh and sinusitis. Place the herb (usually 1 tbsp of dried herb is sufficient) in a mixing bowl and pour over about 1-2litres/ 1 3/4- 3 1/2 pints of boiling water. Cover your head with a towel, bend over the bowl, and inhale for as long as you can bear the heat, or until the mixture cools. Avoid going into a cold atmosphere for at least 30 minutes after the inhalation.

Syrups

Syrups
Sugar or honey can be used to preserve herbal infusions and decoctions; they are also ideal for cough remedies as the sweetness is soothing. Make a standard infusion or decoction (depending on the herb to be used) as described above. After straining the mixture, make a syrup by adding 1/2 litre/ 1 pint of liquid to 500g/ 1 lb of unrefined sugar or honey. Stir the mixture in a cast iron or stainless steel saucepan over heat until the sugar or honey is completely dissolved and the mixture forms a syrup. Allow to cool and then store in clean glass bottles with a cork. Don't use screw tops, syrups often ferment and screw tops can easily cause bottles to explode.

Tonic Wines
This is a delightful way to take your medicine and is especially suitable for roots such as gingeng. Ideally you need and old-fashioned vinegar vat, but a large jub (with a lid) or a rum pot can be used instead.
Put 500g/ 1lb of herb into the vat and add 2 litres/ 3 1/2 pints of good quality wine (preferably red) so that the herb is completely covered, otherwise it will go mouldy. Cover the vat and leave for at least two weeks. Vinegar vats have a tap at the bottom, making it easy to pour off a sherry glass of the liquid for a daily dose.
Top up the mixutre with more red wine to keep the herb covered. Replace the herb after two months.

Tinctures
A tincture is an aloholic extract of the active ingredients in a herb. It is made by soaking the dried or fresh plant material in a mixture of alcohol and water for two weeks and then straining the mix through a wine press or jelly bag.
Commercially produced tinctures are usually made from ethyl alcohol. In some countries this is readily available duty free, but in others, such as the United Kingdom, the supply is strictly controlled by Customs, so it is not always easy to get a hold of ethyl alcohol to make tictures at home. Although an alcohol can be used to make tinctures, NOT ALL ALCOHOLS ARE SAFE TO DRINK, so great care needs to be taken with home production. Methyl alcohol is EXTREMELY POISONOUS, and although some suggest using isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) for tincture making, this too can be VERY TOXIC. Glycerol, which has the benefit of being available from pharmacists quite cheaply, can be used, but the resulting tinctures are slightly slimy to the palette. However they may be well used for children, pregnant women, reformed alcoholics and those who avoid all alcoholic drinks.
The simplist source of alcohol for home tincture making is to use store bought wine and spirits - I personally use cheap vodka, as it contains no other flavourings.
Standard herbal tinctures usually contain 25 per cent alcohol i water (25ml/ 1 fl oz of pure alcohol with 75ml/ 3 fl oz water). This is a little weaker than most commercial spirits (usually 37.5% alcohol), so the vodka will need diluting slightly with water (I use 3/4 litre/ 1 1/2 pints vodka to 375ml/ 15 fl oz water) to make the required strength. Tinctures made from resinous plants such as rosemary are generally 45 per cent alcohol; and as it is difficult to obtain this strength at home, it is perhaps better to buy commercially available tinctures.
Standard tinctures are usually made in the weight:volume proportion 1:5 (1kg/ 2lb of herb to 5 litres/ 10 pints of alcohol/waterr mixture or 500g/ 1lb of herb to 2 1/2 litres/ 5 pints of liquid). For domestic use using 200g/ 8 oz of herb with 1 litre/ 2 1/2 pints of liquid is usually a sufficient quantity to make at one time. If using a fresh herb then you need to triple this quantity for the water content of the herb (600g/ 1 1/2lb of fresh herb to 1 litre/ 2 1/2 pints of liquid).
Put the herb into a large jar - such as an old fashioned sweet jar, or use a catering size mayo jar - and pour over with the alcohol/ water mixture. Store in a cool place for two weeks, shaking the mixture each day, then filter it through a wine press or use a jelly bag. Store the tincture in clean, dark glass containers. The herbal residue is an ideal addition to the compost heap.
Tinctures will generally last for two years or more without deterioration, although Ayurvedic medicine proposes that the tinctures increase in potency as they age.


Creams are a mixture of oils or fats and water whtich will be absorbed byt he skin, while ointments contain only oils or fats and so form a serarate layer over the skin.

Ointments
Ointments are sutiable where the skin is already weak or soft or where some protection is needed from additional moisture, as in nappy rash. Traditionally ointments were made using animal fats and the simplest method is to heat driend herbs in melted lard or Vaseline for a couple of hours, then strain the mix through a jelly bag or wine press and pour into small jars to set.

Creams
Creams can easily be made with an emulsifying ointment (available from most large pharmacists), which is a mixture of paraffin oils. This is blended with a proportion of water, glycerol and herbs to make a cream. Heating the dried herb in the mixture will extract its healing chemicals.
To make the cream use 300g/ 10oz of emulsifying ointment, 135 ml/ 4 1/2 fl oz of glycerol, 165 ml/ 5 1/2 fl oz of water and 60g/ 2 1/4 oz of dried herb.
Melt the emulsifying ointment over boiling water using a bowl or a double saucepan and then add the rest of the ingredients. Heat for about three hours, topping up the water in the lower pan to prevent it from boiling dry. Strain the mixture through a wine press, jelly bag or fine nylon sieve before it starts to cool, and then stir the cream constantly until it sets. Store in small clean, airtight plastic or glass jars.

You can substitute 300ml/ 10 fl oz of ready made herbal tincture for the water glycerol and dried herb mix, and melt the ointment, add the tincture, and continue heating and stirring for a few mintures to comine the two. Remove from the heat and stir the mix until it cools.
Cerams make this way will usually keep for several months, although their shelf life can be porlonged by storeing in a fredigerator or cool larder. This methiod is suitable or making creams of marigold, comfrey, chickweed. cleavers, lemon balm, chamomile, sage and melilot.

Infused Oils
Infused oils can be used for ointments or as massage oils and are an excellent and simple way of using herbs. There are two methods of infusing oil - hot infusion and cold infusion.
Hot Infusion
Heat 100g/ 4 oz of dried or 300g/ 12 oz of fresh herb in 1/2 litre/ 1 pint of sunflower or similar oil in a bouble saucepan for about three hours. Press out the oil through a muslin bag or whine press.
This method is suitable for making infused comfrey, chickweed, nettle and rosemary oils.
Cold Infusion
As the oil is not heated in this method, it is better to use a good quality seed oil that is rich in essential fatty acids, such as gamma-linolenic (GLA) or cis-linoleic acids, which have significant therapeutic properties.
Fill a large jar with dried herb and comletely cover with the oil. Leave the jar on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse for at least three wekks. During this time it will gradually change colour - for example St John's Wort oil is a rich red, marigold is orange. Strain the oil through a wine press or jelly bag and then, if possible, repeat the whole process using fresh herb and the once-infused oil, leaving the mix in a sunny place for a further two or three weeks - this makes a stronger oil. Finally, strain and store in clean, airtight bottles.
Infused oils will generally last for at least a year, often longer. This method is best for oils made from flowers or flowering tops, as in the examples above.
These infused oils can be thickened with beeswax and lanolin to make ointments and creams. For ointments, use 100ml/ 4 fl oz of infused ol, 25g/ 1 oz beeswax and 25g/ 1 oz of anhydrous lanolin (available from pharmacists). Melt the fats and warm the infused oil in a separate double boiler. Mix the two together and stir well. Pour into clean glass jars while still warm and allow to set.
To make a cream, use 100ml/ 4 oz of infused oil, 25g/ 1 oz of beeswax, 25g/ 1oz of anhydrous lanolin and 50ml/ 2 fl oz of herbal tincture. Melt the fats and oil in a double boiler and wawrm the tincture slightly. Combine the mixtures, stir well, and continue stirring until the mix cools and thickens. Store in clean glass jars.
Combination creams are easy to make using this method - try comfrey and rosemary for arthritic pain, chamomile and St John's Wort for inflammations and melilot and marigold for varicose eczema.

Massage Oils
Most essential oils can irritate the skin and are best diluted in a vegetable oil base. Almond or wheatgerm oils are often used, but sunflower oil or even basic vegetable oil used for cooking are also acceptable. Infused oils can be used of their own or as a base to which the essences are added.
Generally a 5 - 10 per cent solution of the essential oil in the basee is adequate. This means that you use 5 - 10ml/ 1 - 2 tsp of the essentila oil with 90 - 95ml/ 3 - 3 1/4 fl oz to make 100ml/ 4 fl oz of the mixture. As a guide, 1 ml is about 20 drops, so for 10ml/ 2 tsp of carrier oil you would need 10 - 20 drops of essential oil.
A little of the massage oil mixture should be applied directly to the skin and massaged in gently but thoroughly. For more localized problems, such as the muscles and joints in rheumatism, you should concentrate the massage on the affected area. Chest rubs should obviously be focused on the thorax, while relaxing or tonic mixtures can be used in whole body massage.

Compresses
Compresses help to speed up the healing process, as with wounds or muscle injuries. They are basically bloth pads soaked in herbal extracts and usually applied when hot to painful limbs, swellings and strains. Use a clean piece of cotton, cotton wool, linen or surgical gauze soaked in a hot strained inusion, decoctoin or tincture (dilute 10ml/ 2 tsp with 100ml/ 4 fl oz of hot water) and apply to the affected area. When the compress cools, repeat the process using a fresh, hot mixture. Hot comresses can also be used to help draw pus from boils, or abscesses. Occasionally a cold compress my be used, for example, with some types of headaches when a cool pad soaked in lavender infusion may be suitable.

Poultices
Poultices have a very similar action to compresses, but they involve applying the whole herb directly to an afffected area rather than using a liquid extract. Poulticing was a favourite household remedy in days gone by, with bread or mashed potato used as the carrying mixture for a herbal infusion or oil. Like compresses, hot poultices can be used for swellings, sprains, or to draw pus or splinters, but cold pastes and poultices can also be useful, as with comfrey root applied to varicose ulcers. A much simpler method of poulticing than soaking bread or potato in a herbal infusion is to sweat the herb in a saucepan with very little water, then strain it and spread the mixture onto gauze and apply this to the affected area. Hold the poultice in place with a plaster or loose bandage.
Powdered herbs can also beused to make poultices: all you have to do is mix the powder with a little hot water to form a paste and then spread directly on the affected area or on to gauze as before.
If you are applying poultices directly to the skin, you should grease the skin first with a little vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking.
When you use a hot poultice, make sure to renew it each time it cools.



Adapted from "Simple Healing With Herbs" by Penelope Ody