Tuesday, January 15, 2008

How to Make a Herbal Infusion From Roots and Barks

Introduction

Folk medicine has long used herbs found in the countryside or grown in the garden to treat various maladies. Herbalists use herbs, leaves, stems, bark and roots to treat various conditions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

  • 1-quart glass jar
  • Mortar and pestle

Steps

1

Step One

Sterilize a 1-quart glass Mason jar with lid. Wash the jar and then rinse it in boiling water and allow to air dry until cool. Keeping the jar sterile until use will prevent any unwanted contaminants from finding their way into the herbal infusion.
2

Step Two

Take the bark or root of the herb that will form the infusion and place it in a mortar. Grind it into a powder with the pestle. The larger the surface area of the herb, the greater the transfer of important compounds will be into the water.
3

Step Three

Pour the powdered herb, then pour boiling water into the Mason jar to the rim. Firmly seal the lid on the jar. The temperature and pressure that will build inside the jar will pull the compounds out of the root or bark powder.
4

Step Four

Allow the jar to cool and drink one cup of the mixture 2 to 3 times a day. Do not keep the infusion overnight. It is best to make the infusion fresh daily to maintain the potency of the remedy.

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