Physicist and astronomer Stefan Feeney of University College London, one of the...
Despite the significant development of technologies in the creation of synthetic drugs, modern traditional medicine still does not stop using more than 3,000 drugs based on herbal raw materials. This is due to the complex effect of herbal medicine on the human body, prolonged lasting effect of its use and high biological activity. No less effective analogues of herbal preparations used in pharmaceuticals can be created at home, without forgetting the rules of preparation, dosage and storage.
How to choose a cooking method depending on the raw materials
The method of processing medicinal raw materials depends on its shape and composition. From herbs, leaves, flowers, it is better to prepare infusions. An exception can only be plants containing essential oils, which disappear with prolonged infusion. These include pine, eucalyptus, cumin, fennel, peppermint, valerian, oregano, wild rosemary and others.
Bark, roots, fruits, tough stems and leaves (eucalyptus, bearberry) are more effective in the form of decoctions.
Plants with a large amount of tannins (conifers, oak, eucalyptus, dogwood) are best cooked in water slightly acidified with citric acid or apple cider vinegar. Under the influence of an acidic environment, the sparingly soluble alkaloids in this raw material turn into a readily soluble form.
Alcohol extracts are possible from any medicinal plant. They are more durable and easier to use than other forms of raw material processing. The alcohol component not only enhances the healing properties of plants, but also extracts useful substances from them to the maximum in the form in which they are best absorbed by the body.
How to prepare infusions and decoctions of herbs
For faster preparation, the infusion is prepared on the basis of hot water. The herb or leaves should be brewed like a tea. You can not take steep boiling water, which can destroy all the beneficial substances in plants. Boiled water withstand 5 minutes, so that its temperature becomes approximately 90-95 degrees. Then pour raw materials in the proportion of 1 tsp. to a glass of liquid. Cover tightly with a lid, leave for 20-30 minutes. For fruits and roots, this time increases by 3-4 times. The infusion is ready for use after straining. In a drink that is too bitter, you can add a teaspoon of honey, but only when it has cooled.
To prepare a cold infusion, pour raw materials with boiled water cooled to room temperature in a ratio of 1:10. Insist 10-12 hours. After filtering, store the medicinal liquid tightly closed in the refrigerator. Use no longer than 3 days, warming up the required amount to a pleasant temperature for drinking before taking. Cold infusions are prepared from plants that have milky juice (celandine, dandelion, spurge) or from those parts of them whose beneficial substances decompose at high temperatures (marigold flowers).
For decoctions, plants or parts thereof that have a more rigid structure (roots, bark) and do not contain volatile medicinal components (essential oils) are suitable. To prepare a decoction, mix the crushed vegetable raw materials with water in a ratio of 1:10, boil in a water bath for at least half an hour. Strain the finished broth while hot, bring boiled water to the desired volume of liquid.
Water infusions and decoctions are the easiest way to prepare medicines at home. But they are also the most perishable. They can be stored in a cool place for no more than three days, but it is better to prepare the daily volume every morning. It is important to use the correct water during cooking. For these purposes, tap water, saturated with a large amount of chemicals, is not suitable. For wrapping, you can make infusions and decoctions on melted or rain water; for ingestion, it is advisable to take purified purchased water.
Video: Herbalist's recommendations on the choice of herbs and the preparation of infusions, decoctions
Herbal tinctures (tinctures) and balms
Tincture in Latin means "extraction from raw materials with the help of alcohol or vodka." To prepare the tincture, you can take dry or fresh raw materials, the alcohol content in the alcohol component should be in the range of 40-70 degrees. At a higher concentration of alcohol, many useful substances are not extracted from plants and substances that are not desirable for use are often extracted.
Pour the crushed herbal mixture with the required amount of alcohol-containing liquid in the proportion of 100 grams per liter. The tincture is usually infused in a warm, protected from direct sunlight place for at least a week. Strain the finished infusion, take it orally 2-3 times a day in doses not exceeding a teaspoon at a time. It is used most often in cases where the preparation of teas is not possible or there is no time for it. The advantage of a tincture over dry herbs is that it has an unlimited shelf life.
If you make a tincture on several types of plants, you will get a thicker and more saturated concentration. This liquid is called a balm. It is more effective than a regular tincture as its medicinal properties target several problems. Just do not get carried away with a variety of components. It is advisable to mix no more than five types of plants.
How to prepare extracts
Preparing a herbal extract is a very time consuming process, but the end result is a more effective concentrated remedy that, depending on the degree of dilution, can be taken daily or created a stress dose for the body to accelerate its natural recovery processes. From a kilogram of raw materials, the final result is no more than 300 grams of extract. Properly prepared extract has the aroma and taste of the original plant.
Dry or raw raw materials are thoroughly crushed, placed in a liquid, on the basis of which an extract will be made. It can be water, alcohol-containing liquids or oils. Depending on the purpose of the extract, the oil is suitable for both food intake (sunflower, corn, olive) and base oil for external use (wheat germ, almond oil).
Evaporate the mixture in a water bath: with liquid components (water, alcohol) until the volume is reduced by half, with oil components - at least an hour. Strain the finished extract through cheesecloth folded in several layers, pour into bottles with dark glass and cork tightly. The shelf life depends on the raw materials: in the absence of mucus-containing components, up to a year in a cold, dark place.
There are several degrees of concentration of extracts - from the consistency of fresh honey to thicker, which does not independently flow out of the vessel when turned over. The concentration does not affect the quality of the final product, but is merely the result of the degree of "evaporation" of the raw material. In the first case, its initial volume is reduced by only two times, in the latter - by 4-8 times. There are dry extracts obtained by drying raw materials to the state of a sponge, which turns into powder after drying.
Hello dear readers!
We use infusions and decoctions in everyday life at every step:
women for facial skin care recipes, for sore throats or herbs for baby baths, and is an integral part of most health recipes.
It is not difficult to prepare an infusion and a decoction, but the preparation methods are different.
So, how are decoctions and infusions useful and how to prepare them?
Infusions and decoctions are used for aqueous extraction of biologically active substances from plants.
What is the difference between infusion and decoction?
Infusion prepared from the above-ground tender part of the plant:
herbs, flowers, inflorescences, non-leathery leaves, and most seeds and fruits.
Decoction prepared from the coarse parts of the plant: bark, dense leaves, roots.
Only infusions from all parts of the plant are prepared from plants that contain them to reduce the loss of aromatic substances during boiling.
Pre-grinding of raw materials
For the preparation of infusions and decoctions, raw materials must be crushed to particles:
- flowers and leaves no more than 5 mm
- bark, roots, stems no larger than 3 mm
- seeds and fruits no more than 0.5 mm
- The proportions of plant materials and water (if not specified) for infusions and decoctions.
- 1 tbsp chopped dried herbs
- 1 glass of water
Wherein:
1 tbsp roots = 10 g
1 tbsp herbs = 5 g
By the way, on the topic of using herbs and flowers, I plan to write many more articles - do not forget to subscribe to
How to prepare infusion, decoction
Way hot fast
We put plant raw materials in glass, porcelain, or enameled dishes.
Pour boiling water over and insist, covering with something on top.
- Infusion time
The time of infusion of flowers, herbs, leaves (preparation of infusions) 30 min-1 hour.
- Decoction infusion time
Time of infusion of roots (preparation of decoctions) up to 6 hours (wrapped dishes to retain heat)
The hot way is right
It is more correct to prepare the infusion and decoction as follows:
vegetable raw materials are poured with water at room temperature and put in a water bath without boiling.
We do not put the pan on a strong fire, do not fill it with hot water. Hot water causes accelerated clotting of proteins in plant cells, which in turn prevents the transfer of active beneficial substances into the infusion.
- Infusion time
Infusion kept in water for 15 minutes, and decoction 30 minutes. In this case, stir the mixture frequently.
We increase the exposure time on fire for large doses, more than 1 liter.
After the solution is cooled at room temperature. Infusion for at least 10 minutes, and decoction for at least 45 minutes in heat.
Way cold
You can also prepare the infusion in a cold way, without heating.
Infuse for 4-12 hours at room temperature in cold water (eg marshmallow root).
Straining
We filter through 2 layers of gauze or a clean old rag (for external use), put the remaining wet raw materials into gauze and also carefully wring out. If necessary, add boiled water to the required volume.
We filter decoctions and infusions from plants with tannins (grass, oak bark, etc.) immediately after a water bath, because they quickly deteriorate when cooled.
Storage of prepared decoctions and infusions
We use decoctions and infusions within 2-3 days, provided that they are stored in the refrigerator. The fresher the mixture, the greater its healing power.
How to prepare an infusion of herbs so that all the power of plants gets into the infusion and makes it healing? Make it easy. However, there are rules that must be followed.
If you carefully read this short article and the next two, you will easily understand how the infusion differs from the decoction and tincture.
How to prepare the infusion correctly?
An infusion of herbs is often called for in skin, hair, or nail care recipes.
How to measure the right amount of the ingredients indicated in the recipe, if there were no scales at hand?
Herbal Blend :
- 1 st. spoon = 7 - 8 g
- 1 teaspoon = 1.5 - 2 g
Water :
- 1 st. spoon = 15 g
- 1 teaspoon = 5 g
- 1 thin glass = 200 ml
- 1 faceted glass = 250 ml
For infusion, soft parts of plants are used: flowers, leaves or stems.
1. Place the crushed raw materials in glass, enamel or porcelain dishes, and pour boiling water over them.
You can initially use cold water, but then it will take more time to heat up in a water bath.
Usually, to prepare ½ cup of infusion (this is 100 ml), 10 g of chopped herbs are required. Keep in mind that some of the water will evaporate when heated, so pour it a little more than the recipe calls for.
2. Close the bowl with a lid and place in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
It is easy to arrange a water bath: place the dishes with the future infusion in a larger pot filled with boiling water.
3.After heating, let the mixture cool for an hour at room temperature.
4. Strain the solution using cheesecloth. The infusion is ready!
If the amount of infusion is less than required by the recipe, then you have a concentrated solution. Nothing wrong. In this case, add boiled water to the infusion to the desired volume.
A less labor-intensive way to prepare the infusion is in a thermos. Known to everyone, but requires much more time to insist.
Now, how to prepare an infusion of herbs, you can not only read, but also see:
Prepare a decoction or infusion - what could be easier? However, few people know how to cook right although in everyday life we often use decoctions and infusions from medicinal herbs for various needs.
For example, women resort to them during, for young children, with the help of decoctions, they prepare baths for bathing, when they suffer from a cough - also. Decoctions are included in many recipes used to maintain and improve the health of the body.
To make decoctions and infusions, it is required to grind the necessary raw materials to the following sizes: leaves and flowers should not exceed 5 mm in size, stems, bark and roots should be crushed no more than 3 mm in size, and fruits and seeds should be crushed to a size of 0.5 mm or less.
As a rule, for cooking all kinds infusions and decoctions the necessary ingredients are taken in the following proportions: 1 glass of water is taken for 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs and plants. It should be taken into account that 1 tablespoon of crushed roots equals 10 grams, 1 tablespoon of grass is 5 grams, and a thin glass filled with water contains two hundred grams of liquid.
How to prepare infusions?
infusions are a liquid medicinal medium, which is prepared by infusion of small medicinal raw materials. During this process, useful active substances are extracted from the raw materials, which have a beneficial effect on the human body. To prepare an infusion, it is necessary to use the tender parts of the plant: leaves, stems and flowers. Infusions are prepared using a hot or cold method:
Hot way to prepare the infusion
The crushed medicinal raw material is placed in an enamel bowl. After that there 
they pour out water. For 1 share of raw materials take 10 shares of water. Heat the mixture for about 15 minutes in a water bath, stirring occasionally. The fire must be made small and the plants should be filled only with water at room temperature. The finished infusion is left to cool for 30-60 minutes. After that, using gauze, it is filtered and squeezed. The resulting infusion is diluted with clean boiled water to the required volume.
Cold preparation method
Cold method of making infusions implies the placement of medicinal raw materials in enameled (you can also take glass) dishes and pouring boiling water over it. After that, the dishes are covered with a lid and left to infuse from one to twelve hours. Also, the pan must be well wrapped with a warm cloth. Chopped grass, leaves and flowers are infused from half an hour to an hour. The bark and roots must be left to infuse for a period of 6 to 12 hours. After this time, the mixture is filtered with gauze and squeezed.
How to prepare a decoction?
Decoctions are a liquid dosage form similar to an infusion. They are prepared primarily from the solid parts of the plant: rhizomes, roots and bark, because. only with prolonged heating, active substances are extracted from the coarse parts of the plant.
To prepare a decoction, it is necessary to place the raw materials in a saucepan with a lid and pour water at room temperature there. The proportions of ingredients for internal use of the decoction are 1:10 or 1:20, for external use - 1:5. Boil the broth for 30 to 45 minutes in a water bath. Then it should cool to room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Then it is filtered and diluted with boiled water. Decoctions with tannins (for example, from oak bark, bergenia root, burnet root, etc.) are filtered immediately after boiling, otherwise the extract will lose a significant part of its tanning and other medicinal properties. This may occur due to the deposition of the active substances of the decoction on the surface of the originally used raw materials and the walls of the dishes.
How to store prepared decoctions?
Decoctions and infusions need every day Cook new. In extreme cases, they should not be stored for more than three days. Storage is carried out only in a cool and sufficiently dark place, for example, in a refrigerator.
How to take infusions and decoctions?
In chronic diseases, herbal preparations are used in a course of one and a half to three to six months. In some cases, they take a break after a month and a half for one or two weeks. You can also replace the drug you are taking with another during this period.
The dose of the drug at one time is strictly individual. Detailed instructions for the use of certain herbs can be found on the packaging. The children's dose of decoctions and infusions is calculated in relation to the adult dose and depends on the age of the child.
Apply decoctions and infusions it is necessary to be extremely careful under the constant supervision of a doctor, since some plants can cause poisoning in humans.
Other useful articles of the Home Encyclopedia
Growing a garden is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. For a high yield, it is important to follow the crop care regimen: weeding, watering, top dressing. We will talk about fertilizers, namely green herbal mixtures in this article.
What is herbal fertilizer
Herbal fertilizer is any herbs that are not grown for cultural use, they are allowed to grow, then mowed and used in the complex care of garden crops. 
Grass can be used in several ways:
- lay compost, which in time will gain the maximum amount of substances useful for enriching the soil;
- use as mulch or embed into the soil;
- prepare a liquid infusion as a top dressing.
The purpose of such a fertilizer is multifaceted:
- saturation of the soil with nitrogen and a mass of organic substances for its fertility;
- structuring the soil, that is, making it loose, water and breathable (especially important on heavy clay soils);
- compaction of too loose soils due to organic matter;
- protection of the surface layers of the earth from weathering, leaching of nutrients;
- suppression of weed growth.
This can lead to watery fruits, shedding of color and ovary, and other problems. Organics in the soil act slowly, the plant is saturated in small doses. In addition, organic matter contains a proportion of microorganisms, which helps to improve the structure of the soil. Chemical fertilizers, on the other hand, can inhibit the microflora of the soil, moreover, change its acid-base balance. 
Among the disadvantages of "green" fertilizer, it is noted that some herbs are contraindicated for use as dressings, so before using such a tool, you need to study the list of unsuitable herbs. For example, field bindweed, decomposing, forms toxic compounds.
Composting
To lay the compost, it is not necessary to dig a hole, you can use some kind of container, for example, a polymer container. The next diagram looks like this:
- The container must be located away from housing, in a shaded place.
- A layer of sawdust and branches with a small amount of earth is placed at the bottom of the tank.
- Next, a plant layer (grass, leaves, hay, vegetables and fruits) with a layer of up to 30 centimeters. Plant residues are interspersed with layers of sawdust, which play the role of an air conductor that ensures uniform "ripening" of all layers.
- Next, you need to regularly mix the layers and moisten them, but do not overdo it, both overdrying and excess moisture are bad for compost. For the winter, the box is wrapped with a thick layer of straw: the compost should not freeze.
- Natural preparation will take up to two years, but you can speed up the process and get compost in four to five months if you add chicken manure to the layers.
Compost finds multiple uses in the garden and in the garden:
- application to the soil before planting;
- laying in landing pits;
- component of liquid fertilizers per season.
Nettle infusion
For use both dry and freshly cut nettles. For manufacturing, they take any non-metal container, then step by step:
- Nettles are finely chopped, poured with water well warmed up in the sun, it is better if it is rain water.
- It is not necessary to fill it to the top, during fermentation the mass will increase in volume, and it is desirable to cover it with a fine-mesh net so that insects do not get in.
- It is necessary that the container is in the sun, heat speeds up the process.
- The mixture is stirred daily from top to bottom.
When the foam stops appearing on the surface and the color of the nettle slurry becomes saturated dark (after about two weeks), this means the infusion is ready. The infusion is used for irrigation as a top dressing, before use it is diluted with water one to ten. Most horticultural crops love nettles, as well as earthworms, which help improve soil structure. Important! Legumes, onions and garlic react negatively to nettle top dressing.
Infusion of weeds
Infusion of weeds is prepared according to the same principle as nettle. The following herbs are suitable for cooking:
- chamomile;
- wild mustard;
- comfrey;
- thistle;
- sagebrush;
- Clover.
Dolomite flour is added to crushed and water-filled herbs at a dosage of 1.5 kg per hundred liters. The infusion is used as a fertilizer, and sometimes for the prevention of diseases, for example, an infusion of sow thistle helps prevent powdery mildew. pond weeds
If there is a pond or other body of stagnant water near the site, this is a good opportunity to prepare a liquid fertilizer from pond weeds, such as reeds or sedges. It looks like this:
- Shredded plants are placed in a suitable container, ordinary weeds are added to them.
- Add half a liter of chicken manure, eight liters of wood ash and a liter of EM fertilizer.
- Fill with water to the top. Then stir from time to time.
Did you know? EM fertilizers - effective microorganisms, began to be mass-produced for the agricultural industry, thanks to the research of the Japanese scientist Terou Higa. It was he who singled out the most effective soil microorganisms and gave rise to the development of technology important for agriculture.
Grass fertilizer with the addition of other components
Herbal liquid food can be made even more beneficial by adding some ingredients. The principle of preparation of all recipes is the same: herbal raw materials and water are taken as the basis, and then, depending on preferences, the following ingredients are added:
- wet - 50 g, dry - 10 g (this will saturate the mixture with calcium, potassium, sulfur, boron, and give immunity from fungi);
- - half a bucket or chalk - about three medium slices, extra calcium;
- hay, overheating, releases a special bacillus that destroys pathogenic microorganisms;
- two or three glasses, saturates the earth with potassium, significantly increases the yield.
In what proportions to dilute and when to apply
Green fertilizer is used for preliminary soil fertilization before planting or sowing in late autumn and early spring. After sowing, young shoots or seedlings under the root are fertilized for nitrogen nutrition in order to accelerate the growth of greenery. For root dressings, the finished infusion is usually diluted with water in a ratio of one to ten.
