Preparation methods

Powdered herbs are most easily taken as capsules but can be sprinkled on food or taken with water. Externally, they can be applied as a dusting powder to the skin or mixed with tinctures as a poultice.

Making a cold infused oil is a slow process and involves leaving a jar packed with herbs and oil to stand for several weeks. Sunlight encourages the plant to release its active constituents into the oil. It is the most suitable method of oil infusion for fresh plant material, especially the more delicate parts, such as flowers. Olive oil is particularly suitable for cold infusion as it rarely turns rancid. The intensity of sunlight and length of time an herb is infused affects the concentration of its medicinal constituents. For greater strength, add the extracted oil to a fresh supply of herbs and infuse again.

Making a cream involves combining oil or fat and water in an emulsion. If the process is rushed, the oil and water may separate. Unlike ointments, creams blend with the skin and have the advantage of being cooling and soothing while at the same time allowing the skin to breathe and sweat naturally. They can, however, deteriorate quite quickly and are best stored in dark, airtight jars in a refrigerator.

Roots, bark, twigs, and berries usually require a more forceful treatment than leaves or flowers to extract their medicinal constituents. A decoction involves simmering these tougher parts in boiling water. Fresh or dried plant material may be used and should be cut or broken into small pieces before decocting. Like infusions, decoctions can be taken hot or cold.

Although hot infused oils can last up to a year, they are most potent when used fresh. If only using infused oils occasionally, make a smaller quantity than the standard amount with the same proportion of herb to oil. The wine press may be replaced with a jug—when cool enough to touch, squeeze the oil through the jelly bag.

An infusion is the simplest way to prepare the more delicate aerial parts of plants, especially leaves and flowers, for use as a medicine or as a revitalizing or relaxing drink. It is made in a similar way to tea, using either a single herb or a combination of herbs, and may be drunk hot or cold.

Lotions are water-based herbal preparations such as infusions, decoctions, or diluted tinctures that are used to bathe inflamed or irritated skin. Compresses are cloths soaked in a lotion and held against the skin. Lotions and compresses are both simple ways to use herbs externally and can be very effective in relieving swelling, bruising, and pain, soothing inflammation and headaches, and cooling fevers.

Ointments contain oils or fats heated with herbs and, unlike creams, contain no water. As a result, ointments form a separate layer on the surface of the skin. They protect against injury or inflammation of damaged skin and carry active medicinal constituents, such as essential oils, to the affected area. Ointments are useful in conditions such as hemorrhoids or where protection is needed from moisture, as in chapped lips and diaper rash.

A poultice is a mixture of fresh, dried, or powdered herbs that is applied to an affected area. Poultices are used to ease nerve or muscle pains, sprains, or broken bones, and to draw pus from infected wounds, ulcers, or boils.

Honey and unrefined sugar are effective preservatives and can be combined with infusions or decoctions to make syrups and cordials. They have the additional benefit of having a soothing action, and therefore make a perfect vehicle for cough mixtures as well as relieving sore throats. With their sweet taste, syrups can disguise the taste of unpalatable herbs and are therefore greatly appreciated by children.

Tinctures are made by soaking an herb in alcohol. This encourages the active plant constituents to dissolve, giving tinctures a relatively stronger action than infusions or decoctions. They are convenient to use and last up to two years. Tinctures can be made using a jug and a jelly bag, instead of a wine press. Although mainly used in European, American, and Australian herbal medicine, tinctures play a part in most herbal traditions.

Tonic wines are an agreeable way to take strengthening and tonic herbs to increase vitality and improve digestion. Neither strictly medicinal, nor simply appealing to the palate, they are easy to prepare at home. Tonic wines are made by steeping tonic herbs or bitter herbs in red or white wine for several weeks.