THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE A STRONG DECOCTION---- QUICKlY!

Have you ever steeped a tea and noticed that it hasn’t really extracted much flavour?

Some herbs, especially tough roots, bark, resins and berries, need to be ‘decocted’ for their medicine to be extracted.
A DECOCTION = water + herb + applied heat (simmering).
A decoction is simmered on the stove for long enough to soften the plant matter, extract its medicine effectively, and evaporate away some of the water, leaving a stronger brew.

This is very different from a classic herbal tea or herbal infusion, which is not simmered, but simply steeped in hot water.
A TEA OR INFUSION = Hot water + herb.
Flowers, leaves and more delicate parts of plants are not typically added to simmering water as it can degrade the plant too much, burn the plant, or turn it bitter.

Some of the best herbs for decocting include:

• Ginger root

• Dandelion root

• Elderberry

• Rosehips

• Orange/ Lemon rind

• Oat straw

• Cinnamon

• Astragalus root

• Burdock root

• Hawthorne berries

• Reishi mushroom

• Turmeric

• Ashwaghanda/ Withania root

The problem is, not everyone will have time to make a decoction every time they want to sit a brew!

So, here is my solution….

HERE IS MY RECIPE FOR A THE QUICKEST WAY TO HAVE A STRONGLY DECOCTED BREW, QUICKLY:

• Add desired amount of water and herb into a pot.

• Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.

• Simmer until the brew has reduced by about a third or a half (the more of a reduction in liquid, the stronger the medicine will be).

• After it cools, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze.

• As needed, take an ice cube and add to a boiling cup of water to make a tea.

• Then, add your other herbs (including any flowers or leave that may need to be steeped as a normal tea would be) and honey to taste.

Happy brewing!