Most herbalists, throughout history, have been fascinated with poisonous plants. This fascination, along with careful study, experimentation, and observation, has given rise to pharmacy - the use of concentrated poisons - on one hand, and to homeopathy - the use of diluted poisons - on the other.
While respecting the ability of plants to stimulate and sedate, I have focused my studies elsewhere, specifically on the nourishing abilities of plants. The main premise of the Wise Woman Tradition is that health is inherent in each being, with nourishment being the key that unlocks it. Thus, I have spent the past 30 years recommending the use of nourishing herbs to a wide variety of people with a wide variety of problems.
Because nourishing plants, by definition, can't kill, they are scorned by many herbalists. Their effects are said to be slow and weak. Yes, poisonous plants do create instantaneous results, and I do use them when I need that immediate reaction. But they always undermine health.
Nourishing plants always build health. Their effects are slower, but still rapid - with significant improvement in well-being seen in 10 days or less - and powerful, often life-changing.
I call the nourishing herbs "people's herbs" because they are safe for anyone to use for any reason. And the use of nourishing herbs is "people's medicine," our birthright of health. People's medicine is a direct threat to hierarchy medicine, whether mainstream or alternative. It returns the power of health to the hands of the individual, out of the hands of the elite.
Nourishing herbs are powerhouses of protein, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals that counter cancer and prolong life. The best ways to extract this richness are those that rely on water and dilute acid as solvents: that is nourishing herbal infusions and mineral-rich medicinal vinegars.
NOURISHING HERBAL INFUSIONS
TEA FOR YOU?
Teas are a favorite way to consume herbs. Made by brewing a small amount of herbs (typically a teaspoonful to a cup of water) for a short time (generally 1-2 minutes), teas are flavorful, colorful drinks.
Herbs rich in coloring compounds - such as hibiscus, rose hips, calendula, and black tea - make enticing and tasty teas. They may also contain polyphenols, phytochemicals known to help prevent cancer. Since coloring compounds and polyphenols are fairly stable, dried herbs are considered best for teas rich in these.
Herbs rich in volatile oils - such as ginger, chamomile, cinnamon, catnip, mint, lemon balm, lemon grass, lavender, bergamot, and fennel, anise, and cumin seeds - make lovely teas which are effective in easing spasms, stimulating digestion, eliminating pain, and inducing sleep. Since much of the volatile oils are lost when herbs are dried, fresh herbs are considered best for teas rich in these, but dried herbs can be used with good results.
I enjoy a cup of hot tea with honey, which has its own medicinal value. But teas fail to deliver the mineral richness locked into many common herbs. A cup of nettle tea, for instance, contains only 5-10mg of calcium, while a cup of nettle infusion contains up to 500mg of calcium. For optimum nutrition, I drink nourishing herbal infusions every day.
INFUSION FOR ME!
An infusion is a large amount of herb brewed for a long time. Typically, one ounce by weight (about a cup by volume) of dried herb is placed in a quart jar which is then filled to the top with boiling water, tightly lidded and allowed to steep for 4-10 hours. After straining, a cup or more is consumed, and the remainder chilled to slow spoilage. Drinking 2-4 cups a day is usual.
Since the minerals and other phytochemicals in nourishing herbs are made more accessible by drying, dried herbs are considered best for infusions. (See experiment 2.)
I make my infusions at night before I go to bed and they are ready in the morning. I put my herb in my jar and my water in the pot, and the pot on the fire, then brush my teeth (or sweep the floor) until the kettle whistles. I pour the boiling water up to the rim of the jar, screw on a tight lid, turn off the stove and the light, and go to bed. In the morning, I strain the plant material out, squeezing it well, and drink the liquid. I prefer it iced, unless the morning is frosty.
I drink the quart of infusion within 36 hours or until it spoils. Then I use it to water my house plants, or pour it over my hair after washing as a final rinse which can be left on.
MY FAVORITE HERBS FOR INFUSION
Any herb that is free of poisons - that is, any herb that contains little or no volatile oils, resins, alkaloids, or glycosides - is a good choice for infusion. Additionally, I prefer to use herbs that are exceptionally high in protein, minerals, and vitamins for my daily infusions. See Chart 1.
Nourishing herbal infusions cost me less than a dollar a day. (I buy them by the pound at wholesale prices from Frontier Herb, and so can you.) A quart of infusion a day completely replaces all vitamin and mineral supplements, giving me a saving of at least per month. (The average supplement buyer spends 0-0 a month on pills, though some customers spend more than 0 monthly on nutritional supplements of various kinds.)
I use these five nourishing herbal infusions regularly, drinking at least a quart a week of each one:
I also use, for excitement or for specific reasons, these nourishing herbal infusions:
I only use one herb at a time in my infusion. I keep it simple, so I can really get to know the plants - and myself.
HOW DO INFUSIONS TASTE?
Generally, great! Most people like the taste of nourishing herbal infusions, but here are a few hints to get you started. Remember you can add anything to like to your infusion, from instant coffee to whiskey, as well as honey, cream, lemon, or your usual seasoning choices.
The tannins in red clover and comfrey make me pucker my lips, so I add a little dried peppermint (Mentha piperata) or bergamot (Monarda didyma) to my jar when I make the infusion, just enough to flavor the brew slightly. You can add up to a teaspoonful per quart of any aromatic herb without poisoning yourself. Or you can heat the completed infusion, a cup at a time, and pour it over an aromatic herb to make a tea infusion. Sage, ginger, lavender, thyme, marjoram, shiso, oregano, rosemary, lemon balm, hyssop, and basil are all wonderful choices.
Notes: Is comfrey safe for internal use? The roots of wild comfrey, Symphytum officinale, are known to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can cause venous liver congestion. Two neonatal deaths are ascribed to ingestion of comfrey root. The leaves of cultivated comfrey, Symphytum uplandica, do not contain these alkaloids and appear to be safe for all women, even pregnant and lactating women. Four generations of people living at the Henry Doubleday Research Center have eaten cooked comfrey leaves regularly, including during pregnancy and lactation, and no liver problems have been seen in this population. See: Awang DVC. Comfrey. Canadian Pharm Journal 1987: 101-4. Also see: Gladstar R. "The Comfrey Controversy." Journal of the Northeast Herbalists Association. 1994
CHART 1: VITAMINS AND MINERALS IN HERBS USED AS NOURISHING INFUSIONS
per 100 grams dry weight
CHART 2: MINERALS IN HERBS USED MAINLY AS VEGETABLES
FOR CURIOUS MINDS
Experiment Number One Compare herbal tea and nourishing herbal infusion
Weigh out 1 ounce of dried stinging nettle, oatstraw, red clover, raspberry, or comfrey leaf. Put it in a quart/liter jar. Boil water and fill the jar. Stir until the herb is completely wet. Add a little more water if you can, until the jar is completely full. Cap tightly and let it sit for four hours.
When your infusion is ready, boil more water. Put a teaspoonful of the dried herb in teaball or directly into your cup and fill the cup with boiling water. While it steeps, strain the plant matter from your infusion, squeezing the wet place to release all the liquid it absorbed. Heat a cup of the infusion; put the rest of it in a tightly-lidded jar in the refrigerator.
Sit down with your cup of infusion and your cup of tea. Taste them just as they are, then, if you wish, add honey. Compare and contrast the colors, flavors, and sensations.
Experiment Number Two Compare fresh and dried herbs for infusion.
Weigh out 1 ounce of dried stinging nettle, oatstraw, red clover, raspberry, or comfrey leaf and make an infusion, as above, in a quart jar.
Weigh out 4 ounces of fresh stinging nettle, oatstraw, red clover, raspberry, or comfrey leaf. Use the same plant for both brews. Cut the fresh herb up so it fits in your quart jar and make an infusion by filling the jar with boiling water. (Herbs lose about 75% of their weight when they dry, so 4 ounces of fresh herb dry down into 1 ounce of dried herb.)
After one hour of steeping, look at both jars, taste and compare/contrast. Repeat three more times at hourly intervals.
Minerals are released slowly into water. They darken the color of the water and give it a dense, rich taste. Oil-soluble vitamins float to the top and make a thin glaze of swirls.
Experiment Number Three Compare fresh and dried herbs for teas
Buy or grow a tasty, aromatic herb, like ginger, peppermint, or rosemary. For this experiment you will need one tablespoon of fresh herb, and one teaspoon of the same herb dried. Place the fresh herb in a cup or mug and the dried herb in another. Fill both to the top with boiling water. After one minute, taste, smell, compare the teas. Wait another minute and compare again. Then wait five minutes and try each one again.
Experiment Number Four Using seeds for infusions and teas
Make a tea with aromatic seeds - anise, caraway, coriander, cumin, fennel, or fenugreek. Use a teaspoon of seeds in a cup of boiling water. At the same time, brew a seed infusion using a quarter-ounce of seeds per cup of boiling water. After a minute, taste, smell, and contrast the tea and the infusion. Repeat in five minutes, then in thirty minutes, then after an hour, then after four hours.
Teas of dried seeds are usually best, as the longer brewing time of the infusion releases volatile oils that taste bitter and can damage the kidneys and liver.
FURTHER STUDY
1. Drink 2-4 cups of nourishing herbal infusion for a month and see if your health changes in any way. Best if you don't drink coffee or tea during this month.
2. Choose a green ally to focus on this year.
3. Read Healing Power of Minerals by Paul Bergner.
4. Read about stinging nettle and oatstraw in my book Healing Wise.
5. Make vinegars at different times of the year and compare them.
6. Unpasteurized vinegar can form a "mother." In a jar filled with herb and vinegar, the vinegar mother usually grows across the top of the herb, and looking rather like a damp, thin pancake. Kombucha is a vinegar mother. Does your local health food store sell mothers? Kombucha? What is a vinegar mother? Is it harmful?
7. What is an ionic form of a mineral?
8. What is a mineral salt?
9. How do our bodies uptake and utilize minerals?
Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material on this website/email is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Susun Weed is the voice of the Wise Woman Tradition, where healing comes from nourishment. She is known internationally as an extraordinary teacher with a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and health. Ms. Weed restores herbs as common medicine, and empowers us all to care for ourselves. For free ezine, on demand radio, recipes, resources, online courses and much more, go to: www.herbshealing.com
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