How To Prepare Herbal Medicine | Tea, Tincture and Syrup

May 31, 2022

Sometimes we take what we know and what we’ve learned for granted. I grew up in a house where my mother regularly drank tea. I was exposed to it early in life. My first herbal memories are drinking chamomile and watching peppermint grow so abundantly, that it took over the back yard! When I began my herbal journey in an earnest way, medicine making was second nature and one of the aspects of herbal medicine I enjoyed the most.

Now as teacher, I see for others that making their herbal medicine feels intimidating. For some, it’s easy to stay in the books, but hard to get into the kitchen. I get it. Maybe you think you don’t have the equipment, don’t know how much time it’s going to take, or if you’re making your medicine the “right” way. While we do have to make our herbal medicine properly, just like with any other skill, once you have the foundational techniques, you can make anything then get creative.

In this video, Tami and I demonstrate three herbal preparations: medicinal strength tea, folk method tincture, and an herbal syrup. These three preparations are an excellent foundation for your medicine making adventures. Additionally, we’ll be sharing a lot more content on our YouTube channel centered around holistic protocols and herbal medicine for specific conditions, just like we did with our Herpes video. We will be referring to these three preparations a lot, so you’ll have this video and the written instructions to use as a guide as you make your own herbal medicine.

Bonus: for the herbal syrup, I created a formula for menorrhagia, which is profuse menstrual bleeding. It was a top-of-mind topic because we’d just discussed it as a case study inside Herbal Medicine for the Soul. If your periods are long and heavy, the four herbs inside this video may help! You’ll also learn about one of our best-selling loose-leaf teas, Best foot Forward, and get a glimpse into the benefits of one of my favorite lung herbs, Elecampane.

Click here to watch the video. Medicine-making instructions are below.

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Medicinal Strength Tea Instructions

1. Add 1 teaspoon herb into mug with strainer.
2. Pour 8oz fresh boiled hot water over the herbs (do not use the microwave to boil the water).
3. Cover and let steep for at least 30 minutes.
4. Strain out the herb, keeping the infusion (liquid).
5. Add lemon and sweeten if you like.

ProTip – Use the same ratio to pre-mix and make a larger batch that you’ll store in the refrigerator and keeps for 5 days or so. This way you’ll have it ready, and you don’t run the risk of skipping a day.

Folk Method Tincture Instructions

1. Sanitize a medium-sized jar, like a relish jar. Put it in the oven on 150 degrees for 20-30 minutes after washing it with soap and water. This will sanitize and dry your jar.
2. Fill your glass jar 1/4 of the way with herb. Eyeball it.
3. Pour your choice of 40% alcohol (Brandy, Vodka, Rum) into your jar, completely soaking the herb and filling the jar to the top. It’s important for all of the herb to stay submerged in the alcohol for the duration of the maceration process
4. Close the lid tightly and shake the jar vigorously. Shake it like a salt shaker. This makes sure all of the herb in your jar gets kissed by the alcohol
5. Label your tincture and include the name of the herb, the percentage and type of alcohol you used, the date, and how much you filled the jar up to.
6. Store your tincture in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight and allow it macerate for 6 weeks. This is how long it takes for the plant compounds to infuse into the liquid. Shake it daily.

Herbal Syrup Instructions

1. You'll need 2 ounces (total) by weight of your herb blend. Each herb should be weighed separately and placed into different containers.
2. Place your pre-measured roots, barks, and berries into a medium-sized pot.
3. Pour 4 cups of water into the pot, cover, and bring to a boil.
4. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 45 minutes, covered. 
5. Turn off heat.
6. Add any aerial parts (flowers, leaves, stems) and let steep, covered for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Strain out herb and measure your liquid. Use a nut milk bag or potato ricer to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the herb.
8. You need at least 1 cup of liquid infusion. If you have more than this, simmer it on low covered until it reduces to 1 cup. Watch it carefully, so that it doesn't completely evaporate.
9. Once reserved to 1 cup, pour into a glass jar.
10. Add 1/2 cup Brandy (or your preferred liquor that's at least 40% alcohol). This is your preservative. This is the right amount of alcohol for it to be shelf stable, but I would still keep it refrigerated. 
11. Add 1/2 cup of raw honey, which has many medicinal properties and is also a preservative.
12. Stir. Close your jar with its lid. Store in the refrigerator.
13. The dosage is 1 teaspoon 3 timers per day, to start.
14. If you do not want to sweeten your syrup, only reduce your infusion to 1.5 cups, then add the 1/2 cup alcohol.

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