herbs and boiling

[rasieab]

Hi .İ am intrested in making a decoction of black walnut leaves, i am wondering when you boil the leaves of the black walnut or any other herb for that matter, will i lose all of the healing power of the leaves or does heating not harm these leaves or hulls. Thank you in advance Rasieab 😀 😀

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

For softer materials such as leaves and flowers, bring the water to a boil then turn it off, add the herbs, cover and let sit.

When it’s cool enough to drink it’s ready.

For coarser/denser material such as roots or bark, the process is called decoction (rather than infusion as above). In a decoction, the root/bark is simmered on as low a heat as possible with a lid for 20-30 minutes.

Personally, with roots and bark I usually dry them, grind them to powder in my VitaMix, and just use the infusion method.

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[rasieab]

Thanks for the reply to my question,so by the answer that you wrote you are saying that heat or boiling does NOT destroy the leaves or bark etc healing powers is that right, thanks

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

rasieab wrote: Thanks for the reply to my question,so by the answer that you wrote you are saying that heat or boiling does NOT destroy the leaves or bark etc healing powers is that right, thanks

Prolonged boiling will. That’s why you turn off the heat before adding the herbs to an infusion. For tougher stuff like roots and bark, a gentle simmer for a while is a necessary evil.

Also, some herbs such as mint depend heavily on volatile oils that will evaporate quickly so use a lid while steeping or, better yet, do a cold infusion instead. Plants high in mucilage like marshmallow and slippery elm also prefer cold infusion.

Also, note that plantain should NEVER be put in water that’s hot. Anything near boiling will completely destroy its medicinal properties. The best way to use plantain is to juice it, or just consume the fresh, frozen or dried leaves.

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[rasieab]

Thank you very much for your help. 😀 ,

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

You bet. 🙂

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[AnnettStudent]

Along these same lines of heating herbs:

Smudging has a long history of use. When a sage smudge is used is there any aromatic medicinal properties left or is it just smoke? Many sources are saying that various plants have specific benefits if aromatically used as a smudge or incense. But it’s my understanding that we shouldn’t heat the herbs if we want the plants medicine. Can anyone shed some light on incense and smudging which heats the plants? Thanks!

[Michelle KochStudent]

I use a smudge stick (ordinary sage brush) to deodorizer my house after cleaning, since I use vinegar, which smells a bit… funky. It works.

Also, smudging traditionally is used in a ceremonial context, to clear out “bad energy.” It is a common practice in sick rooms, as it is believed to help disinfect the air of germ a too.

All that being said: I have asthma. I’ve been known to roll my respiratory formula into a little herbal cigarette, light it up, and puff on that a couple times. Works like a charm. Of course, a vaporizer is a gentler option, which also works very well. The vaporizer usea heat to extract the essential oils from the plant, kind of like tea. And it tastes like tea, but it’s going directly into my lungs without holding a “towel tent” over my head, lol.

And on another vein, there is another controversial herb (I don’t want to name it because it attracts spammers), which actually requires heat to activate the psychoactive compound. The raw material is NOT intoxicating, but it still has many other beneficial properties.

So if you’re careful and selective, there are some herbs that do work very well when heated.

I hope that answers your question. 🙂

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