Herbal tea made from fresh or dried herbs is the most common and simplest form of using medicinal plants. Herbs have a good effect on the organism and home-made tea tastes best.

There are different ways of preparing herbal tea:

 

Infusion (Infus)

Tea infusions are prepared by pouring boiling water over the chopped plant parts such as leaves, flowers or seeds and leaving to infuse covered for 15 minutes. Tea is best steeped in porcelain or ceramic vessels. Before drinking, the liquid is poured through a sieve. For optimum development of the flavour and active ingredients, the herbs should float loosely in the container and not in a tea infuser.

 

Decoction (decoction)

The chopped plant parts such as bark, roots or woody parts are placed in cold water and boiled covered for 20 minutes. The tea is then strained and the plant parts are squeezed out.

 

Cold extraction (maceration)

Pour cold water over the plant parts and stir the liquid. The liquid is left at room temperature overnight and is strained and warmed the next morning. The cold extract is mainly used for herbs containing mucilage such as mistletoe, valerian and marshmallow. Another variant is to pour hot water over the herbs and leave them to stand overnight. In both cases, the container must be covered to prevent the fragrances from escaping.