herbal tea overview

Herbal Teas, Infusions and Decoctions

“a cure in every cuppa”

There is a herb to treat every human ailment - a fact that medicine-people have known for millenia. Finding and processing the appropriate plant material can be challenging at times, especially for folks living in today's cities.

Herbal Teas An herbal infusion, or tea, is prepared by soaking or steeping raw plant material in hot water for several minutes. This is the most straightforward method of making a simple herbal remedy. The hot water promotes the release of the volatile oils in leaves and stems. Similar preparations that include the seeds, roots and bark of plants among the raw materials are made in the same way but are referred to as decoctions. For best absorption, consume herbal teas 30 minutes or more before meals or drinking other liquids.

We prepare many of the weeds growing at Middle Path for medicinal use as teas which offer efficient assimilation of the key ingredients.

You can see the list of teas available through our webshop by clicking the tab above.

We dry quantities of herbs for making teas by infusion, in Australia it has become illegal to refer to these as “medicinal” or “therapeutic” - in fact to make any public statement suggesting thay have any beneficial effect upon a person's health - and so we offer them as teas. Most of these plants have been used throughout mankind's history on planet earth for their medicinal and therapeutic properties. Here you can see a quantity (about 12 KG) of dock leaves ready to start its processing journey. You can see what's involved in processing a plant to make a herbal tea here. We are now offering a limited range of dried herbs which you can use to make a tea (or infusion) and thereby get the benefits of these plants without needing a consultation. The plant material we use has been organically grown and sensitively dried to produce the best (most potent) benefits available from the plant. Where demand has outstripped the supply we can produce at Middle Path we have chosen to supplement our harvest with materials outsourced from suppliers with similar standards regarding growing and preparation.

herbal tea how to use

Why choose a Herbal Tea?

Plants produce a vast range of substances - phyto-chemical s - which are very beneficial in restoring and maintaining health in we humans without side-effects. We believe that they are perfectly suited to preventative and curative health care because they are natural and harmonious to our bodies.

If you do not have fresh herbs nearby or are not confident you can identify appropriate herbs then purchasing dried material is the next best way to obtain their beneficial influence.

How do I know if it is safe for me to have a particular tea?

We have listed the situations we know of where a tea is inappropriate on the individual plant pages like this:-

  Contra-indications:  Some teas are inappropriate for some people with a particular medical condition, women who are pregnant or breast feeding or are taking a particular prescribed drug.

  Please be sure to check  the plant page for any contraindications relating to a tea you want to use (contraindications will appear on the page highlighted like this).

If you have any concerns or apprehensions please use our free Herbal Tea usage enquiry service so that we can make sure that what you want is completely safe for your situation or condition.

We especially encourage you to get in touch if you have any of the following health problems or conditions:

An enlarged prostate gland Are preganant or breast-feeding Blood clotting problems Cancer Diabetes

Epilepsy Glaucoma Heart disease High blood pressure Immune system problems

Liver problems Psychiatric problems Parkinson's disease Stroke Thyroid problems

When should I drink my Tea?

For best absorption, consume herbal teas 30 minutes or more before meals or drinking other liquids to avoid diluting it while it is in your digestive tract.

How long will dried herbal tea keep it's potency?

Stored properly - in an air-tight glass container away from direct sunlight - herb tea will keep for up to 18 months without losing it's potency. If you are dealing with the onset of a severe condition we suggest it may be worth purchasing fresh material to have complete confidence in its healing potency.

Caring for your herbal tea

If you don't plan on using the tea immediately, it's best to keep it unopened and away from direct sunlight (in a closed cupboard or drawer). Exposed to the air it may absorb moisture and humidity, so if they are opened, reseal them tightly, or (preferably) put it in a glass jars with a tight-fitting lid (avoid metal containers).

Most will never require refrigeration or freezing - just keep them at average room temperature (70-80 degrees). Generally, the "shelf-life" for optimum freshness will be about a year if stored properly.

If you live in a warm, high humidity area, it may be impossible to keep moisture out of regularly opened and closed glass containers, and the plants may become mouldy. If this happens, discard them and purchase fresh ones. To prevent mould, try storing them in paper lunch bags so they can “breathe” (although this will reduce the shelf-life significantly).

Making an Infusion

Preparing an infusion is just like making a cup of tea but allowing more time for the water to absorb the plant’s essence

Pour boiling water over the tea (use a glass, stainless steel or ceramic vessel), cover it and allow to soak/steep for 20 minutes or so. Stirring it a few times while steeping is helpful - and is an ideal opportunity to focus your mind on the benefits it will bring to you.

Generally use 1 teaspoon of dried herb in a 250ml cup of water is sufficient. The standard dosage is one teacup (250ml), two or three times daily.

For convenience, your entire day's dosage can be prepared at night (2-3 cups at one time) and left overnight and then refrigerated for use throughout the day. You can drink it cold or heat it if you want it warm.

Making a Decoction

Because some tea (with bark, stems or roots in them) contains tough, woody material, a decoction is the recommended method for making your medicine.

Instead of just soaking it in hot water, the plant material is boiled for a longer period of time to soften the thicker woody pieces and release its active constituents.

Use a ceramic, glass or enamel pot with a snug fitting lid, if you don't have one then a stainless steel pot is good but definitely not aluminium or teflon.

Add the amount of herb needed (1 teaspoon per 250ml of water) to the proper amount of cold water in the pot depending on how many doses you wish to prepare.

Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a vigorous boil then put the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle but cheerful simmer for 20 minutes.

If you can see steam escaping or smell the aroma of the herb, your lid is not tight enough and valuable essential oils may be escaping.

After 20 minutes, remove from heat and cool slightly, for maximum potency we encourage you to let it stand overnight.

Strain the mixture through a tea strainer into a wide-necked bottle, jug or cup, making sure to press on the material in the strainer with a spoon or similar to get as much of the liquid/decoction out of the material as possible.

Standard dosages for decoction are generally one-half to one cup, two or three times daily.

A day's dosage can be prepared the prior evening (2-3 cups at one time), allowed to continue to soak while it cools overnight to ensure maximum potency and refrigerated until ready to use throughout the next day.

herbal tea available online

Yellow Dock tea 150g     Rumex crispus whips the blood into shape restoring its ability to distribute nutrients and eliminate toxins from the system. Can ease abscess-induced toothache in minutes - a must in the medicine chest and marvellous on the meal table   read more ..... 150g for AU$45.00 postage extra Quantity: