You can make your own herbal home remedies pretty easily. Herbal home remedies are a great way to treat common ailments of your family members. Just imagine if you have on hand, totally natural remedies that can help with open cuts, runny noses, fever, insect bites and back pain. Instead of opening up your medicine cabinet ever so often, you can make use of herbal remedies that come right out of your kitchen or from your garden.
Here are some tips to help you with making your own herbal home remedies:
1. The easiest way to derive benefits from herbs is through consuming a herbal tea infusion. Herbal tea infusions can be made within 5 minutes. Usually an infusion is made just like hot tea. Simply put the herb (or herbs) that you are working with into a pot that has a closed, tight-fitting lid. Then, pour hot water over the herbs and let them soak there for at least 10 minutes. You can then strain this by pouring it through a nylon sieve or a strainer into a coffee cup. The leftover infusion can be stored in a cool place so that you can heat it up again later. It is best to drink herbal infusions fresh.
2. Herbal home remedies can also be made in the form of a decoction. Here, the plant’s active ingredients have to be more vigorously extracted than with an infusion. These herbal remedies are made from a plant’s twigs, barks, roots and berries. In order to make a decoction you will need to mash the herbs and then simmer it in water for about an hour. Next, remove the bark, twigs, roots or berries with a strainer. This can be drunk either hot or cold. Decoctions must be always consumed fresh.
3. Herbal remedies in the form of tinctures, are more difficult to make than the other methods of preparation. Place the herb that you are working with in a large jar and cover it with a mixture of vodka or rum and water. Please ensure that this mixture contains at least 25% alcohol. Seal the jar and then store in a cool, dry place for 2 weeks. You will also need to shake the jar occasionally. After 2 weeks, press the mixture through a wine press and collect the tincture in a jug. Once you have all of the mixture, use a funnel to strain the liquid into a dark bottle for storage.
4. Lastly, you can consume herbal remedies in the form of syrups. You will first need to heat about 2 cups of a standard herbal infusion in a medium-sized saucepan. Add approximately 500 grams of sugar or honey and then stir this mixture until the sweetener has completely dissolved. Let the mixture sit and cool. Then, pour the syrup into a dark bottle, seal it with a cork stopper and store it in a cool, dry location. Do not omit the cork stopper as syrups ferment quickly.
You can always get the advice of your local herbalist if you need more guidance in preparing your own herbal home remedies. It will also be great if you have a good knowledge about what herbs to use for treating the various ailments. Try out herbal home remedies as a natural and alternative way to being well and save yourself trips to the doctor!
By: Evelyn Lim About the Author:
Evelyn Lim is the writer and publisher of a newsletter on
herbal home remedies. Her free newsletter shares tips about what non drug
remedies readers can use for their common ailments. For special reports and more information, please visit
http://www.HerbalRemedyTips.com
