To use herbal tea for nutritive and tonic benefits at home, the quick and easy route:

• Let the tea steep in the boiled water for at least 15 minutes.
• Drink typically 3 times per day.
• Typically one tablespoon of dried herb matter to a cup.
• I like to re-use the herbs with a second pouring, but that doesn’t count really as a second cup.  But it maximizes the use of the herbs and honors the plant, and all that went into getting it there.  However, if you’re using this for maximum therapeutic benefit, don’t waste time on that … go for the strong first extractions.

Why the special post for this?

• The difference is to let the tea steep longer than for a casual cup to increase the nutrient extraction.
• When drinking the tea for benefit like this, the steep time and then frequency of consumption throughout a day become more important.
• Tea is different from a concentrated pill or extract, so the number of fresh pots or cups in a day matters.
• You can create concentrated teas (decoctions) by simmering for a long time to cook the mixture down to a smaller volume.  However, daily life is full for many of us, energy matters, and you may find that such lengthy processes scare you from actually doing it, so… starting with a simple, straightforward go-to method can be very practical.

Always use caution:

Herbs and herbal teas are the real deal.  That means they can have a real effect on you and your body.  So always use caution:

• Learn about the herbs.  Look for contraindications.
• Consult your health care practitioner team members for guidance.
• Titrate and grade: Start with small amounts and watch yourself for reactions and responses, ill or beneficial.
• Adjust the concentrations as you need or as you make relationship with the tea and herbs.
• Some herbal nutrients are not hot-water extractable or require an adjustment to the brewing method for maximum benefit, so watch for this.
• Watch for the quality of the herbs and know why you would want to do so.
• Be very careful if wild-crafting and wild-collecting.
• Use common sense and err on the side of caution.