In Chinese medicine, decoction is the most common form of herbal use. On this site, we recommend decoction only for herbs that are hard, such as roots, and sometimes for certain seeds.
A decoction rarely tastes good, but it’s one of the most effective ways.
Important: before making a decoction
1) The container
First of all, you need to know that a herbal decoction must be made in a container :
- earthenware
- glass
- Pyrex
- stainless steel
Do not use containers made of iron, cast iron, aluminum, copper or bronze, to avoid chemical changes between the plants and the container.
2) The water
As with infusions, we strongly recommend using spring or filtered water for decoction.
The products present in tap water can cancel out or deteriorate the plants’ active ingredients. Mineral waters, with their high magnesium content and substances such as fluoride and trace elements, can interfere with and alter the properties of the herbs in the herbal tea.
How do I make a decoction?
To take a single dose a day, follow steps 1) to 3)
1) Rinse, then place the dried herbs in a suitable container (as mentioned above), and add cold water (spring or filtered water) until the water level is 2cm above the herbs. For herbs that tend to absorb water, add 3 to 4cm above the herbs.
2) Cover the pot with a lid and heat over high heat until boiling. As soon as the water is boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
If 2 doses/day are required, continue as follows:
3) Pour the liquid obtained into another container or thermos flask.
4) Use the same herbs as before and pour in 200 – 250ml if there’s only one herb (add 150 – 200ml of water for each additional herb) of cold water (spring or filtered water).
5) Heat again over high heat, then turn down to low heat as soon as the water starts to boil.
6) Simmer for 20 minutes.
7) Pour off the liquid obtained with the 1st decoction.
8) Drink the decoction hot or lukewarm in 2 doses, morning and afternoon, between meals once digestion is complete (except for hard-to-digest herbs, which should be taken at the end of a meal).
The decoction time is indicated in the description section on each herb page.
NOTE:
Flowers, leaves and some seeds, while working very well as infusions, can also be decocted, but only 2-3 minutes or 4-5 minutes after boiling.
Note that decoction makes the herbal tea stronger than infusion. We advise you to follow the instructions on the herbal tea page: if it says to infuse it, infuse it and do not decoct it.
Do not mix the decoction liquid with tea.