​Nathan Kaehler, MA, LAc    Copyright 2012​

Ojai Herbs and Acupuncture  • 805/640-8700

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​HOW TO PREPARE WHOLE HERB TEA​

(1 Bag of Herbs for 2 Days)

 

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STEP 1: Soak herbs

                                                                                                    (Softens them so they cook easily into the tea)​
•  Empty a bag of herbs into a spaghetti pot                                (Any pot that is not bare aluminum will work fine)

•  Add 6 cups water
•  Soak 10 minutes                                                                       (Longer soak increases potency and makes tea hard to digest,
                                                                                                      soaking for hours makes tea undrinkable)

STEP 2: 1st Cook

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•  Cover
•  Cook 20 minutes on low--after boil begins                               (Kitchen timer is helpful)
•  Strain tea with a metal kitchen strainer         
   and pour into a non-plastic container                                       (Pitcher or jar work fine.
                                                                                                     An 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup with a lid works well)
•  Retain cooked herbs in the pot
                                                                       
STEP 3:  2nd Cook 

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•  Add 5 cups fresh water                                                            (Less water is necessary as the herbs will absorb less)
•  Cook & strain as in Step 2 above      
•  Add 3 slices fresh ginger root                                                  (This step is optional
                                                                                                    Slices should be cross-sectional-about the size of a quarter)
                                                     
STEP 4:  Combine the batches of tea, begin drinking the tea​

•​  Drink a small mug (10 ounces) 3X/day                                     (Dried fruit, a cracker or some tea afterward helps if you have  
                                                                                                      trouble with taste of the herb tea, avoid milk, juice, coffee, soda)
                                                                                                     (Avoid adding sweeteners other than whole leaf stevia extract—
                                                                                                      the kind in the brown dropper bottle, not the white powder)
•  Drink first cup while still warm                                                   (Refrigerate the rest, warm each remaining cup to room temp or
                                                                                                      warmer before drinking—avoid microwaving the tea)                      
•  Drink tea after meals or between meals                                   (Drinking tea right before you eat can cause indigestion)
•  Do not drink the sediment                                                        (Some residue may settle to the bottom of tea after straining)
•  Cook a new batch of tea every 2 days                                     (Tea loses potency after 2 days, so finish drinking within 2 days)​



Other information:

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•   After about 10 days you will find the tea easier to drink as your taste and digestion will become accustomed to it
•  Due to variations in absorption of the herbs and size of the herb formula, the amount of tea you will need to drink per dose may vary. You can adjust the cooking water up or down depending on whether you like the tea stronger or more dilute. It may be easier to digest and drink diluted, though you will then need to drink more tea in a 2-day period. If you want to dilute your tea after cooking, just add more water​