Tracker of Plants

A few days ago I gathered plants for making infusions. An infusion is kinda like a tea, but unlike a tea it is made with a lot of herb that is steeped for a really long time. For example an ounce (by weight) of dried leaves is used in a quart of water and this is steeped for at least 4 hours. It is often easiest just to let it sit overnight. In the morning strain it and drink hot or cold. Store unused portion in the fridge.

Infusions are generally made of “food grade” herbs. What I mean by this is herbs that you could eat as much as you wanted of without any adverse reactions. That’s not to say that you would want to eat all of these herbs, some of them are too tough or have an unpalatable texture, which is why infusions are the perfect solution for extracting their valuable vitamins and minerals. Other herbs, such as those in the mint family, are too strong in essential oils or other potentially poisonous chemical constituents and are better suited for shorter brewing or smaller doses.

STEP 1: Dry Plant.

The infusion is made of dried and crushed herb, this helps the water break through the cell walls releasing more “good stuff”. If you don’t have a scale to weigh out an ounce try using about a cup of finely crumbled herb per quart of water. If you collect it yourself it will tend be fluffier than the stuff from the bulk bins at the herb store so use a little more or cut and sift it really well. To keep things neat I usually crumble my dried plants in a paper bag. The bag pictured below contains all of the comfrey from the door above. Not much is it?

STEP 2: Crush plant.

Each herb has specific medicinal properties (nettle is good for energy and regulating the adrenal system, mullein is good for the respiratory system, violets are anti-cancer, burdock strengthens the liver, red clover and raspberry are reproductive tonics, and comfrey builds strong joints, muscles, and skin), but you can drink any one mentioned here at any time as a vitamin supplement in a glass, think green superfood drinks minus the nasty thickness. To experience the long-term benefits you’ll want to drink at least 2 quarts a week of herbal infusion. Drink each batch within about 3 days. If it tastes or smells funny you can still use it to water plants or rinse your hair.

I no longer take storebought vitamins or supplements of any kind, they’re expensive (‘though I used to steal them by palming them in one hand below the checkout counter as I paid for the rest of my groceries with the other), they create waste and destruction in the form of shipping little plastic bottles all around the world, they aren’t fresh, you never know what’s in them, and you don’t get to experience the herb, the smell, the taste. There’s no relationship developed with the plant. And while it seems like a good idea for lazy people who aren’t going to take them any other way, herbs in capsules suck. Because encapsulated herbs bypass your “poison safety system”, your mouth and taste buds, and dissolve directly in the guts, it’s a lot easier to harm yourself.

Furthermore standardized extracts meant to regulate potency place too much importance on one constituent, when a multitude of phytochemicals working together is often what really does the job. Sometimes one chemical even balances out the negative side effects of the other chemicals. For example herbalists report when using homemade St. Johns wort tincture their clients never claim increased photosensitivity (sunburn) whereas this is a common concern with standardized extracts. Likewise willow bark is reported to be more effective than it’s refined counterpart aspirin and does not cause the bleeding in the stomach that aspirin does. Mother nature doesn’t fuck up.

STEP 3: Put a cup or so in a container.

If you drink infusions in any quantity you may find it difficult to gather, dry, and process enough herbs, and find yourself ordering in bulk like I do from a company like mountainroseherbs.com, but I encourage you to try harvesting herbs yourself at least some of the time. I learned a how to make infusions, and from Susun Weed, who learned them from the great gypsy herbalist Juliette DeBairacli. Both of them have excellent books you should check out if you are into this kind of thing. Actually most of the information in this article is based on the teachings of Susun Weed, even though I think she’s a total green bitch. I won’t get into that here, we agree on most things.

Other good herbs for making infusions include oatstraw, corn silk, and linden blossom. Some of these will create a very intense brew which your taste buds may not be accustomed to, swamp water, some of my friends have called it. If that is the case try adding ice. I almost always drink my infusions iced, it makes a world of difference. Any questions?

STEP 4: Add a quart of boiling water. Wait.