We all know the power of herbal remedies. There are countless herbs with potent properties that have the power to change our body chemistry, our health, and our lives. Yet, what is the best way to ingest these natural miracles? We’ll go over 3 primary ways people can take their herbal remedies, pointing out the pros and cons of each.
Capsules
Capsules are the simplest way to take remedies, there’s no denying that. The benefit of capsules is that the herbs are ground into a fine powder. This gives each tiny particle of herb much more surface area, meaning that it will be absorbed by the body more efficiently. Additionally, capsules are relatively easy to take, and they don’t have a taste to them. For herbs with a powerful odor or taste – garlic, for example – capsules might be the best option.
Something to consider is that some herbs need to be treated or brewed in order to achieve maximum efficacy. Take ginger, for example. Tough to cut into or grind, ginger is best absorbed in a tea form, rather than a powder or pill.
Teas
As we just mentioned, for herbs or roots that can be difficult to grind, a tea can be the best option. There are a variety of different ways to prepare herbal teas, each with their own purpose and effect. Some herbs are better served as one tea or another, it simply depends upon the herb in question.
1. Hot tea – also called “short infusion” teas, these are teas brewed quickly, making small batches of herbal remedy to be sipped slowly over time. Oily herbs, such as flower petals, do well with this sort of treatment.
2. Room temperature tea – some root herbs benefit from being soaked before ingestion. For room temperature teas, simply place the root inside a sealed container and let it soak for between 4-12 hours. Soak longer for a more nutrient-dense tea, with a richer, more intense flavor.
3. Overnight tea – also called “long infusion tea,” this tea is brewed overnight, using hot water at the beginning of the process. Much like room temperature tea, the longer this tea is brewed, the more concentrated and nutrient-rich the tea will be. This is a great method for brewing teas out of highly versatile herbs that offer a variety of health benefits. Brew an overnight tea with them and enjoy a multivitamin brew all day long!
4. Decoction tea – this is another brew method using hot water, like overnight tea or hot tea. The difference is that you simmer this tea for far longer, while keeping the overall brew time shorter than overnight tea. This is also perfect for thick roots or other herbs that would be difficult to grind up or dissolve. Keep this brew covered to prevent the nutrients from escaping as steam. Decoction tea can be very strongly flavored, so keep some honey or lemon juice handy to add in case you need to sweeten the taste a bit!
Tinctures
These are concentrated extracts of herbal remedies, typically in a solution of alcohol or glycerin. A primary benefit to tinctures is that they stay preserved naturally for far longer than teas or capsules. Another benefit is that you only need a small amount of them to get an equivalent amount of nutrients to a tea or capsule.
One thing to think about is that tinctures can be very strong in their doses. For some herbs, you only need a small amount to keep yourself in balance. You may actually be ingesting more of the herb using tinctures than you realize. Additionally, tinctures may have the strongest flavor out of all 3 options. Some tinctures can be very bitter or otherwise taste-aversive. For that reason, people with more delicate palates should check out other options first.
How Can Balanced Health Help?
We’d love to brew a cup of tea for you, but that’s hard to do through email!
We hope these tea tips are helpful!
Many of the herbs you find in teas, can also be found in our remedies, and you may see herbs, like ginger, recommended when there is a stressed Digestive System.
At Balanced Health, we CAN support you with tinctures and capsules that are energetically balanced for your specific bioenergetic pattern that comes from your own hair and saliva.
That pattern may show stress in your gut, or other areas that affect your gut, like your Nervous System.
When we say TEST, don’t GUESS we are creating personalized
supplement suggestions using our Full Scan, or our popular Remedy Scan.
(which is also part of the Full Scan)
With any of our scans, you’ll receive an easy-to-understand report guiding you through your results!
Want to hear about our favorite supplements?
This blog post here shares some common supplements that we recommend to many of our Scan Clients here!
*This is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice.
