How Herbs can INFLUENCE our body.
It is well-known fact that one and the same plant has different effects on people. When using herbs, we have to take into account our body type and the state of our health. Herbs influence people’s organs and their functions in different ways. A thing to remember is that taking a certain group of plants is more effective than each one separately. That’s why, when faced with severe, prolonged illness, traditional medicine offers a combination of herbs. Using a combination of herbs also exclude mutual negative impacts, although we cannot always be sure of the final result. That’s why, a reasonably wise thing to do, in not to experiment with different herb combinations and end up with an uncertain outcome. Use a combination of herbs that was used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel preparing herbal tea blends. Instead use only checked and tested recipes that have positive testimonies.
Tinctures (Steamers and Decoctions).
It’s very easy to prepare tinctures. They are also used more often. But sometimes there is a need to strengthen the effectiveness of the medicinal mixture or a certain herbal component. In this case the remedy may need to be cooked longer at a high temperature in water. Steamer is a process of preparing roots by long languishing them in the oven or thermos. This remedy needs a strong heat treatment. A sufficiently high temperature helps to convert substance into a suitable form for the human organism, and to soluble in water.
How to Make Herbal Steamer.
Put 4 tablespoons of tea mixture into a bowl (not metal). Add boiling water, stir and cover. Put it in the oven, preheated approximately to 100 C° above zero. Hold until morning, maintaining this temperature than strain. Dosage depends on age, sex, constitution, health. Also take into account the possible side effects when using medicinal herbs.
If your tea composition comprises roots, bark, berries, leaves, it’s better to prepare a decoction.
How to Make Herbal Decoction.
Put 4 tablespoons of the mixture into a glass or ceramic bowl. Add cold water, stir, cover it and leave it for 6-8 hours (preferably overnight). In the morning boil your mixture for 5-7 minutes. Use it internally. Dosage depends on age, sex and state of health; also take into account the possible side effects when using medicinal herbs. You can warm it up before usage and add sugar or honey if you like.
Store steamers and decoctions in the sealed containers and cool places, for example, in the refrigerator.
When dosing tea infusions take into account body weight, health and age. These key elements are especially important when determining the dose for children.
The determination is as follows: the proportion of tea or root decoction should be reduced according to the table. Thus, if an adult dose is one cup (200 ml) three times a day, the dose for one year old child is 1/10 of normal adult dosage - 200: 10 = 20 ml, which corresponds to 4 teaspoons 3 times day.
As a rule, medicinal plants contain a negligible amount of active substance and it’s almost impossible to measure them, therefore, we consume only the microscopically small number of them. Despite this, the healing often comes quickly.
Sometimes, prolonged or chronic illness requires a long phytotherapy and the process of treatment can last for months. In this case, it is recommended to make a 2 weeks break after 2 months of taking herbal remedies and then the treatment can be resumed.
The recommended dosage for the child in relation to an adult
| Age of a child | Dose for a child | Dose for an adult |
| Up to 1 year | 1/12 – 1/8 | 1 |
| 1-4 years | 1/4 | 1 |
| 4-6 years | 1/3 | 1 |
| 7-10 years | 1/2 | 1 |
| 10-14 years | 3/4 | 1 |