How do you make herbal tea from fresh herbs?

First you need to dry the leaves. Place on paper towels and put in the sun in a clean, dry sanitary place. After they are dry and crumbly, steep as you would tea leaves.

Lavender and spearmint are good. I have a chocolate mint plant that makes a great herbal tea mixed with lavender. I use honey for sweetener. Delicious.

You don’t need to dry them first. You make tea by pouring hot water over the leaves and letting it steep. Then pour the liquid into a cup and sip.

Experiment to see how you like it. For example, don’t boil the spearmint, just use hot water, so that it won’t taste like grass. Start with a few leaves and increase if you want it stronger.

Look up each herb online. You will find specific suggestions, recipes, etc.

TEAS

Teas are the easiest and cheapest way of preparing herbs, plus some herbs act better and quicker when taken with hot water. The only drawback of drinking tea is that some herbs really taste bad. It only cost a few cents per dose, and some herb combinations provide fast relief.
There are 2 different ways of preparing a tea:

Infusions are made by pouring hot or boiling water on the herbs and steeping for a period of time usually 20 to 45 minutes, commercially prepared tea bags are grounded fine to make tea faster, in about 5 minutes.
Cold infusions are made by placing herbs in cold water and letting them sit for about 8 hours, this method is used when the herbs are sensitive to heat or loose their essential oil when heated.

DECOCTIONS

Whenever the herb to be used is hard and woody, it is better to make a decoction rather than an infusion or tea, to ensure that the soluble contents of the herbs actually reach the water. Since many herb preparations consist in using bark, roots, wood, nuts, and seeds, it is necessary to boil the herb and more heat has to be used, in order to get through the hard and strong walls of these herbs.

Decoctions are prepared by simmering the herbs for 30 minutes or longer. The high temperature over a long period of time releases more properties from thick barks and roots, remember to keep the heat low and cover the saucepan in order to keep the essential properties inside and to avoid too much evaporation.

If the recipe you are making calls for the use of soft and hard herbs, I recommend to make a decoction and an infusion separately, then combine the two liquids. This way the sensitive properties of the soft herb remain intact, and the hard to get properties from the hard herb is collected as well. However, if the hard herb contains oil, it is best to powder it and then use in an infusion, rather than a decoction, to ensure that the volatile oil does not evaporate.

To prepare a decoction follow the step below.

1.- Put one tsp. of dried herb (broken into small pieces) or three tsp. of fresh herb (cut into small pieces) in a saucepan, add 1 cup of water. These are general proportions.

2.- Boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or the time given for the mixture you are preparing. If the herb contains some oils, put a lid on the saucepan to avoid evaporation.

3.- Strain the herbs while the preparation is still hot.

TINCTURES

Are also called liquid extracts and are the most potent herb preparation due to the concentration of the herbal medicine. Tinctures can be used externally as an antiseptic, disinfectant or local antibiotic. This concentrated form of herbs is very useful for people that are taking large doses of a bad tasting herb, since the strength of tinctures is very high they should be taken in a diluted form mixing them with juices.
Tinctures are made with alcohol to extract the properties and compound in the herbs this makes them more powerful and faster acting. Even though we are talking about a very potent herb preparation the dosage can be estimated, these are herbs that are very safe even for a child, there is no danger of poisoning unlike synthetic drugs that can be fatal. To prepare a tincture you mix:

1 ounce of dried or powdered herbs.
5 ounces of vodka (vodka is 50 % alcohol).

Chop herbs in a blender and put them in a dark glass jar. Cover the herbs with vodka, make sure they are completely submerged. Close jar tightly and store in a dark, dry and cool place for 2 weeks at room temperature. Shake the jar every day enough to move the herbs and liquid around. After 2 weeks filter the herb pulp and store in a cool place. A tincture can last for more then 5 years.

VINEGARS

The process of making herbal vinegar is similar to the one use to prepare tinctures, but in the first one vinegar is used to get the properties of the herb instead of alcohol. Vinegar herbs are not as potent as tincture but they do not contain alcohol and they can be used in meals such as salads which makes them easy to drink.

TIP: Vinegar damages tooth enamel, make sure you rinse your mouth with water after drinking it. To make a vinegar formula use the following:

1 ounce fresh or dried herbs.
5 ounces vinegar (any kind).

Chop herbs in a blender and put them in a dark glass jar. Cover the herbs with vinegar, make sure they are completely submerged. Close jar tightly and store in a dark, dry and cool place for 2 weeks at room temperature. Shake the jar every day enough to move the herbs and liquid around. After 2 weeks filter the herb pulp and store in a cool place. A tincture can last for more then 2 years.

External use herbal preparations:

BODY OILS

Body oils are made from essential oils and are used for massage of injuries such as muscles, burns, bruises etc. They are a good alternative for children that refuse to take herbs orally. Body oils are also used for skin condi