As you can see, some of your herbs are items that you will prefer fresh as a garnish on foods. Others will work best in tea form or powdered. You may even prefer that all of them be in tincture form. Remember, each form will have a different effect and each person may interact with the herb differently. The point of this part of the course is to determine which of these plants are so similar in cellular makeup to your body, that your internal healing structures are a match made in heaven.

If you plan to use the herbals in tincture form then your Yoruba Herbalist can supply you with what you need. Or if you are ready to take the next step in your healing journey, you may attend a medicine making workshop or start the Herbal Apprenticeship course. We love cultivating healers and would be very excited to have you become an Herbalist for yourself and the community.

Using Herbs

Powders

Powders are dried herbs ground to a fine consistency. You can sprinkle over foods, take in capsules, add to a drink or make a tonic by adding to water. The most concealing way to add powders is to hide them in soups or chili.

Salves

These preparations combine a medicinal herb with an oily base for external use. The point is to place the herbs on the skin to blend with its secretions in order to penetrate the organ.

Syrups

Syrups are used to improve the the bitter taste of the herbs and to administer soothing qualities for sore throats. Any herb may be infused into honey or maple syrup in order to get the medicinal qualities of the herb.

Teas, Infusions, and Decoctions

People have been consuming herbal teas for as long as heating water was a thing. Unlike green, black, and oolong teas, herbal teas can be made from any plant. This includes the roots, leaves, berries, seeds, or bark. Precaution must be taken and full knowledge of each of the plant's parts must be taken into account. Some parts pf some plants are not water soluble and some are even poisonous. An infusion is a form of tea where you simply boil water and add desired part of the plant. A decoction is tea made from the thicker plant parts. These also contain lignin, a substance that is difficult to dissolve in water. Thus, decoctions require a more vigorous method than infusions.

Tinctures

Extraction of the medicinal plant constituents using solvents such as alcohol or glycerol. The herb is soaked in the solvent using a particular recipe over a certain period of time. It is then pressed and strained to render the tincture.

Vinegars

Herbal vinegars can serve as medicine and as a salad topping. To make an herbal vinegar, add the herb of your choice to Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic vinegar, Rice vinegar, or Malt vinegar. Allow to steep for 4 days (agitating the solution daily), strain, and press into a dark bottle.

Wines

Steeping herbs in wine is a novel and pleasant way to use them medicinally. Wine does not keep as long as the stronger alcohol so refigeration and quick consumption is necessary.

Interaction

Start your interaction by choosing 1 herb from each category. You may choose to mix them together and make a tea or infusion (what's that gonna taste like?) or mix and match preparations.

Tea

Dried - Herbal Tea Boiling Instructions

1. Add 8 cups of water to a Chinese herbal teapot or a regular glass or ceramic pot.

(Note: Avoid using copper or iron pots, which may alter the therapeutic quality of herbs).

2. Add 4 tablespoons of dried herbs to the water. The water should cover all of the herbs

3. Bring water to a boil and reduce to medium heat. Cover.

4. Brew for 25 minutes to 30 minutes.

5. Strain the herbal mixture into a cup and drink.

6. For the best results, drink one hour before meals, on an empty stomach. It may also be taken before bedtime.

7. If the drink is too bitter, you may add honey to improve the flavor.

Fresh - Herbal tea Boiling Instructions

For herbal teas, heat the water until just below the boiling point, around 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which you can tell by removing the kettle just before it whistles or by pouring some water in a cup and using a digital instant-read thermometer. Pour a cupful of water on top of the herbs and spices.

1. French Press method: Place the plunger unit on top of the carafe. Let the mixture steep for 5 minutes and depress the plunger, then pour yourself a cup of herbal tea.

2. Tea basket and teapot or mug, or glass teapot method: Warm the teapot or mug and pour out the water. Insert the basket infuser and pour the hot water in from a height of about 6 inches, so it burbles. Allow it to steep about 5 minutes. You can reinfuse the herbs multiple times.

Bath Infusion - See Creating Your Routine > Bathing

Tinctures - Follow Instructions on prepared Tinctures from your Herbalist

Follow guidelines for interacting with your HERO herbs for at least 2 weeks before determining whether you should switch or incorporate a new herb. Make sure to take detailed notes on how you feel each day and especially make note of what you feel within 45 minutes of incorporating a HERO.

When deciding to switch to a new herb, you do not have to change an herb in each category. If you are taking an Herban Brand supplement that incorporates more than 1 of your selected HERO herbs, then you may count no more than 2 of those herbs even if there are more listed in the ingredients. In an effort to keep your body in motion, adding fresh plants and/or teas to herbal supplements is required. You may incorporate any of the following on a given day.

Example:

Tincture - Supplement (powdered/capsules) - Fresh

Fresh - Bath - Tincture

Tea - Bath - Fresh

Supplement - Tea - Tincture

Now you can create HERO Meals

In order to give the body what it needs each day, you're going to have to learn how to combine your HERO herbs with food in order to create HERO meals. A combination of cooked foods, fresh vegetables and herbs, and room temperature drinks or hot teas will create perfection in your internal environment. Play around with foods and herbs from your Prescription for Nutritional Healing book. Use the Optimum Daily Intakes chart as a guide to know how much you'll need to incorporate in a day. Plan ahead and make sure to supplement where your food lacks.