Childbearing Year

Herbal Infusions

Herbal Infusions

Herbal infusions differ from herbal teas: They are darker in color and richer tasting because their long brewing extracts many more nutrients -- especially minerals. My favorite nourishing herbal infusions for are oatstraw, red clover blossoms, stinging nettle leaves, and comfrey leaves.

To prepare your infusion: Put a quart of cold water up to boil. Weigh one ounce of dried (not fresh!) herb into a quart canning jar. Go brush your teeth and count your grey hairs until the teapot whistles. Pour the boiling water into the jar with your herb (only one herb at a time, please!), screw on a tight lid, turn off the light, and go to bed. Next morning strain out the herb and drink the liquid: cold, hot, or at room temperature. Add honey, tamari, or milk if desired.

Learn more in this online course:
www.wisewomanschool.com/p/nourishing-herbal-infusions

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Nourishing herbal infusions

 

From the Wise Woman perspective, the perfect way to maintain bone health, bone flexibility, and resistance to fracture is to use mineral-rich herbs and foods. Because minerals are bulky, and do not compact, we must consume generous amounts to make a difference in our health. Just as eating a teaspoon a carrots is laughable, so is taking mineral-rich herbs in capsule or tincture form. Because minerals are rock-like, we need to break open cell walls to get at them. Raw, fresh foods do not deliver minerals to our bodies. To extract minerals, we need heat, time, and generous quantities of plant material. I prefer to extract minerals into water or vinegar.

To make a nourishing herbal infusion, I pour one quart/liter boiling water over one ounce/30 grams of dried herb in a canning jar, covering it tightly, and letting it brew overnight. In the morning, I strain out the mineral-rich liquid and drink it -- over ice or heated, with honey or milk, mixed with black tea, seasoned with mint, spiked with rum, however you want it. You can drink the entire quart in one day, but do finish it within two.

My favorite nourishing herbal infusions are made from oatstraw (Avena sativa) or nettle (Urtica dioica) or red clover (Trifolium pratense) or comfrey leaves (Symphytum uplandica x). I sometimes add a little bit of aromatic herb such as peppermint (Mentha pipperata), lemon balm (Melissa off.), or bergamot (Monarda didyma) to change the flavor.

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https://www.wisewomanschool.com/p/nourishing-herbal-infusions
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Nourishing herbal infusions

My favorite herbs for making nourishing infusions are:

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) for lots of energy.
Red clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense) to forstall cancer.
Oatstraw (Avena sativa) to be very, very sexy.
Comfrey leaves (Smyphytum uplandica x) to help the memory.
Linden blossoms (Tillia species) to counter inflammation.
Chickweed (Stellaria media) to lose weight.
Hawthorn blossoms (Crataegus oxycantha) for older hearts.
Raspberry leaves (Rubus species) for uterine health.

To brew a nourishing herbal infusion
Place one ounce (30 grams) of dried herb by weight in a quart (liter) jar.
Fill jar to the top with boiling water.
Cap tightly and steep for at least four hours; overnight is fine.
After brewing, strain the liquid from the herbs.
Squeeze the herbs to get all the goodness out.
Refrigerate the liquid, which needs to be consumed with a day or two.
Drink your nourishing herbal infusion over ice or heated up, with honey or not.
I drink 2-4 cups of infusion a day.

You can mix nourishing herbal infusions with fruit juice or soda water; you can add whiskey or miso, honey or ginger to them, or flavor them in any way that appeals to you.

More info:
http://nourishingherbalinfusions.com/

External Uses of Infusions

External Uses of Infusions

A soak consists of an infusion that has been rewarmed after the plant material has been strained out. The affected body part is then soaked in the warm infusion.

If you soak your feet in an herbal infusion, it's a foot bath, an excellent way to soothe and heal the entire body, and absorb herbal benefits.
A sitz bath is a big soak! Two or more quarts of infusion are usually needed to fill a shallow bowl or pan big enough for you to "sitz" in.
A bath is an enormous soak, like steeping your body in an infusion. You can prepare an herbal bath by putting the herbs directly in the tub, but my plumber made it clear to me that herbs and drains are incompatible. Some herbals say to put the herbs in a cloth and allow the bath water to run over them but I find the resulting bath too weak. If you want a strong herbal bath, try it this way: Infuse two quarts of your favorite bath herb, strain, and add the liquid to your hot bath. Ahhhhh!
Enemas, douches, and eyewashes are herbal infusions carefully strained and inserted into the proper body cavity.
Plant material strained out as an infusion still contains healing qualities and can be used to poultice. Simply place the damp plant material, warmed if desired, or fresh plant material grated, chewed, or crushed, directly on the body. Poultices are preferred for first aid and infections.
Make a compress by putting macerated fresh or infused dried plant material into a cloth. Compressing is recommended when using hairy herbs like Comfrey leaf which irritate sensitive skin. They are less messy than poultices, and are often the choice when dealing with internal organs and growths.
For a fomentation, take a clean washcloth or a small cotton towel, soak it in a heated infusion, wring it out, and apply. Fomentations treat breast congestion, sprains, muscle aches, and the like.
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Raspberry Leaf - Uterine Tonic

Raspberry Leaf - Uterine Tonic

Brewed as a tea or as an infusion, raspberry leaf is the best known and safest of all uterine and pregnancy tonic herbs.

Red Raspberry Infusion

Red Raspberry Infusion

Susun Weed and her granddaughter, Monica Jean discusses the benefits of red raspberry leaf and demonstrates how to make a nourishing herbal infusion.

Severe pregnancy nausea

Severe pregnancy nausea

An email question is read from a woman who is nauseous and unable to keep food down. She asks Susuns advice.
Susun suggests nourishing herbal infusions as well as other suggestions.

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call or Skype in: 1-646-929-2463, with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
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Anemia Prevention Brew

Anemia Prevention Brew

excerpt from: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

½ ounce dried Nettle leaves
½ ounce dried Parsley leaves
½ ounce dried Comfrey leaves
½ ounce dried Yellow Dock root
¼ ounce dried Peppermint leaves

Measure herbs and put them into a glass half-gallon juice jar.
Pour boiling water in until the jar is totally full; cover tightly.
Steep for at least eight hours.

This brew contains three excellent sources of iron: Nettle, Parsley, and Yellow Dock.
It provides folic acid from the Parsley and vitamin B12 from the Comfrey.
The green herbs all contribute vitamin C which aids iron absorption.
The Mint makes it tasty.
Drink freely, up to four cups a day , for one week each month.
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excerpt from: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year
www.wisewomanbookshop.com/product-page/wise-woman-herbal-for-the-childbearing-year

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External Uses of Infusions

External Uses of Infusions

A soak consists of an infusion that has been rewarmed after the plant material has been strained out. The affected body part is then soaked in the warm infusion.

If you soak your feet in an herbal infusion, it's a foot bath, an excellent way to soothe and heal the entire body, and absorb herbal benefits.

A sitz bath is a big soak! Two or more quarts of infusion are usually needed to fill a shallow bowl or pan big enough for you to "sitz" in.

° A bath is an enormous soak, like steeping your body in an infusion. You can prepare an herbal bath by putting the herbs directly in the tub, but my plumber made it clear to me that herbs and drains are incompatible. Some herbals say to put the herbs in a cloth and allow the bath water to run over them but I find the resulting bath too weak. If you want a strong herbal bath, try it this way: Infuse two quarts of your favorite bath herb, strain, and add the liquid to your hot bath. Ahhhhh!

Enemas, douches, and eyewashes are herbal infusions carefully strained and inserted into the proper body cavity.

Plant material strained out as an infusion still contains healing qualities and can be used to poultice. Simply place the damp plant material, warmed if desired, or fresh plant material grated, chewed, or crushed, directly on the body. Poultices are preferred for first aid and infections.

Make a compress by putting macerated fresh or infused dried plant material into a cloth. Compressing is recommended when using hairy herbs like Comfrey leaf which irritate sensitive skin. They are less messy than poultices, and are often the choice when dealing with internal organs and growths.

For a fomentation, take a clean washcloth or a small cotton towel, soak it in a heated infusion, wring it out, and apply. Fomentations treat breast congestion, sprains, muscle aches, and the like.

 

 

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Hormonal acne

Hi Susun,

I am writing for help with my hormonal acne. I get very painful spots and cysts only on my chin for the last three years, and it worsens just before ovulation and menstruation. The spots alternate sides of my chin every week or so. I've had my hormones tested at day 22 of my cycle, and know that I am what's called "estrogen dominant" with very low progesterone, low estrogen, and a high ratio of estrogen to progesterone. I take vitex tincture during the second half of my cycle, and peony tincture daily (thanks to herbalist Matthew Wood). I take burdock tincture 3x/day. I drink nourishing herbal infusions, mostly red clover 1 quart/day. I eat tons of yogurt and do eat animal fat. I feel like I have tried every skincare treatment, topical or internal, and every elimination diet in the book, but nothing has made the chin spots disappear. I am 25 and have dealt with this for three and a half years; it began directly after a deeply traumatic event when I was 21. Help!

What would you recommending doing, not doing, or adding to my life to nourish my skin and NOT balance but support my hormones, if indeed they are the cause of the spots? Should I drink burdock nourishing herbal infusions as well as taking burdock tincture - and what dose of tincture?

Thank you
Heather

 

Hello,
Susun addressed your question during her recent radio show - link included below:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed/2013/10/29/ask-susun-weed--herbalist-and-health-expert

And in case you miss it, as it was brought up towards the end, Susun says, please do not drink so much red clover, it is a blood thinner and if you are drinking a quart a week, that is too much .... one quart a week is fine - best to concentrate on other herbs such as nettles, oatstraw...

blessings,
Kim
Wise Woman Team

www.wisewomanweb.com
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www.wisewomanuniversity.org
www.wisewomanmentor.com

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed

 

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If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her new Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
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