What is drying herbs and why?

Drying Herbs makes them available year round. When herbs are dried, their cell walls break down, which enables the properties of the plants to be released once the herbs are rehydrated.

Dry herbs in the shade in a warm, well-ventilated area and they may be dried on a nylon or stainless steel screen, in a shallow box, or loosely in a paper bag.

Some have found that drying herbs in a paper bag in the backseat of their car to be very affective.

Herbs also can be tied in small bunches and string them up in an attic or warm room to dry.

Most herbs dry in four to seven days. Hen leaves and flowers crumble between fingers, which is a good indication they are dry enough; if they bend and remain flexible, they probably still contain moisture that needs to evaporate.

To test a root for dryness, slice into it in a couple of places; if the root is dry to the touch in its center, it’s ready to be stored.

Storing undried herbs in a glass jar is likely to result in mold growth.

Another method to test for dryness is to seal a sample of the herb in a small, dry glass jar. If droplets of moisture appear on the lid, the herbs moisture is still too high and the drying process must be resumed.
What is drying herbs and why?

Special Herbs for Women

Special Herbs for Women
Some women may use herbal teas during pregnancy to get away from caffeine-containing beverages.

However, because of the potentially embryotoxic, teratogenic and abortifacient effects of some herbal teas, pregnant women are advised to exercise moderation in their use of herbal beverages.

Before using any herbal tea, a pregnant woman should first consult with her physician.

Leonurus cardiaca L
A tea made from the above ground parts of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L.), a member of the mint family, has been used to treat amenorrhea and irregular menstruation and to stimulate uterine activity.

Motherwort contains the alkaloids stachydrine and leonurine, as well as flavonoids, iridoids, tannins and terpenoids.

Extracts of motherwort have shown antispasmodic, cardiotonic , hypotensive and sedative properties.

Motherwort is not recommended during pregnancy.

Capsella bursa-pastoris
Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is a member of the mustard family and grows as a weed in backyards, farmlands and roadside nationwide.

Its name derives from the purse shape of the seedpots of the plant.

The above ground parts can be prepared into capsules, tablets or a tea.

The plant has been historically used for its antihemorrhagic action. It is used in Europe for the symptomatic treatment of nosebleeds and mild menorrhagia and metrorrhagia.

Vitex agnus castus
The fruit of the chaste tree (Vitex agnus castus) has been used for centuries for menstrual difficulties.

In one study, 93% of patients treated with vitex experienced alleviation or elimination of PMS symptoms. Such as breast tenderness, bloating, irritability, headache, anger and depression.

Rubus idaeus
Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is commonly used by women to shorten labor and facilitate an easier childbirth.

Red raspberry contains a compound that produces more regular uterine contraction; hence raspberry is widely use as a childbirth aid.

Australia study found raspberry leaves safe and effective for shortening the second stage of labor.

The study also indicated that women ingesting raspberry leaves might be less likely to experience premature rupture of their membranes or require a Caesarean section, forceps or vacuum birth that the control group.

Red raspberry is also used as a mouthwash and gargle for sore throats due to its astringent properties.
Special Herbs for Women

Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel
Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a deciduous shrub also called tobacco wood. Many tribes including the Cherokee and Iroquois have used a tea made from the leaves or bark to treat coughs, colds, fevers and sore throats. Because witch hazel is an astringent, it is also effective at treating diarrhea. This herb also has been used as an anti-bacterial, anti inflammatory, haemostatic (control bleeding), synoptic sedative and tonic.

Topically, witch hazel is widely used to treat skin irritations, bites and stings, cuts, and bruises and is an ingredient in many over the counter topical medicines.

To make tea, place one spoon of witch hazel bark or leaves in a pan; cover with one cup of water; bring to a boil; boil for ten to fifteen minutes; cover; cool and strain. Take up to one cup a day, a tablespoon at a time.

Witch hazel is used to relieve sugar diabetes. It will not cure it, but it will relieve the symptoms. The patients will not have to take pills or shots. A glass a day of the tea made with witch hazel for a month will put a person back to normal. After that, he or she may need to take another glass once a month or so.
Witch Hazel

Herbal Teas

Herbal Teas
People have been consuming herbal teas for as long as they have known how to heat water – since well before recorded history. Unlike green, black and oolong teas, herbal teas can be made from virtually any plant, and from any part of the plant, including roots, flowers, seeds, berries or bark. These are some herbs, such as Echinacea, ginkgo leaf, saw palmetto and milk thistle, which are not effective at healing when taken in tea form because their active components are not water soluble, and the concentration needed for medicinal potency is so high it can be obtained only from an extract, pill or capsule.

Different herbal teas, which sometimes contain thousands of beneficial active compounds, have their own distinct healing uses. Herbal teas are very good for relieving mild to moderate ailments such as upset stomach, sore throat, coughs, stuffy nose and insomnia.

Many herbal teas are available in tea bags form. They can also be prepared from the raw herbs. To make an herbal teas gently crumble leaves and flowers and break roots and bark into pieces and place them into ceramic or glass container. Cover the herb part with boiling water and allow them to steep.

Most herbs should be steeped for four to six minutes, although some herbal teas, such as chamomile, need to be steeped for fifteen to twenty minutes in a covered container in order to deliver their full therapeutic. Other herbs, such as ginseng roots, can be boiled. Astragalus can be lightly simmered for several hours. In fact, in Asia, ginseng root, astragalus, dong quai and other herbs are added to chicken broth to make a tonic soup that is both food and medicine.
Herbal Teas,

Red Raspberry Drinks

Red Raspberry Drinks
Red Raspberry popular as a folk remedy for painful and profuse menstruation and as a tonic during pregnancy. Brewed as a tea or as an infusion, raspberry is the best known, most widely used, and safest of all uterine and pregnancy tonic herbs. It contains fragrine, an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. Most of the benefits ascribed to regular use of Raspberry tea through pregnancy are traced to the nourishing source of vitamins and minerals found in this plant and to the strengthening power of fragrine.

Red raspberry has health benefits beyond women’s issue. Red raspberry also valued traditionally as an astringent treatment for diarrhea, nausea, stomach ailments, colds, mouth sores, and inflamed mucous membranes of the throat. The tannins in the leaf make it effective in soothing inflammation in the digestive tract and can alleviate diarrhea, especially in children. Red raspberry leaves also contain significant amounts of vitamins A, C and E as well as the entire B-complex.

It is the abundant citrate of iron in the raspberry leaf and berry that gives this plant an excellent prevention and treatment for anemia, female organ "regulating" properties as well as the contracting action on the female genitalia and other tissues and membranes.

Raspberry leaf drinks also acts as an astringent on irritated skin by tightening the top layers of skin or mucous membranes effectively reducing secretions, relieving irritation, and improving tissue firmness. As a mouth wash it is sued to soothe mouth and throat irritations.

How to prepare red raspberry tea? Place one ounce of dried raspberry leaves into a pint of boiling water (or half a pound per gallon) and simmer for ten minutes (though some recommend two to three hours to get maximum benefit from them). Drink the tea cold.

Caution: red raspberry is a mild uterine stimulant. Pregnant women should consult a qualified health care practitioner before using it.
Red Raspberry Drinks

Thai Traditional Herbal Beverages

Herbal Drinks
Thai people have, over the centuries, adapted their living conditions in the hot and humid tropics through their housing, clothing, foods, and beverages. Traditional herbal beverages, the subject of this paper, have played an important role, not only in quenching the thirst, but also in providing therapy for common ailments.

Thai traditional herbal beverages can be classified into six groups, viz.
(i) herbal teas,
(ii) herbal drinks,
(iii) herbal juices,
(iv) herbal milks,
(v) toddies, and
(v) coconut water.
Herbal teas are obtained by infusion of fresh or dry plant material. Popular Thai traditional herbal teas are made from Roselle, chrysanthemum, safflower, and bael fruit. Herbal drinks are obtained by decoction or concoction from flowers, fruits, leaves, and roots/rhizomes; popular traditional herbal drinks are made from roselle, pomegranate, sugar apple, tamarind, lime, carambola, longan, mulberry, native apricot, and bael fruit.

Herbal juices are obtained by expression from fruits (e.g. mandarin, orange, and pineapple), and stem of sugarcane. Herbal milks are obtained by expression of plant materials; most popular ones are soybean and young-rice milks. Toddy, a special kind of herbal beverage, is a sweet aromatic sap exuded out through root pressure from cut surface of the inflorescence of the coconut and sugar palms. Coconut water is unique in that it is the only beverage in which the water is obtained by decanting from fruit cavity of the coconut.
Through the use of traditional and local wisdom and knowledge of local plants, the Thais since ancient times have developed effective methods of preparing traditional beverages with healthy and refreshing properties.
Herbal Drinks