Herbs & Cultures

From plant to use

Decoction

Simmering roots, bark and seeds so they release their flavour and compounds.

Herbs prepared this way (466)

Level: Easy
Ratio: About 1 tablespoon of dried, coarsely cut material per 300–500 ml of cold water.
Time: Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15–30 minutes with the lid on. Mushrooms often longer.
Shelf life: Covered in the fridge for 1–2 days.

Hard plant parts give up little in a short infusion. That is why many traditions gently boil roots, bark, seeds and berries: a decoction. Think of ginger root, cinnamon bark and the herbal formulas of Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine.

Suited to

Roots, rhizomes, bark, seeds, dried berries and mushrooms.

Step by step

Cut or crack the material coarsely to increase its surface.
Put it in cold water and bring slowly to the boil.
Turn the heat down, cover the pan and let it simmer gently.
Strain, and top up with hot water to the original volume if you like.

Tips

Roots and leaves together? Simmer the roots first, then add the leaves once the heat is off and let them steep for another 5–10 minutes.
Soak the material in cold water for an hour beforehand for a fuller flavour.

Registry

Herbs prepared this way

Herbs on this site whose description mentions this preparation. That does not mean every herb is safe to prepare yourself: read the safety information for each one.

Caution
Asia · Herb · № 752
Teasel root (xu duan)
Dipsacus asper
Traditionally attributed effects: strengthens liver and kidneys, helps fractures heal and calms the foetus.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 417
Kadam
Anthocephalus indicus
Traditionally attributed effects: bark tonic, fever-reducing, astringent; fruit cooling; for fever, mouth ulcers and stomatitis, eye inflammation, stomach irritation in children, snake bites.
Ayurveda
Caution
Asia · Food · № 733
Persimmon calyx (shi di)
Diospyros kaki
Traditionally attributed effects: the calyx makes the stomach energy descend in hiccups and belching.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 695
Glabrous greenbrier (tu fu ling)
Smilax glabra
Traditionally attributed effects: drains damp heat, especially via the skin and in joint complaints.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 402
Sweet flag
Acorus calamus
Traditionally attributed effects: carminative, tonic, stimulating; restores throat and voice (singers), improves concentration/clear thinking, for flatulence and heartburn.
Ayurveda+4
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 407
Camel thorn
Alhagi pseudalhagi
Traditionally attributed effects: laxative, diuretic, expectorant; for urinary retention, corneal clouding; manna tonic, promotes bile, purifies the blood.
Ayurveda+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 686
Houttuynia (yu xing cao)
Houttuynia cordata
Traditionally attributed effects: detoxifies and drains pus, especially in lung infections; diuretic.
Chinese medical traditions+2
Caution
Asia · Food · № 38
Cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum
A spice made from inner bark. Research on health effects is preliminary; cinnamon is not a treatment.
Ayurveda+8Folklore
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 555
Yellow-berried nightshade
Solanum surattense
Traditionally attributed effects: carminative, strongly diuretic, expectorant, fever-reducing, aids digestion, astringent; for fever, cough, asthma, toothache, sore throat, gonorrhoea, rheumatism; promotes conception.
Ayurveda
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 143
Kutki
Picrorhiza kurroa
A very bitter herb used in Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine for liver complaints, fever and digestive problems. Research is mainly in animals.
Ayurveda+3
Caution
Europe · Other · № 382
Kelp
Laminaria spp. / Ascophyllum nodosum
Brown seaweeds are rich in iodine and alginate. They are used in scrubs and as food supplements; too much iodine can disrupt the thyroid.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 647
Fritillaria bulb (bei mu)
Fritillaria cirrhosa
Traditionally attributed effects: dissolves phlegm and clears congested lungs; together with pear for dry airways and a heated chest.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 100
Coltsfoot
Tussilago farfara
One of the oldest cough herbs; the leaf contains soothing mucilage. Because of its toxic alkaloids it is now advised against.
Greco-Roman medicine+3
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 565
Puncture vine
Tribulus terrestris
Traditionally attributed effects: cooling, soothing, diuretic, tonic, aphrodisiac.
Ayurveda+2
Caution
Africa · Food · № 12
Garlic
Allium sativum
A food with a long history of use. Supplement research suggests only limited effects and does not establish a treatment.
Ancient Egyptian medicine+7Folklore
Caution
Asia · Food · № 758
Garlic chives (jiu zi)
Allium tuberosum
Traditionally attributed effects: the seed strengthens kidney yang and warms stomach and spleen.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Africa · Herb · № 337
Nut grass
Cyperus rotundus
Traditionally attributed effects: carminative, pain-relieving, antispasmodic for the uterus, promotes the flow of qi.
Ancient Egyptian medicine+4
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 92
Figwort
Scrophularia nodosa (en S. ningpoensis)
Used in Western herbalism for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis and for swollen glands. There is no good clinical evidence.
Monastic and folk knowledge+2
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 746
Vaccaria seed (wang bu liu xing)
Gypsophila vaccaria (syn. Vaccaria segetalis)
Traditionally attributed effects: lets the blood flow, promotes menstruation and milk flow and reduces painful swellings.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Central America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 455
Coffee senna
Cassia occidentalis
Traditionally attributed effects: laxative, fever-reducing, diuretic, antipyretic; root as an antidote and for fever and nerve pain, cramps in hysteria, flatulence; seeds for cough and whooping cough.
Herbal knowledge of the Caribbean+1
Caution
Asia · Food · № 357
Coconut
Cocos nucifera
Traditionally attributed effects: cooling, diuretic, antiseptic, laxative; root for uterine diseases, bronchitis, liver complaints, dysentery, sore throat (gargle); coconut water for thirst, fever, urinary complaints and vomiting; ash for scabies and toothache.
Ayurveda+1
Caution
Asia · Food · № 500
Kokum
Garcinia indica
Traditionally attributed effects: fruit cooling, promotes bile, soothing, antiscorbutic; bark astringent; oil for dysentery, mucous diarrhoea, tuberculosis, skin diseases, chapped lips, ointment base; fruit for hives.
Ayurveda
Caution
Asia · Food · № 261
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
Traditionally attributed effects: fruit nourishing and soothing; seeds cooling, diuretic, tonic; for throat complaints, strongly diuretic with sugar, in fever.
Ayurveda+2Folklore
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 271
Hemp agrimony
Eupatorium cannabinum
Traditionally attributed effects: hemp agrimony fever-reducing, diuretic, laxative, promotes bile, expectorant, stimulates the immune system; boneset induces sweating, antispasmodic; gravel root soothing diuretic, antirheumatic, promotes menstruation.
Western herbal medicine
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 102
Great mullein
Verbascum thapsus
Leaves and flowers contain mucilage and are traditionally used for irritating coughs and bronchitis; the flower oil for earache. Clinical evidence is limited.
Greco-Roman medicine+4
Caution
Europe · Food · № 68
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea
A vegetable rich in vitamin C and fibre. In folk medicine cold cabbage leaves are placed on engorged breasts or painful joints; small studies give mixed results.
Monastic and folk knowledge+2Folklore
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 725
Korean mint (huo xiang)
Agastache rugosa (ook Pogostemon cablin)
Traditionally attributed effects: transforms dampness blocking spleen and stomach and curbs nausea, also in summer colds.
Chinese medical traditions+1
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 231
Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Traditionally attributed effects: aromatic, stimulating, carminative, stomachic, cooling, tonic, diuretic; for flatulence, colic, rheumatism, nerve pain, sore throat, indigestion, vomiting, colds, bile complaints.
Greco-Roman medicine+5Folklore
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 711
Mallow seed (dong kui zi)
Malva verticillata (ook Abutilon theophrasti)
Traditionally attributed effects: soothing and diuretic in painful urination and stones; promotes milk flow.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Asia · Food · № 42
Clove
Syzygium aromaticum
A spice. Clove oil containing eugenol may help with toothache; other claims are unproven.
Ayurveda+5Folklore
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 338
Yellow dock
Rumex crispus
Traditionally attributed effects: strongly laxative, promotes bile, cleansing.
Western herbal medicine+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 136
Kudzu
Pueraria montana var. lobata
The root (ge gen) is used in Chinese medicine for fever, stiff neck and thirst. Small studies have looked at kudzu for reducing alcohol use, with mixed results.
Chinese medical traditions+3
Caution
Africa · Herb · № 510
Kurchi
Holarrhena antidysenterica
Traditionally attributed effects: bitter, stomachic, astringent, strongly antidysenteric, fever-reducing, expels worms; for acute and chronic (amoebic) dysentery and diarrhoea, bile complaints, fever, haemorrhoids, roundworms and threadworms.
Ayurveda+1
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 5
Turmeric
Curcuma longa
A traditional culinary spice containing curcumin; laboratory findings do not establish a cure for disease.
Ayurveda+5Folklore
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 580
Couch grass
Elymus repens
Traditionally attributed effects: diuretic, soothing, astringent; for kidney and bladder complaints (kidney stones, interstitial cystitis), helps regulate blood sugar.
Western herbal medicine
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 6
Lovage
Levisticum officinale
The leaf tastes of stock and celery. In folk medicine the root was used as a diuretic and for bloating; research is lacking.
Western herbal medicine