Herbs & Cultures

From plant to use

Tea (infusion)

Hot water poured over leaves and flowers: the simplest and most widely used preparation.

Herbs prepared this way (350)

Level: Easy
Ratio: 1–2 teaspoons of dried herb (or 2–3 teaspoons fresh) per 250 ml cup.
Time: Steep 5–10 minutes, covered; flowers a little shorter, leaves a little longer.
Shelf life: Drink fresh, or keep covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Store dried herbs airtight, dark and dry, and use within a year.

For an infusion you pour hot water over soft plant parts such as leaves, flowers and fine herbs and let them steep, covered. Flavour and aroma pass into the water without long heating. Almost every tradition knows this form, from European herbal teas and South American mate to North African mint tea.

Suited to

Leaves, flowers, soft stems and aromatic herbs such as mint, chamomile, lemon balm and linden flowers.

Step by step

Bring fresh water to the boil and let it cool briefly to about 90–95 °C. Green tea and mate do better at 70–80 °C.
Put the herb in the pot or filter and pour the water over it.
Cover, so the volatile aromas do not escape.
Steep, strain and drink warm, or let it cool for iced tea.

Tips

Cold brew: leave dried herbs in cold water in the fridge for 6–12 hours. The taste is softer; drink it within a day.
For your own blend, combine one distinct flavour (mint, lemongrass) with milder herbs.

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
North America · Herb · № 969
Western hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla
A large conifer with a drooping top and short, flat needles. The bark is very rich in tannins; the young needles contain vitamin C.
Kwakwaka'wakw medicine
Caution
North America · Herb · № 587
Western larch
Larix occidentalis
Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, prebiotic; improves digestion and gut flora, strengthens the immune system, studied in tumours, helps with middle ear infections in children.
Indigenous healing traditions of North America+1
Caution
North America · Herb · № 190
Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
Traditionally attributed effects: expels worms, astringent, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, stimulates muscles, antiseptic.
Indigenous healing traditions of North America+4Folklore
Caution
Africa · Herb · № 921
Wild dagga
Leonotis leonurus
A shrub of the mint family, two to three metres tall, with orange, tubular flowers in whorls around the square stems. Contains marrubiin and leonurine, as well as labdane compounds. Considered mildly calming; which substance causes the effect is not yet clear.
Khoi and San knowledge of rooibos+1
Caution
Africa · Herb · № 810
African wormwood
Artemisia afra
A bitter, aromatic herb widely used in southern Africa for coughs, colds, fever and flu.
Traditional healers of Southern Africa
Caution
North America · Herb · № 961
Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A mint with lilac flowers and strongly scented leaves, related to Oswego tea. The volatile oil is rich in carvacrol and thymol, which are antiseptic.
Lakota medicine+1
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 194
European honeysuckle
Lonicera caprifolium, L. periclymenum
The sweet-scented flowers were used as tea or syrup for coughs. The berries are poisonous. In Chinese medicine the related Japanese honeysuckle (jin yin hua) is used for fever and sore throat.
Folk magic and herbal magicFolklore
Caution
North America · Herb · № 156
Wild black cherry
Prunus serotina
The dried bark was long used in cough syrups to calm irritating coughs. Modern clinical evidence is lacking.
Indigenous healing traditions of North America+4
Caution
North America · Herb · № 952
Wild sarsaparilla
Aralia nudicaulis
A low plant of the ivy family with a long, creeping, aromatic root; related to ginseng and no relative of true sarsaparilla (Smilax).
Haudenosaunee medicine
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 838
Wild thyme
Thymus serpyllum
An aromatic herb traditionally used for coughs and digestive complaints.
Hildegard of Bingen
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 459
Wild black cumin
Centratherum anthelminticum
Traditionally attributed effects: expels worms (threadworms), tonic, stomachic, diuretic; for skin diseases and scorpion stings.
Ayurveda
Caution
North America · Herb · № 634
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Traditionally attributed effects: expels wind and dampness and cools heat in hot, swollen joints and muscle pain, drains damp heat in the urinary tract and moves stagnant qi and blood in pain.
Haudenosaunee medicine+3
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 128
White mulberry
Morus alba en M. nigra
The leaf (sang ye) is being studied for post-meal blood sugar and is used in Chinese medicine for coughs and fevers; bark, twigs and berries each have their own use too. Evidence is preliminary.
Chinese medical traditions+2
Caution
North America · Herb · № 823
White sage
Salvia apiana
An aromatic sage burned in ceremonies by Indigenous peoples of California.
Indigenous healing traditions of North America
Caution
South America · Herb · № 878
Yacón
Smallanthus sonchifolius
A plant of the daisy family with sweet, crunchy tubers full of inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides, which the body barely absorbs. The leaf has been studied for diabetes; evidence in humans is lacking.
Curanderismo of northern Peru
Caution
North America · Herb · № 986
Yellowroot
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
A low shrub of the buttercup family, one of the few woody species in that family. Root and stem are bright yellow from berberine, a bitter substance also found in goldenseal and barberry that inhibits bacteria and fungi.
Cherokee medicine
Caution
South America · Food · № 15
Yerba mate
Ilex paraguariensis
The leaves contain caffeine, theobromine and polyphenols; the drink is stimulating and dispels tiredness, like coffee or tea. It is a beverage and social drink, not a medicine.
Kallawaya healing knowledge+1
Caution
Central America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 922
Zacatechichi
Calea ternifolia (syn. Calea zacatechichi)
A shrub of the daisy family with very bitter leaves. Contains caleicine and other sesquiterpene lactones, among others. Said to make sleep light and dreams clear and vivid; in a small study an extract caused a slight change of perception, drowsiness and a short sleep with vivid dreams.
Curanderismo
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 478
Zedoary
Curcuma zedoaria
Traditionally attributed effects: stimulating, carminative, expectorant, soothing, diuretic, skin-irritant, purifies the blood.
Ayurveda+3
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 424
Wormseed
Artemisia maritima
Traditionally attributed effects: antipyretic, mildly laxative, stomachic, tonic, expels worms, stimulates the heart; against worms, compress for inflammation, tumours and foul ulcers.
Ayurveda
Caution
North America · Herb · № 150
Black cohosh
Actaea racemosa
Mainly sold for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes. NCCIH reports that study results are mixed and there is not enough evidence that it helps.
Indigenous healing traditions of North America+4
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 18
Licorice root
Glycyrrhiza glabra
A root with long use in several traditions; high-quality evidence does not support most health claims.
Ayurveda+9Folklore
Caution
Asia · Herb · № 121
Sweet wormwood (qing hao)
Artemisia annua
Source of artemisinin, the basis of today's standard malaria treatment. Teas or herbal preparations, however, are not a reliable malaria treatment; the WHO advises against them.
Chinese medical traditions
Caution
Central America and the Caribbean · Herb · № 850
Soursop
Annona muricata
A tree with a large, sweet-sour fruit. The leaf is drunk as a calming tea. Claims that soursop cures cancer are unproven.
Herbal knowledge of the Caribbean+1
Caution
Europe · Herb · № 554
Black nightshade
Solanum nigrum
Traditionally attributed effects: cleansing, calming, induces sweating and urination, expectorant; for oedema, chronically enlarged liver, jaundice, chronic skin diseases, coughing up blood, haemorrhoids, kidney and bladder inflammation, gonorrhoea, eye diseases; pain-relieving wash.
Greco-Roman medicine+2
Caution
North America · Herb · № 576
Black walnut
Juglans nigra
Traditionally attributed effects: cleansing, laxative, astringent, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal; cleanses and strengthens the large intestine, for skin problems, traveller's diarrhoea, sinusitis, underactive thyroid.
Indigenous healing traditions of North America+3