Here is a Master Recipe for how to make a Medicinal Herb Tea. This is the first in a series of videos and corresponding blog posts that I will be sharing with you for Master Recipes for making a variety of medicinal herbal preparations.
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Table of Contents
- Benefits of Medicinal Herb Teas
- A Word of Caution as to Medicinal Herbs
- Method 1: Longer Steeping Time
- Method 2: Quicker Steeping Time
- Medicinal Herbs to Grow for Making Home Remedies
- Herbal Master Recipes Series
- Gardening Videos
- More Tea Recipes
- More Herb Recipes
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- Medicinal Herb Tea Master Recipe Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Benefits of Medicinal Herb Teas
You can certainly buy herbal tea bags and even loose herbal teas at most grocery stores today. However, simply steeping a tea bag or some loose tea in a teacup or teapot does not extract the maximum amount of healing properties offered by herbs.
When you want a medicinal herb tea to help treat a particular ailment, and you want something stronger than a basic herb tea using a teabag, then learning how to make homemade medicinal herbal teas is a useful—and surprisingly easy—kitchen skill to learn.
A Word of Caution as to Medicinal Herbs
Although we may think of herbs as just ingredients that we add to our pasta sauce, many herbs have potent medicinal properties and have been used as medicine for centuries. With this in mind, you need to approach herbs with knowledge and caution.
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication (over the counter or prescription), having allergies, or thinking of using medicinal herbs with children, make sure you first talk to your doctor, pediatrician, or other health care professional. You want to ensure that the herbs you plan to use will not adversely affect you or your children. I can’t stress this enough! Herbs are medicine. Never be casual or negligent in their use.
Ok, let’s start reviewing our two different methods for making medicinal herb tea!
Method 1: Longer Steeping Time
When you have time on your hands, Method 1 for making a medicinal herb tea couldn’t be easier. All you need is a quart-sized jar and some dried or fresh herbs. And the best part about Method 1 is that you do not need to treat roots, stems, leaves, or flowers differently.
As I show in my medicinal herb tea recipe video, you’ll place all the herbs into your jar, cover the herbs with hot water, and let your herb and water mix steep anywhere from 4 hours to overnight. Once the medicinal herb tea has steeped, you’ll strain out the solids, warm the tea gently in a saucepan on the stove, and enjoy!
If you have extra medicinal herb tea that you don’t need to drink at that moment, you can store what’s leftover in a lidded jar and refrigerate it. It will stay fresh and potent for up to 3-4 days.
For example purposes in my recipe video, I used peppermint leaves to demonstrate this method.
Method 2: Quicker Steeping Time
If you are short on time and need a medicinal herb tea right away, this is the method for you. As I outline in my printable recipe, Method 2 provides variations depending on whether you are using roots, stems, leaves, or flowers, since some of these types of ingredients need to be treated differently than others.
Roots and Stems
If you are using roots and stems, you will need to boil some water in a saucepan on your stovetop. Once it comes up to a boil, you’ll turn it down to a medium simmer and add your roots and stems. Simmer these on medium for 15 minutes. If that is all you are adding, strain out the solids and enjoy your medicinal herb tea.
Leaves and Flowers
If, however, you want to add leaves and flowers to your medicinal herb tea, you’ll want to turn the heat down to its lowest setting – there should be no bubbling of the water – and add your leaves and flowers. This mixture will be kept warm at a constant temperature along with the roots for another 15 minutes. Being kept warm at this constant temperature will help to enhance the flavor of the tea.
Proper Temperature Settings
Generally, the temperature of the lowest setting on a stovetop is 195°F (90.5°C). This is under the 200-210°F (93.3-98.8°C) generally recommended for brewing/infusing/decocting herb leaves and flowers. So be sure that you have your stovetop set to its lowest setting – and make sure you see no bubbling in the water – before adding your leaves and flowers.
Learn More About the Low Simmer Method
You can learn more about this very low simmer method when using herbal leaves and flowers for making herb teas by visiting the Simple Loose Leaf Tea Company’s website. Their blog provides a wonderful resource for learning not only about brewing real tea (black tea, green tea, etc.) but also about how to properly brew herbal teas for the most enhanced flavor.
Final Steps
After a total of 30 minutes, you’ll turn off the heat, remove the saucepan from the stovetop, strain out the solids, and enjoy your tea.
If you have more tea than you need, store it in a lidded jar and refrigerate it. When you need more medicinal herb tea to drink, just warm it gently in a saucepan on the stovetop. The tea will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
For example purposes in my recipe video, I used echinacea root, chamomile flowers, and peppermint leaves to demonstrate this method.
Medicinal Herbs to Grow for Making Home Remedies
You can always buy dried herbs for making different herbal preparations. However, herbs are very easy to grow. Even if you just have a sunny windowsill in a city apartment, you can grow some herbs in pots.
Be sure to watch the videos below where I share my favorite medicinal herbs to grow for making home remedies.
And if you find you like the idea of growing some of these herbs, learn how to dry them in my dehydrating and drying herbs video. And great news! You do not need any special equipment to dry herbs.
Herbal Master Recipes Series
If you have enjoyed learning how to make this master recipe for medicinal herb teas, be sure to watch my entire series on making medicinal herbal remedies in the following videos.
Gardening Videos
If you would like a tour of my kitchen garden, be sure to watch my how to create a kitchen garden video. This video is Part 1 of my garden series, where I share with you how I am rebuilding my kitchen garden after the Texas storms.
If you are new to gardening and want to get started with minimal expenses, check out my regrowing kitchen scraps video, where you can try your hand at gardening by planting kitchen scraps! And many of these scraps will grow great in pots, so don’t worry if you don’t yet have a full-fledged kitchen garden.
More Tea Recipes
In addition to a medicinal herb tea, be sure to try this immune-boosting turmeric tea if you find you have a lot of aches and pains. It’s well known for its anti-inflammatory properties!
And here’s a quick and easy recipe for making a great night’s sleep herb tea.
More Herb Recipes
Are you looking for more ways to use herbs? Check out the videos below, where I show you how to make easy and versatile herb salts, as well as ten seasoning blends.
And the next time you make bone broth, be sure to watch the video below, where I show you all the different combinations of medicinal herbs and spices you can use to create an anti-inflammatory bone broth.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes to show you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my new bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.
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Medicinal Herb Tea Master Recipe
Equipment
- Heatproof quart-sized jar
- Medium saucepan or small stockpot
- Heatproof quart-sized bowl or measuring cup
Ingredients
Method 1 – Longer Steeping Time
- 4-5 tbsp Dried edible herbs including roots, stems, leaves, and flowers If using fresh roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, you will need enough herbs to fill half of a quart-sized jar.
- 4 cups Hot water This is water that has been brought to a boil and allowed for the boiling to stop and the water to cool slightly. (See video.)
Method 2 – Quicker Steeping Time
- 4-5 tbsp Dried edible herbs including roots, stems, leaves, and flowers If using fresh roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, you will need enough herbs to fill half of a quart-sized jar.
- 4 1/2 cups Water
Instructions
Method 1 – Longer Steeping Time
- Add the dried herbs that you will be using to make your medicinal herb tea to a heatproof quart-sized jar. A smaller amount of herbs works well for strong-flavored herbs, such as those in the mint family, while a larger amount of herbs works well for mild-flavored herbs, such as chamomile.
- Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle or a saucepan on the stovetop.
- Once the water comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and allow the boiling to stop and the water to cool just for a minute.
- Pour the water over the herbs in the jar. Fill the jar with water almost to the top of the rim of the jar.
- Cover the jar using a paper towel or clean lint-free cloth and secure with a rubber band or twine.
- Place the jar in an undisturbed place out of direct sunlight and allow to steep for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
- After the desired steeping time, strain out the solids from the tea.
- Warm the tea gently on the stovetop and enjoy.
- Any extra tea can be stored in a lidded jar in the refrigerator. This medicinal herb tea will stay fresh and potent for up to 3-4 days. Rewarm the tea gently on the stovetop and enjoy.
Method 2 – Quicker Steeping Time
- Set a medium-sized saucepan on the stovetop and fill with 4 1/2 cups of water.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium.
- If you will be using roots and/or stems to make your medicinal herb tea, add them to the medium-heat simmering saucepan and put a lid on the saucepan.
- Simmer the roots and stems on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- If you will only include roots and/or stems to make your medicinal herb tea, then remove the saucepan from the stovetop, remove the lid, carefully strain out the solids, and enjoy the tea.
- Any extra tea can be stored in a lidded jar in the refrigerator. This medicinal herb tea will stay fresh and potent for up to 3-4 days. Rewarm the tea gently on the stovetop and enjoy.
- If you will be using leaves and/or flowers along with the roots and/or stems to make your medicinal herb tea, then you will keep the roots in the medium-heat simmering water, but turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
- With the heat on its lowest setting, you can now add the leaves and/or flowers to the saucepan. On the lowest setting of heat, you should see no activity in the water – no bubbles. You are simply looking to keep the water at a warm constant temperature. Place the lid back on the saucepan allow everything to be kept warm for an additional 15 minutes.
- After a total time of 30 minutes, remove the saucepan from the stovetop, remove the lid, carefully strain out the solids, and enjoy the tea.
- Any extra tea can be stored in a lidded jar in the refrigerator. This medicinal herb tea will stay fresh and potent for up to 3-4 days. Rewarm the tea gently on the stovetop and enjoy.
- If you will be using only leaves and/or flowers to make your medicinal herb tea, bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Allow the water to cool down. On the lowest setting of heat, you should see no activity in the water – no bubbles. You are simply looking to keep the water at a warm constant temperature.
- Once the water temperature has come down to its lowest setting, add the leaves and/or flowers to the water. Cover the saucepan, and allow everything to be kept warm for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the saucepan from the stovetop, remove the lid, carefully strain out the solids, and enjoy the tea.
- Any extra tea can be stored in a lidded jar in the refrigerator. This medicinal herb tea will stay fresh and potent for up to 3-4 days. Rewarm the tea gently on the stovetop and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Medicinal Herbs from Farmhouse Teas
Get 10% off your Farmhouse Teas order with my links and discount code MarysNest10:
Medicinal Herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
- Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea)
- Peppermint Leaf (Mentha x piperita)
Favorite Herb Growing and Storing Supplies
- Hinged Lid Jars
- Quart-Sized Jars
- Flour Sack Towels
- Large Measuring Cup
- Mesh Strainers
- Favorite Gardening Supplies
- Shopping list of Herbs
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
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Recommended Reading
Disclaimer:I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
