06/17/2026
My teachers teacher
Nourishing Herbal Infusions vs Decoctions
An infusion is steeped; no further fire needed.
A decoction is boiled.
On a high flame.
Herbalists decoct roots to boil the medicine out of them.
A simple decoction starts with a measured amount of water
And is considered "done" when half the water has boiled away.
I make kava infusion, then make a decoction for a second and third brew,
Boiling longer and harder each time.
But I generally don't decoct leaves or flowers.
At a conference, someone came to tell me that another herbalist
Was trashing infusions,
Saying there couldn't be any minerals in an infusion.
"You have to decoct an herb to get the minerals," she claimed.
When I went to her and inquired about her reported statement,
Which she had made,
I discovered she thought infusion was the same as tea.
So says the dictionary.
But not by me.
When I explained that nourishing herbal infusions are not teas —
That only dried herb was used,
And steeped for four or more hours in boiling water —
She relented, and admitted that mineral extraction could occur.
But she still thought decocting would be better.
Is it?
My history with decocting is littered with burned herbs and ruined pots.
By the 1970s, I finally gave it up as something I couldn't do,
And looked for other ways to get at those hard-to-dislodge minerals.
My quest led me to Standard Brews and Juliette de Bairacli Levy.
I had never considered allowing herbs to steep for hours.
Just the opposite.
I was taught to do only brief brews.
Most aromatic herbs are awful if brewed too long.
Juliette changed my mind on that, with her hours-long brews.
I was done with decocting, and I was relieved.
Until I met a student at Isla Burgess's four-year herbal college,
Where I was teaching.
She shared the results of an interesting experiment with me.
An experiment in extracting minerals.
She made oat straw infusion in various ways
and had her brews tested for calcium content.
She made an infusion in a canning jar: one ounce dried herb and a quart of boiling water, tightly lidded, and steeped four hours.
Another, in a jar, steeped overnight.
She made an infusion by putting an ounce of herb into a pot with a quart of boiling water, putting a lid in the pot, and steeping for four hours.
Another steeped overnight.
The longer steeping resulted in more calcium.
The infusion made in the pot had more calcium than the one in the jar.
So she explored further.
She made infusion by putting an ounce of dried herb into a quart of boiling water
And boiled it.
Decocted it, a little.
She boiled one infusion for one minute.
Another for two minutes.
Another for three.
And another for five minutes.
She never actually made a full decoction,
Which, as you recall, requires half the liquid to be boiled away.
The amount of calcium in her brew increased the longer the herb was boiled.
Yes, boiling literally knocked the minerals out of the plant cells.
I've been boiling my oatstraw ever since.
For a minute or two.
Easy for me, since I'm often making such large amounts — like 3-5 gallons at a time — that I must use a pot.
Try it yourself.
Boil slightly more than four cups of water.
Add one ounce dried oat straw.
Continue to boil for several minutes, stirring often.
Focus.
Pour herb and water into a quart canning jar, lid, steep at least four hours.
(Too much liquid for the jar?
Put everything back in the pot and boil it longer, until more water is boiled away.)
Could you do this to the other infusion herbs?
Sure.
Should you?
Up to you.
Do you have the extra time?
The attention?
Go for it.
Is it a hassle?
A complication?
Forget it.
I've focused on making nourishing herbal infusion more accessible for more people by making it simpler over the years.
The infusion chart in Healing Wise makes me cringe, forty years later.
I've even stopped saying "Use 1/2 ounce of linden."
Simple: One ounce by weight of non-aromatic, protein-rich, mineral-rich, polyphenol-rich herb in a quart of boiling water steeped for at least four hours.
You don't need to decoct.
Long steeping extracts plenty of minerals and other goodies.
But you may want to try out adding a bit of boiling.
It makes such a mellow, soothing oat straw infusion.
Did you know there is a good reason to steep your infusion in a closed jar?
That's for tomorrow.
It is in beauty.
Every breath in beauty.
Each breath a giveaway dance with the plants.
Every heartbeat in beauty.
Each heart beating as one with the heartbeat of the earth.
Green blessings all around me.
Gratitude
Joy
