Instructions for Use and Storage of Herbal Remedies

How to Store your Dried Herbs Tea

Store your remedies in glass jars away from light and extreme heat (warmer than 80 degrees Fahrenheit). Wide mouth mason canning jars are the most ideal containers for dried herbs. Do not refrigerate or freeze dried medicinal herbs. Condensation will form on the herbs and they will mold from the moisture. Keep them at room temperature in an unlighted place such as inside a cupboard or pantry or cover the jar with a thick cloth or bag to keep the light out.

How to Prepare your Tea

It is best to use herb remedies on an "as needed" basis rather than by dosage as in prescription drugs. Herbs utilize the body's symptoms to reconcile problems in the body with an approach to healing the body in the most efficient manner.

When one drinks tea as a beverage rather than as a remedy, the tea is prepared (at home) a cup at a time and sometimes a small pot at a time. When drinking a remedy tea, it is best to prepare several days worth at a time (1 to 2 quarts).

1 or 2 quart wide mouth mason canning jar

herb remedy tea mix

wire mesh tea diffuser (hinged or spring-loaded)

Bring desired amount of water (1 to 2 quarts or more) to a rolling boil.

Stir the tea mix well -- smaller pieces will settle to the bottom of the mix. Some herbs in bark form, such as slippery elm, tend to bunch up. They can be unbunched by pulling them apart with two forks.

Place 1 tsp per quart of water into tea diffuser.

Place the diffuser in the mason jar.

Pour the boiling water into the jar and cover loosely.

Steep the tea for 2 to 20 minutes (timed to desired strength of the tea).

Remove the herbs and drink as desired (sweet or unsweet).

NOTE: Should you choose to sweeten your tea, do not use refined sugar or any kind of corn syrup. (corn and sugar beets are GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms). Use organic sugar cane, agave nectar (for those restricting their intake of high glycemic sweeteners), or local raw honey (unpasteurized).

STORAGE of Brewed Tea

The leftover tea may be stored for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Do not use a metal pot or a microwave oven to reheat the cold tea. (Those methods of reheating will change the molecular composition of the tea.) Use a ceramic or glass pot to reheat the tea on the stove or drink it cold. (Tea may be taken hot or cold.)