Recommendations

Medically used parts of the plants

Due to their active substances, numerous plants and herbs were used in medicine and cosmetics already in the Ancient World. Those parts which are preferably used have been evaluated due to century-long experience.

The active substances of a medicinal herb are not evenly contained in all parts of a plant. Sometimes, they are contained mainly in flowers, leaves or roots, sometimes also in seeds, fruits or in the bark.

Just for a better understanding for you, we will mention below some examples of frequently used medicinal herbs:

Flowers:
Camomile (high content of essential oil in the flowers; used for inflammatory diseases of the gastro-intestinal tract)

Leaves:
Sage (high content of substances with antibacterial effects)

Roots:
Valerian (the roots contain tranquilizing and somniferous substances)

Seeds:
Psyllium seed (the external layers of the seeds contain swelling substances good for digestion)

Fruits:
Fennel (its essential oils proved to be effective against bronchial catarrh and digestive disorders)

Bark:
Oak bark (it contains anti-inflammatory substances which can be used, for example, for mouth gargling and skin washing.

How to prepare herb teas

Infusion
Put the recommended amount of herbs into a heat-resistant porcelain bowl or glass, pour boiling water (150 - 250 ml) into the vessel, cover it up and stir the content from time to time. If not otherwise recommended, strain the liquid after 5 - 10 minutes. The procedure can be used for the majority of those herbs the leaves or flowers of which are used for the infusion, but some of the medicinal barks and roots, which have to be crushed or ground respectively.

Decoct
The recommended amount of herbs shall be prepared with cold water and shall be heated up to the boiling point. Let the liquid boil a short time (in most cases 5 - 10 minutes) and after a short period of rest, strain the liquid. This way of preparing is especially suitable for drugs with a hard consistency (wood, roots, barks), especially if they contain tannin.

Cold extract (Macerate)
Pour cold water over the recommended amount of drugs and let them rest several hours at room temperature. Then strain the extract. It can be taken in a cold condition or it can be warmed up for drinking. This way of preparing is preferably used for slime-containing drugs like Marshmallow root, Linseed, Island

Storage, Stability

Please be very careful with the storage of herbs to preserve the purpose of the herb. Essential factors for storage are:

• Light
• Temperature
• Air humidity
• Crushing size

Almost all drugs need to be protected from light. This is due to the fact that drugs in form of flowers, leaves and herbs quickly fade out under the influence of sunlight. On the other hand, light accelerates a lot of chemical processes which lead to a reduction or change in the substances contained in the drugs. It is therefore recommended to store drugs in tightly closed containers protected from light.