preferably cut into thin slices so that when boiling, substances contained in them easily get out and soak in boiling water.
For herbs you want to keep for a long time, dry it first after being washed for its long durability and to prevent spoilage by
bacteria and fungi. Dried herb ingredients (botanicals) are also easier to be mashed into powder. Drying can be done directly
under the sun or by aerating, depending on its thickness or water content.
3. Brew the powdered herb ingredients directly with hot or boiling water.
4. For herbal plant material which is hard and difficult to extract, preferably crush and boil it first about 10 minutes before
adding other ingredients.
5. Use fresh, clean water and make sure it's enough in ammount such that all the ingredients of herbal plants are
6. Preferably boil herbal plant ingredients using containers made of clay or ceramic, enamel pot, or a glass pot. Never use a
container of metal, such as iron, aluminum, and brass. Metal contains iron trichloride and potassium ferrycianide. These
substances cause sediment in the water which can damage the substances in herbal medicine.
I have almost a year of prostate cancer disease and had read an article on this
website about herbal medicine to treat prostate cancer. But before I use it, how
are the correct and recommended ways in processing the herbs? I would like to
thank you for your answer.
The use of potent herbal plants are increasingly attracted many people around
the world. This is caused by a lot of evidence of herbal plants' efficacies they
perceive. Besides being more economical, herbal medicine also has small and
Article Source: http://www.herbalqa.com/2012/10/how-to-process-herbs-correctly.html
almost no side effects. Nevertheless, there are those who doubt the efficacy of
herbs for the reason of its less effective. This can happen due to several factors
that lead to less effective of herbal remedies work. Perhaps, improper
presentation, improper time drinking, improper dosages, and impatience wearer
are the factors that cause herbal felt less effective.
So, to avoid this and make herbal remedies work more effectively, the
following tips should be done in processing these herbs before being consumed:
1. Wash the crude herbs with water until clean.
2. Use cleaned, fresh herbs for treatment. If the material is large or thick,
7. During the boiling process, do not open the lid too often so that the essential oils are not easily lost.
8. Use fire in accordance with the type of herbs boiled. Small Fire: used to boil herbs which serves as a tonic, such as
ginseng and Ling zhi mushroom so that their active substances are absorbed into the boiling water (boil for about 2
hours). Small fire with long boiling is also used for herbs that contain toxins, such as God's Crown Plant (Phaleria
macrocarpa (Scheff) Boerl.), so that the toxins contained are reduced. Large fire: used to boil herbs or botanicals which
serves as diaphoretic (sweating) and contain many essential oils, such as mint, cloves and cinnamon leaves. After
boiling, put the ingredients and boil them briefly. In this way, the content of its essential oil is less lost by excessive
9. If there are no other provisions, boiling water is considered complete when the herb stew is left half of the original
amount of water, for example, 800 cc to 400 cc. If the herb ingredients to be boiled are mostly rough, such as seeds or
stems, the cooking water is left third, for example, 600 cc to 200 cc.
10. If the herb ingredients to be boiled contain dry ingredients, generally the dose (dose) is half of fresh ingredients. For
example, if it usually uses 90 grams of fresh leaves, so the leaves in the dry state are just 15 grams.
11. Make sure that the use of any herbal treatment is under its recommended dose. Generally, one prescription of drug
plants is divided for 2 drinks a day. The first boiled remaining pulp can be boiled again for one drink in the afternoon or
12. Preferably drink boiled water of these herbs in warm and after drinking it, soon wear sweaters or blankets. However,
for some types of herbs, such as betel nut decoction, it should be drunk chilled to avoid its contraction with the stomach
resulting in nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.
13. Usually herbal decoction is taken before meals to be easily absorbed. However, for the concoction of herbs that can
stimulate the stomach, you should drink it after a meal. Herbs which serves as an amplifier (tonic) should be taken in the
morning when the stomach is empty. For a herb which serves as a sedative, such as for insomnia, drink it before bed.
13. Herbal treatment can be combined with chemical drugs, especially for chronic diseases which are difficult to cure,
such as cancer treatment, in order to obtain more effective results. Rule in taking herbal medicine is that its consumption
is taken about 2 hours after chemical drugs consumption.
14. Remember, herbal treatment requires patience because its works is different from chemical drugs. This is because
herbal medicine is more constructive (repair and build) while the chemical drugs have destructive property. Therefore, do
not be surprised that shortly after taken, the usefulness of chemical drugs is immediately perceived, while herbal
medicine takes a longer time because the herbs do not directly treat the disease, but helps the body increase durability
and help the body produce antibodies to fight the disease. Because of its nature, the herbal medicine is not
recommended as the primary treatment of acute (sudden) infectious diseases which should immediately get medical
Herbal treatments are preferred for the long-term maintenance of health and boosting immunity against various
diseases and the treatment of chronic disease. Although it takes time, herbal remedies have almost no side effects at all
and for the long term,it can help the body to prepare for a possible attack from a variety of other diseases so that the
body will be better prepared and fitter.
15. Perform regular treatment. ***