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Product Description
How to prepare herbal decoctions or tea, and when to take the herbal decoction may have significant influence on the ultimate treatment results. Each herb has its own features. These features illustrate how herbs act on the human body, and their therapeutic effects. It is critical to understand these features of herbs before using them. This issue emphasizes on the preparation of herbs, different formats of using herbs, and energies and tastes of herbs. More than ten different ways of using herbs are described. Interactions among herbs, and among herbs and foods, as well as precautions and contraindications in using herbs are also discussed.

Table of Contents

1. How to Use Herbs in Different Ways
2. How to Make Herbal Tea and Decoctions for the Best Effects
3. Different Energies of Herbs in Chinese Medicine: Cold and Hot Herbs
4. Spicy, Sweet, Sour, Bitter, and Salty: Five Tastes of Chinese Herbs
5. Interactions, Precautions, and Contraindications in Using Chinese Herbs

Excerpts from “How to Use Herbs in Chinese Medicine: The Basics and Practical Guides”:

“In Chinese medicine, herbal wine has been popular for thousands of years. Herbal wine can be made through soaking herbs in wine for some time to get certain effects. The wine can usually improve the effect of the herbs, such as for arthritis. It can be taken orally, or used externally….”

“Add water to the pot to submerge all the herbs. Soak the herbs for about 30 minutes before placing the pot on a fire.
Usually the properties of the herbs decide the amount of water to be added and the cooking time….”

“Incorrect applications of herbs on patients may cause severe problems and strong toxic effects. For example, using herbs of the hot nature on a patient with hot syndromes will only cause the disease even worse. Herbs are safe and effective only when they are used correctly with appropriate properties applied to the corresponding ailments….”

“Herbs with different tastes or flavors have different pharmacological and therapeutic effects. Here the “tastes” do not refer to their real tastes in the mouth, but indicate the actions they have on the human body….”

“Ancient Chinese medicine classics recorded many herb-herb interactions, precautions, and contraindications in the application of herbs. These include the eighteen incompatible medicinal herbs, and the nineteen mutual-restraining medicinal herbs….”

How to Use Herbs in Chinese Medicine: The Basics and Practical Guides

Learning to use fresh herbs is a great way to spice up your cooking, making it tastier and better than ever before.  There are infinite ways to use fresh herbs in your cooking. This means that you get to use your imagination to create new ways of using the herbs you choose every day!  A benefit of using fresh herbs is that you will not need to use as much salt or fatty ingredients to add flavor and substance to your cooking.  This brings obvious health benefits as well as the fact that herbs are loaded with antioxidants which protect against cancer and heart disease.Using recipes is a great way of introducing yourself to using fresh herbs in your cooking.  The next level of learning how to use herbs comes with fully understanding the different flavors of the herbs you are using.  To achieve this, I suggest first tasting each herb by itself, then add it to something bland yet familiar, such as rice or potatoes.  Finally, (and here’s where your creativity comes in) experiment by adding the herb whenever you think it will work.  If you’re using herbs from your own garden, it is important for you to know that the best herbs come from plants that are in the leaf making stage, not in the flowering (reproductive) stage.  During the flowering stage, leaves become bitter, grassy, woody, or yellowed because more of the plant’s energy is going toward flowering (reproduction).  You can delay your plant flowering by harvesting often.When starting to grow herbs at home, it’s a good idea to start small so as not to become overwhelmed.  I recommend starting with six basic herbs, including:  Chives, Thyme, Tarragon, Oregano, Rosemary, and Basil.  A few others to add when you’re comfortable with the above might be:  Sage, Marjoram, and Dill.  Once you’re comfortable with all of these, you may wish to experiment with many others.  There are infinite possibilities.When cooking with your herbs, it is a general guideline to use three times as much fresh as you would of a dried herb.  The best time to pick herbs from your garden is in the morning, after the dew has dried and before the sun gets hot.  This will provide you with the optimum flavor and best storage time line. When storing your herbs in the refrigerator, I recommend putting them in a perforated plastic bag which you can easily make yourself by poking holes in a plastic bag.  They will keep this way for a few days.  If the herbs you’re storing have long stems, you can cut them at an angle, like flowers, and put them in water, covered loosely with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  Change the water daily and they can last up to a week.  Be aware that longer herb storage times may result in diminished flavor.A few ideas to get you started cooking with herbs include using Basil, Garlic, Oregano, and Rosemary for meat, stew, pasta, or casseroles.  To enhance sweetness, use Cinnamon, Ginger, and Nutmeg.  To heat up a dish, add black, red, or white Pepper.  Be sure to add fresh herbs at the end of cooking so that flavor lasts.  Keep in mind that you can use herb flowers for a beautiful garnish.Happy Cooking!