Instructions for making Chinese herbal formulas
MATERIALS: To make your tea, you will need an enamel, glass, or stainless steel pot. Avoid iron, aluminum , and copper cookware. Store the tea in a glass bottle that can store at least six cups of liquid. If you do not have a bottle this large, use two smaller ones. Make sure then, to adequately mix the herbs, so that each bottle has equal herb distribution. A wooden spoon, a wire-mesh strainer, and a funnel will also be helpful.
HERBS: You will receive a bag of herbs in a brown paper bag. Inside, there may also be an additional bag--the instructions will be listed on the extra bag.
FIRST SIMMER: Dump the full contents of the bag in the pot, with six cups of warm water. Let soak for ten minutes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for forty-five minutes. Strain tea into the bottle, and return the herbs to the pot.
SECOND SIMMER: Add two cups of water, or enough to barely cover the herbs in the pot. Bring to a boil again, reduce heat, and simmer with the cover on for fifteen minutes. Strain the tea into the bottle, and return herbs to the pot.
THIRD SIMMER: Add two cups of water, and bring to a simmer for five minutes.
Strain tea into the bottle, and discard the herbs. You should now have approximately five or six cups of tea. Store in the refrigerator.
DOSAGE: Take one-half cup (four fluid ounces) of tea in the morning, and another half-cup later in the day. The preferable dosage is at least one half hour before meals, or one hour after meals. The tea should be consumed at room temperature. Some herbal teas will taste better at room temperature, and others may taste better warmed.
The tea should last at least six or seven days. Finish off the batch, but don’t drink the sludge that settles on the bottom. You may take a one or two day break, before making the next batch. Some people experience marked improvement after only a few days, especially patients with acute problems, but patients with chronic problems should allow at least three weeks for improvements to occur. Make sure to inform your practitioner about your particular response to the herbs, as he/she may need to adjust your prescription to suit you better.
