We all have our preferred methods of enjoying herbs. Some love hot herbal tea, some like a cool infusion, and others reach for the convenience and potency of tinctures. Or, some may crave the unctuous, nourishing qualities of herb-infused oils and ghee. There are many reasons why one may choose one type of herbal preparation over another. In Ayurveda, the optimal herbal preparation is more than a matter of simple preference or convenience. There are distinctive reasons for choosing a tincture, decoction, infusion, herbal juice, or ghee. In this post, you will become familiar with the ayurvedic perspective on different types of herbal preparations, and some reasons why you may want to choose one preparation over another.
The ideal way to take a particular herb depends somewhat on the herb itself. Some herbs make wonderful tea and others are so bitter or astringent that the most reliable way to get them down is in capsule or tablet form. Also, some herbs are better taken fresh whereas others require decoction or tincturing to extract their benefits. That said, the energetics of the individual receiving the herbs also help determine which herbal preparation is best. Let’s look at some of the major herbal preparations in Ayurveda and the energetics of each.
Read the full post on the Herbal Academy blog HERE.