A decoction is comprised of herbs boiled in water. It tends to be used for tougher things, like bark, roots and seeds, which need more than just brewing in a tea.

They’re gentle enough to be used to help children and people with weaker constitutions. They’re really versatile, and make a great base for further medicinal recipes, like syrups, ointments, compresses, etc. This makes it easy to determine the quantity depending on the patient’s needs.

All you need to do is:

• Crush the item in a pestle and mortar.
• Put in a bowl with water and leave to sit overnight. Hot or cold is fine.
• In the morning, pour the mix into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to a summer.
• Leave it to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and strain it.

This tends to last about 2-3 days, but you can preserve decoctions to last indefinitely.

One option is to add 450g honey/sugar to every 200ml of decoction.

Another is to add spirits at a ratio of 2:1 (2 parts decoction, 1 part spirit).

You could also float a thin film of vegetable oil over the surface and seal the mix in a jar. To use, you need to draw away the oil. This should keep for about a year.

You could even try making a thick, concentrated extract by reducing the decoction down to 25ml. This can keep for months, if not years. When you use it you need 1 part extract and 10 parts water.