Herbal methods — from fresh leaf to salve
The same herb becomes a different medicine depending on how you extract it. Fresh (step 1, fresh leaf — the foundation); dried (step 2, preserved for winter); hot-infused (step 4, tea — water extraction); boiled as root or bark (step 8, the peak — decoction, the heaviest extraction); macerated in alcohol (step 7, tincture — concentrated, long-keeping); honey-sweetened (step 5, syrup); fat-extracted (step 9, salve — the ring closes outside the body).
This is a calibration of the strength of extraction: water is gentle, alcohol and heat are strong, fat catches what water and alcohol leave behind. "Stronger" does not mean "better" — it means different and for a different purpose. The cup of tea (step 4) and the drop of tincture (step 7) may contain the same herb, but they are different moments and different doses.
Bands × HORO — herbal-mixes
| Band | Step | Description | extraction strength (1-9) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRESH · fresh | base | just-picked — leaf or juice, direct | 1 |
| DRIED · dried | share | shade-air-dried — preserved for winter | 2 |
| INFUSION · infusion (water) | weave | hot water over leaves / flowers — 5-15 min steep | 3 |
| DECOCTION · decoction (boiled) | crest | peak — roots + barks boiled 20-40 min; the heaviest extraction | 6 |
| TINCTURE · tincture (alcohol) | descent | maceration in alcohol 25-95° — concentrated, long-keeping | 7 |
| SYRUP · syrup / honey extract | round | sugar or honey preserves a water extract; gentle taste | 4 |
| SALVE · salve / oil infusion | unity | fat extraction — topical; the ring closes outside the body | 5 |
Sources (3)
Related
- Herbs — the neighbour on the ring (potency × method).
- Tea house — the menu — where step 4 (infusion) is practised daily.
- Plants — the source of the material for each of these seven methods.