for the past decade or so i’ve been aware that infusions were & are an incredibly nourishing, nutritive, & wonderful way to use herbs. for most of that decade i’ve only made infusions when i had some specific health complaint, and would tailor my infusion mix to address that complaint & help my body heal. for a few brief periods of several weeks at a time, i’ve managed to drink a ‘daily infusion’ to give my body a consistent source of excellent micronutrients. the past few weeks have been one of those times.
this time, it started with a whole30 & then my moon time. i made an infusion for my upset stomach (always happens at the start of my moon time), and found that it really helped. i had also been fighting, after my whole30, to stay ‘on the right side of the tracks’ as it were in terms of sugar/grain/dairy consumption, and was having a hard time. i was three days into a sort of refresher week of following whole30 guidelines when my hormones won, and i broke down and ate brownie batter. i concluded that i MUST have been in the two days prior to my bleeding, because my cravings are always fierce right then, and that was the only time during my whole30 that i had really struggled. so i gave in, committed to going back to whole30 rules for a solid week once i started bleeding.
sure enough, i started bleeding two days later. making an infusion for my stomach (fireweed, nettles, licorice root, & some raspberry zinger & wild sweet orange mix for extra flavor & fabulousness) turned out to be a HUGE help in dealing with cravings over the next few days. i experienced no negative side effects from eating the brownie batter, and having the infusion to drink kept me distracted with its bold, fruity deliciousness.
so i’ve decided to keep making infusions every day or two (if i make a quart, it lasts two days, as i only drink a pint per day), and it has been going Super well. my energy levels are great, cravings are minor, and my body is happy.
do you drink herbal infusions? do you have other daily routines with healing plants that you love? please share!
also, if anyone isn’t familiar with infusions specifically, here’s the deal: http://www.susunweed.com/How_to_make_Infusions.htm a normal ‘tea’ that’s a very small amount of plant material steeped for only a few minutes may be flavorful, but won’t include many of the health benefits of the plant. an infusion, on the other hand, is a larger amount of plant material (1 dried ounce) steeped in 1 quart of just-boiled water, and left sealed for 4+ hours. this is the minimum length of time required for the minerals in the plant to become bioavailable, which means you get way more & more complex nourishment from the plant.
here are three videos, from short to long, with susun weed herself explaining & demonstrating the making of infusions. she’s frickin great.
