Black Pepper ~ Piper nigrum

Did you know that this popular spice is also used for medicine? 

Black pepper contains the bioactive compound piperine, which is an alkaloid like capsaicin, the active component found in chili powder and cayenne pepper. - Health Line

Medicinal properties: anti-inflammatory, 
analgesic, expectorant, stimulant, carminative, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibacterial 

As an anti-inflammatory, black pepper reduces chronic inflammation within the body.
  
Some causes of chronic inflammation include; food allergies, consuming foods with white sugar, unhealthy fats, processed foods, smoking and stress all contribute to creating chronic inflammation in the body. If left untreated chronic inflammation can lead to  - diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, cancers, stroke, autoimmune disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia
  
Analgesic/Anti-inflammatory, have you ever used a black pepper herbal salve or oil for sore muscles? Works wonders. You can make a massage oil by infusing fresh ground black pepper, ground ginger and ground cayenne. It really works on relieving sore muscles and arthritic joints.     

As an expectorant, black pepper loosens the mucus in the lungs, making coughs more productive. 

1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper mixed with 2 teaspoons of honey can be taken for coughs. A tea can be made by adding 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper to a cup of hot boiling water. Let steep for 10-15 minutes, strain, add 1-2 tablespoons of honey, stir and sip. Again, this is for coughs with mucus in the lungs. Not a dry hacking cough.

Antioxidant properties work by protecting and repairing our cells 
from cellular damage. What causes this type of damage? Diets that lack fruits and vegetables, consuming too many unhealthy fats, processed foods, white sugar, the artificial colors and flavorings in our food, chemicals in our bath and beauty products. All these factors are what contribute to the weakening of, and damage to, our inner cellular structure. Over time this leads to an imbalance in our bodies, which can then lead to the manifestation of illnesses and diseases, like heart disease, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, auto-immune disease and skin issues.  


Bioavailability - the proportion of the nutrient that is digested, absorbed and metabolized through normal pathways. - The Journal of Nutrition

Science has shown that the vitamins and nutrients in our foods are not always easily absorbed by the body. Remember piperine, that bioactive compound in black pepper, it is known to enhance absorption and improve bioavailability of those necessary vitamins and nutrients. If you have ever heard of adding black pepper to your turmeric preparations before taking, this is why. 

It's easy to incorporate black pepper in your daily diet. Just reach for that pepper grinder before you enjoy your meal. 👌

This is just a small introduction to the healing benefits of black pepper. Be sure to keep learning more about what this amazing spice has to offer! 
 

Black Pepper Fruits - photo credit: Wikipedia

Infusions with Nourishing Herbs

Infusions are made in the same manner as you would make a cup of tea, with a few exceptions.

With a cup of tea you add your dried herb/herbs to hot water and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes, strain, find a comfy chair and enjoy those medicinal benefits right away.
 
With an infusion you are using a larger amount of your herb/herbs and the steeping time is anywhere from 2 to 10 hours. The purpose of drinking an herbal infusion is for the abundant amount of vitamins and minerals. (think of it as a liquid vitamin) 💪
 
Making an infusion is very easy. Place 1 ounce, by weight, of dried herb/herbs in a glass quart jar. Fill to the top with boiling water, cover and allow to steep at room temperature for 2-10 hours. Strain and drink by the cupful, warm or cold, throughout the day. Be sure to keep the remainder in the refrigerator and to use up within 36 hours. 

 
If you find the taste to be too strong you can try using 1/2 ounce of your herb and slowly increase up to that 1 ounce. You can add a touch of honey or maybe a slice of lemon. 

You can create a different infusion per week. You can use a single herb or add several together. I always recommend to become familiar with the different vitamin/mineral profile of each herb/herbs before deciding on what herbs to use to create your own infusion, based on;

your daily diet
how is your current health? What vitamins and minerals is your body telling you it needs?
any possible herb / drug interactions

Below is a list of some of my favorite nourishing herbs to use. There are of course more one could add to this. Be sure to keep in mind that pungent herbs are not as suitable for long infusions as the taste would be very strong and unpleasant. 

As with using any herbal, be sure to check for drug interactions and or cautions for pregnant and or nursing mothers.

chickweed - Stellaria media
dandelion leaves - Taraxacum officinale
hawthorn berries, leaves and flowers 
hibiscus
mullein - Verbascum thapsus
nettle leaf- Urtica dioica
oat straw
raspberry leaf 
red clover flowers -Trifolium pratense 
rose petal
rose of sharon - Hibiscus syriacus
violet leaves - Viola sororia

Making Herbal Tea

Herbal teas are inexpensive, easy to make and they impose a ceremonial process during their preparation as well as a rest time while drinking them.

Tools To Make Teas

If you have something to cook water in and a canning jar, you have all the tools you need. Some other useful items are a Kettle, Teapot, French Press, and Mug. Be sure your tools are glass, stainless steel or enamel. You don’t want to use a container that might react with the herbs. 

Safety
Only make teas with herbs that are safe to drink.

Types of Tea Preparations

Teas are divided into two basic types of tea preparations. The infusion and decoction. Depending on what you want to extract from the herb and how dense the herb is will depend on which type of preparation you use.

When To Choose An Infusion 

Infusions are used for extraction of labile constituents such as vitamins, enzymes and volatile oils. They are also used for delicate and less dense parts of the plant such as flowers and leaves. Some seeds are also infused as well as roots with volatile oils such as elecampane or valerian.

When To Choose A Decoction

Decoctions are used for plant constituents that require more time and heat for extraction, such as mineral salts, bitter constituents and hard, dense plant parts such as barks, roots, and some seeds.

Infusions

How to Make An Infusion

An infusion is a gentle method to extract constituents from the herb. When making an infusion, the plant material is cut small, torn up or bruised to release its essence. The idea is to get as many parts of the plant in contact with the water as possible. If you have bought "cut & sift" herb from someone else, it is probably already cut up for use in an infusion.

Example of timing and how it changes the ultimate preparation

If you infuse an herb like chamomile the essential oil will be released quickly and taste and smell divine if drank within a few minutes. However, if you want the bitter constituents in chamomile which often we do if using it medicinally, you want to infuse it longer. The longer you infuse it the more bitter it will get.

Directions for one cup of infusion

Three recommended methods:

(a)     Add one cup of boiling water to one heaping tablespoon of dry herb or three heaping tablespoons of fresh herb in an air-tight container like a canning jar. Let it steep for 10-25 minutes.

(b)   Bring one cup of water to boil in a stainless steel or glass kettle. Remove the kettle from the burner and add one heaping tablespoon of the dry herb or three heaping tablespoons of fresh herb to the water. Cover the kettle with a tight fitting lid.  Steep for 10-25 minutes. Remove the lid, strain and drink the liquid. 

(c)  Put one heaping tablespoon of dry herb or three heaping tablespoons of fresh herb in a pint canning jar. Pour one cup of boiling water over the herb and put the lid on the canning jar. Let it sit overnight and drink the next morning. This method is often used for extracting minerals. When I am attempting to extract minerals I put extra herb in my jar. I often put a handful in and fill the quart jar with water. Most mineral rich herbs are food herbs such as oats and drinking strong teas is okay. If you use herbs in large amounts, make sure they are safe herbs to consume in quantities.
 
(d)  Put one heaping tablespoon of dry herb or three heaping   tablespoons of fresh herb in a pint canning jar. Pour one cup of room temp or cool water over the herb and put the lid on the canning jar. Let it sit overnight and drink the next morning. This will make a very mild infusion and picks up small amounts of volatile oils and energetic essences of the plant. Often this method is used for full moon infusions.

These infusions can be consumed hot or cold, depending on the specific usage. Large quantities can be made and stored in the refrigerator. Do not store tea for longer than 3 days because it may grow mold.

Solar Infusion

This type of infusion relies on the sun to provide heat to draw out constituents.  You put your herb into a canning jar. Then add clean spring water, well water or filtered water using the same amounts as listed above. (1 T per cup water if dry or 3 T per cup water if fresh.) Simply multiple the herb and water depending on how much tea you want to end up with.  You put the herb in the jar. Pour cold water over the herb, tighten the lid on the jar and put the jar in the direct sun. I often make sun tea in gallon canning jars when I have friends visit.

Lunar Infusion

Lunar infusions are wonderful for certain herbs. I place the herb in the jar and pour cold rather than hot water over the herb and place it under the moon at night. Usually I do this when the moon is full. It is especially nice for herbs with volatile oils. I do notice quite a difference when it is hot at night as compared to when it cools down. The heat of course does much of the extraction. When cool out at night, I get just the bare essence of the plant. I have to be sure to retrieve it before the sun is up. It is lovely and somewhat magical with certain plants. I suggest you try this with something like peppermint. Although I have used them medicinally for people, I usually don’t as I generally want the full range of constituents I can get from a hot extraction when I am using a tea medicinally.

Decoctions

How to Make A Decoction

In a kettle, bring one cup of water and one tablespoon of dry herb or three heaping tablespoons of fresh herb to a boil. Cover the kettle with a tight fitting lid, and simmer the ingredients for 15 - 25 minutes. Remove the kettle from the burner and steep ten minutes. Strain and drink.

Examples of when to choose an infusion or decoction

 If you are trying to extract minerals from an herb like nettles you can either use a hot water infusion overnight or you can decoct it for 25 minutes. They will both give you a similar amount of minerals. (I have made both up and sent it to a lab for testing.The decoction gave a tad bit more but not enough to matter.) However, the overnight infused one in my opinion usually tastes better. I am more likely to drink something that tastes good, so guess which one I will make. Usually, leafy herbs like nettles are not decocted and the only time I would decoct them is if I want to extract something like minerals and don't have the time for a 12 hour infusion.

Roots are generally decocted as they are dense and hard. However, if you are decocting a root with volatile oils such as valerian or elecampane you will want to infuse the root so you do not loose the essential oils. To make sure you extract it completely, you can cut up or pulverize the root into small pieces so the water can get into more parts of the root for a better extraction. You don't want a powder, you just want it mashed up or cut small.

Drinking the Tea

Ahhhh, now for the relaxing part.

The amount of tea you ingest will depend on if you are ingesting it for pleasure,  or health. It will also make a difference if using it for health reasons,  why you are using it. It is impossible to give a specific amount to drink, but since I know you want a guideline, I would tell you that  ½ - 1 cup three to five times a day will usually be the range. Some herbs need to be taken in very small amounts to work. For instance if you are using a bitter to stimulate digestion, you only need a few sips of a strong tea for it to help. Acute conditions usually require more of a tea and it is usually taken more often than chronic conditions. Some herbs should only be taken in small amounts as they are can be irritating if taken in large amounts of too often. It is important to always know what you are ingesting before ingesting it.

More On Teas In The Next Blog

There is so much to tell you about teas. What do you do when you want to prepare a formula of 6 different herbs and some need to be decocted and some infused?  How do you make bad tasting teas taste better? What are the advantages and disadvantages of herbal teas. This and more will be awaiting us in a soon to come blog. If you have a question about teas, let me know so you can see the answer in the next tea blog. In fact, if you have any questions about herbs, please speak up so you can get an answer in a future herb blog.