Herbal infusion (tea)
General description of the method; for a specific herb always check suitability, plant part and safety on its card.
Infusion or brief extraction in hot water; usually without long boiling.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Preparation time (rough guide):
- About 5โ15 minutes active work (infusion).
- Equipment:
- Teapot, mug or jar; strainer or tea infuser; hot water.
- General preparation safety
Very hot drinks can irritate mucous membranes. Some plants need a short extraction, others need simmering โ always verify for the exact taxon and source.
More detail
In the narrow sense, โteaโ often means an infusion: you pour water just off the boil over the dried plant matter and let it steep for a few minutes. Temperature, steep time, and the herb-to-water ratio change both flavour and what dissolves into the liquid.
Compared with a decoction, heat exposure is shorter and gentler; tender leaves and flowers are often better as an infusion than with prolonged simmering. For each herb, always follow the plant card for suitable plant part, preparation, and safety notes โ general rules never replace species-level judgement.
Related methods
Methods are often compared โ links below go to the detail page with short context.
Recipes in the catalogue
These herbs have a published step-by-step procedure for this method โ full instructions are on the herb card under processing.
- Achillea millefoliumAchillea millefolium โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Agrimonia eupatoriaCommon agrimony infusion
- Alchemilla vulgarisLady's mantle leaf tea
- Allium schoenoprasumChive herb tea
- Allium ursinumAllium ursinum โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Artemisia absinthiumArtemisia absinthium โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Artemisia dracunculusArtemisia dracunculus โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Calendula officinalisCalendula officinalis โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Calluna vulgarisHeather flower tea
- Cichorium intybusCichorium intybus โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Root)
- Crataegus monogynaCrataegus monogyna โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- DandelionDandelion leaf tea
- Echinacea purpureaEchinacea purpurea โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Foeniculum vulgareFoeniculum vulgare โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Fragaria vescaWild strawberry leaf tea
- Galium aparineGalium aparine โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Ginkgo bilobaGinkgo leaf tea (short steep)
- Glechoma hederaceaGlechoma hederacea โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Hypericum perforatumSt John's wort flower tea
- Hyssopus officinalisHyssop infusion
- Juniperus communisCommon juniper needle infusion
- Lamium albumWhite dead-nettle infusion
- Lavandula angustifoliaLavandula angustifolia โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Leonurus cardiacaMotherwort infusion
- Malva sylvestrisMalva sylvestris โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Matricaria chamomillaMatricaria chamomilla โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Melissa officinalisLemon balm leaf tea
- Mentha spicataMentha spicata โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Mentha ร piperitaPeppermint leaf tea
- Ocimum basilicumSweet basil leaf tea
- Origanum vulgareWild marjoram (oregano) infusion
- Pimpinella anisumAnise fruit infusion
- Plantago lanceolataRibwort plantain leaf tea
- Plantago majorGreater plantain leaf tea
- Rosa caninaDog rose petal tea
- Rosa ร damascenaRosa ร damascena โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Rosmarinus officinalisRosmarinus officinalis โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Rubus fruticosusBlackberry leaf tea
- Rubus idaeusRaspberry leaf tea
- Rumex acetosaGarden sorrel leaf tea
- Salvia officinalisCommon sage leaf tea
- Sambucus nigraSambucus nigra โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Flower)
- Silybum marianumMilk thistle flower tea
- Stinging nettleStinging nettle leaf tea
- Thymus serpyllumWild thyme infusion
- Thymus vulgarisCommon thyme infusion
- Tilia cordataSmall-leaved lime flower tea
- Trifolium pratenseRed clover flower tea
- Vaccinium myrtillusBilberry leaf tea
- Vaccinium vitis-idaeaVaccinium vitis-idaea โ Herbal infusion (tea) (Leaf)
- Valeriana officinalisValerian leaf tea
- Verbascum thapsusGreat mullein flower tea
- Viola odorataSweet violet flower tea
- Viola tricolorWild pansy flower tea
Herbs in the catalogue
Published herbs that list this method on the card.
Showing 54 of 142 โ 54 herbs in the list
- Achillea millefoliumAchillea millefolium
- Agrimonia eupatoriaAgrimonia eupatoria
- Alchemilla vulgarisAlchemilla vulgaris
- Allium schoenoprasumAllium schoenoprasum
- Allium ursinumAllium ursinum
- Artemisia absinthiumArtemisia absinthium
- Artemisia dracunculusArtemisia dracunculus
- Calendula officinalisCalendula officinalis
- Calluna vulgarisCalluna vulgaris
- Cichorium intybusCichorium intybus
- Crataegus monogynaCrataegus monogyna
- DandelionTaraxacum officinale
- Echinacea purpureaEchinacea purpurea
- Foeniculum vulgareFoeniculum vulgare
- Fragaria vescaFragaria vesca
- Galium aparineGalium aparine
- Ginkgo bilobaGinkgo biloba
- Glechoma hederaceaGlechoma hederacea
- Hypericum perforatumHypericum perforatum
- Hyssopus officinalisHyssopus officinalis
- Juniperus communisJuniperus communis
- Lamium albumLamium album
- Lavandula angustifoliaLavandula angustifolia
- Leonurus cardiacaLeonurus cardiaca
- Malva sylvestrisMalva sylvestris
- Matricaria chamomillaMatricaria chamomilla
- Melissa officinalisMelissa officinalis
- Mentha spicataMentha spicata
- Mentha ร piperitaMentha ร piperita
- Ocimum basilicumOcimum basilicum
- Origanum vulgareOriganum vulgare
- Pimpinella anisumPimpinella anisum
- Plantago lanceolataPlantago lanceolata
- Plantago majorPlantago major
- Rosa caninaRosa canina
- Rosa ร damascenaRosa ร damascena
- Rosmarinus officinalisRosmarinus officinalis
- Rubus fruticosusRubus fruticosus
- Rubus idaeusRubus idaeus
- Rumex acetosaRumex acetosa
- Salvia officinalisSalvia officinalis
- Sambucus nigraSambucus nigra
- Silybum marianumSilybum marianum
- Stinging nettleUrtica dioica
- Thymus serpyllumThymus serpyllum
- Thymus vulgarisThymus vulgaris
- Tilia cordataTilia cordata
- Trifolium pratenseTrifolium pratense
- Vaccinium myrtillusVaccinium myrtillus
- Vaccinium vitis-idaeaVaccinium vitis-idaea
- Valeriana officinalisValeriana officinalis
- Verbascum thapsusVerbascum thapsus
- Viola odorataViola odorata
- Viola tricolorViola tricolor