Decoctions

Decoction is a method of extraction, by boiling, of dissolved chemicals and herbal/plant material, which may include stems, roots, bark, and rhizomes.  Decoction involves first mashing, then boiling water to extract oils, organic compounds, and other chemical substances.  The process can also be applied to meats and vegetables to prepare bouilon or stock.

The decoction is the name for the resulting liquid.

It is generally used to extract fluids from harder materials such as roots and bark.

Decoction, is a term for an infusion which has been reduced to one-half its volume by slow evaporation.  Decoctions keep longer than infusions, and the smaller dose required makes it more easily administered.  It is an excellent way to prepare an herb with a terrible taste.  Since decoctions are made by evaporation, the volatile essences are water soluble vitamins in the leaves, flowers and seeds would be lost in the process.  This is why it us generally used for roots and barks.

• Begin by straining the plant material out of the infusion and discarding it.
• Measure the liquid.
• Heat the liquid until it begins to steam; this is before it simmers and long before it boils.
• Stand right there and watch for the steam to start rising. When it does, turn the heat down very low.
• Steam until the liquid is reduced to half or one-quarter of what it was in the beginning. A little stainless steel pan with measuring marks on the side is of invaluable assistance in this process, but you can also judge by the mark left on the side of the pan as the liquid level falls. Or you can measure it.
• Pour the decoction into a clean or sterile bottle.
• Label with the contents, strength, and date. Example: Simple decoction of Witch Hazel bark, Dec. '84.
• Optional: Add one tablespoon of brandy or spirit per four ounces of decoction.
• Cap well
• Cool at room temperature, then store in the refrigerator. Some decoctions may keep for as long as a year, others ferment and sour within a few months.
  Dosage: A simple decoction is four times as potent as an infusion. One cup (8 ounces) of infusion is equal to one-quarter cup (2 ounces) of a simple decoction. Use up to one tablespoon for an infant.
  Double decocting increases the strength of the infusion by a factor of sixteen (four times four). So the dose equivalent of one 8 ounce cup is only one tablespoon (1/2 ounce). The usual infant dose is half a teaspoon of double decoction.

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