Nourishing herbal infusions are one of the easiest ways to get your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals as it takes little effort to make them. You can make them medicinal, or you can make them taste delicious... sometimes both! It all depends on which herbs you like to use.

But what is an herbal infusion you may ask?

An herbal infusion is simply a very strong tea made with one or more herbs that make a potent medicine dense with nutrition. They are delicious, and depending on what types of herbs you use, they can be jam-packed with all the essential and trace vitamins and minerals you need to nourish your body's systems and organs.

One of my favorite herbal infusions is comprised of only one herb, which is nettle. While it may not be the best tasting to some, I find it to be highly nourishing and a great addition in the fight against acne.

Herbal Infusions for Health and Clear Skin

You can use any number of herbs to make infusions such as:

• Nettle - Incredibly nourishing and high in iron. Restores energy and proper adrenal function after bouts of fatigue and burnout. Tastes icky to most so add a little mint in there.
• Oatstraw - Really great stuff for exhaustion and when you feel frayed around the edges. Great for low sex drive as well. Tastes a little bit sweet and slightly grassy but in a good way.
• Red Clover - Nourishing and moving for the lymph system and a great fertility tonic. Tastes good!
• Holy Basil - Great when taken regularly to aid in stress resistance. Tastes strong and almost licorice-y, at least to me. I like it better hot.
• Rose - Cooling, calming, drying, and just plain delicious! Great for dispelling heat or when you're feeling a bit irritable or nervous.
• Chamomile (watch out because this can get very bitter the longer it is steeped) - Very calming and great for digestive complaints.
• Hibiscus - Cooling and hydrating. Gret for lung complaints. Hibiscus tastes both sweet and sour and is lovely when added with rose petals and ice.
• Rosemary - Great for concentration and uplifts the mood when you're feeling cranky. Steep for up to 15 min as this infusion can get too strong.
• Sage - Works well at the first sign of colds and soothes sore throat. Great for concentration when you're feeling aloof.
• Lemon Balm - I love this infusion when I'm feeling anxious. Very calming.
• Thyme - Tastes icky if steeped too long but is great for lung complaints. Works especially well when there is mucus in the lungs.
• Lavender - Relieves tension and balances a bad mood. I like to use it for PMS related mood swings.
• Bee Balm - Very calming and quite effective against urinary system complaints like UTIs. Balances candida. Good for digestion.
• Mint - Great for breaking fevers and aiding digestion.
• Lemon Verbena - Delicious and lemony. I use this infusion for its calming properties. It's also great for digestive spasms and reducing fever.

How to Make Herbal Infusions

Making herbal infusions is quite simple.

All you need is a mason jar (usually a quart size), French tea press, or a drip coffee maker.

Begin by taking your dried herb of choice (you can use fresh herbs if you like) and filling the jar about ⅛. You can fill it as much as ¼ full if you like for a stronger infusion.

Fill the jar or tea press with boiled spring or filtered water and let it sit. If you're using the coffee maker, just use it the same way as would for coffee making.

Some herbs you can steep overnight like nettle, oatstraw, red clover, and roots. Keep in mind that the other herbs mentioned above can get rather icky tasting is you steep them longer than 15 minutes, but if you're looking more for the medicinal effects, then, by all means, steep them longer. But don't say I didn't warn you! 😉

After you have steeped the herbs, you can strain your herbal infusions using a mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag (if you're using a mason jar). If you're using a tea press or drip coffee maker, then you're already set! How convenient!

I like to drink most infusions hot during the winter (of course) and enjoy them cold during the summer. You can spruce them up with sliced lemon and make herbal lemonades as well.

I recommend drinking 1 quart of infusions per day for maximum benefits. You'll notice that your skin gets clearer especially when you drink nettle infusion on a daily basis because it builds, nourishes, and cleanses the blood. Nettle will also repair your adrenals so that they stop producing so much adrenalin which we all know causes a lot of stress. And we also know that a lot of stress causes acne!

Have you ever made an herbal infusion before? What kind did you make, and what did you use it for?

For more herbal preparations look below:

How to Make an Herbal Infusion
How to Make a Salve
How to Make an Herbal Infused Honey
How to Make Herbal Vinegar
How to Make Your Own Herbal Deodorant
How to Make an Herbal Hydrosol
How to Make an Herbal Decoction