The thing that seems to get in the way for a lot of people is the complexity of cooking the herbs. “Too time consuming,” and “can’t stand the smell,” are the most frequently heard comments. So to help get you past these challenges, and begin to participate in the alchemical poetry of herb cooking, I offer the following simplified instructions:

1) Take your bags of herbs home and dump them into a glass or ceramic cooking pot.
2) Take a few minutes to smell them and feel them. That’s right, go ahead and put your hands in them. These plants are your healing allies. Start making friends.
3) Cover the herbs with about 4 cups of water.
4) Bring to a boil, turn down to low heat, and simmer gently for about 45 minutes.
5) Strain and drink the tea in ½ cup portions twice a day between meals.
6) The strained herbs can be kept in the refrigerator and re-boiled two more times.

There are situations for which your practitioner may give you special instructions or dosages. But the above directions will work well most of the time. Enjoy the magic!