Francine Ball, L.Ac.

Only one bag of herbs should be boiled at a time.  Each bag will be boiled two or three times before the herbs are discarded.  After each boiling, strain the liquid into a jar or other container, drink the specified amount, and then refrigerate any extra tea.  The herbal formula may be reboiled immediately, or if preferred, refrigerate the herbs between boiling and reboil them later.  Drink the herbal tea warm.

The following proportions are general.  Each patient's herbs are boiled in a specific fashion as instructed.  Most formulas require 3-4 cups of water initially.  Pediatric formulas require much less water and are boiled for very short periods of time.

First Boiling:  Place the entire contents of the bag of herbs into a pot and add __3 1/2________ cups of water.  Use a high flame to bring the water to a boil and then continue boiling with a medium high flame until ______1__________cups of liquid are left.  Strain the liquid into the container and leave the herbs in the pot ready for the second boiling.  Refrigerate the pot between boiling.

Second Boiling:  Add ______3________ cups of water into the pot with the already used herbs from the first boiling.  Bring the liquid to a boil with a high flame and then continue boiling with a medium high flame until _____3/4________cups of liquid are left.  Strain the liquid into a container and leave the herbs in the pot for the third boiling.

 Third Boiling:  Following the same instructions as above, only add __2 1/2________ cups of water to the pot and boil until ________1/2___________cups of liquid are left.  Strain the liquid into a container.

Instructions for drinking herbs:  Drink the liquid remaining from each boiling once each day (unless directed otherwise), one hour after supper.  If it is not possible to drink the tea in the evening, drink it following any other meal that is convenient. 

The herbal tea should be taken warm.  The herbs may be warmed in the microwave.  Do not add honey, sugar, any artificial or natural sweeteners, or anything else to the herbs or to the tea.  After drinking the tea, try to rest and conserve your energy.  Try to keep still and calm and try not to engage in any activities that demand a great expenditure of energy.  This will allow the herbs to be of greater benefit to you.

If you have any questions about how to drink or boil your herbs, please call the office at 925 933 4848 or contact me by email at Francine @ Francineball.com or through the contact page.  I am happy to answer any question you may have.  I have been prescribing Chinese Herbs for over 30 years and always know of some way to make the process easier for my patients.