Phytotherapy: the best herbal teas for every use

To begin with, I choose my use. I can then refine my results to obtain advice adapted to my needs

Uses Properties How to use

What is phytotherapy?

The traditional use of plants to heal oneself represents the most ancestral and popular medicine in the world. It is called phytotherapy, which means "healing with plants" in Greek. This art consists of using plants and plant extracts in all their aspects in order to relieve everyday ailments. The dried plants in bulk are the most raw form of it, which allows to exploit them in the most authentic way. All parts of the plant (roots, rhizome, stem, flowers, bark, leaves, whole plant) can be used depending on the type of plant and the area to be treated. The drying of the plants is done in particular conditions such as a dry place, sheltered from the sun, ventilated and at a mild temperature. These conditions are necessary to maintain the organoleptic characteristics and the composition in molecules of the plant. Known for many "grandmother remedies", infusions and decoctions are the most common forms of use of dried plants. However, they are traditionally prepared in many other forms such as poultices, lotions, compresses, gargles, creams and many others!

Method of preparation of plants in phytotherapy

In phytotherapy, plants are used in many forms, more or less complex. We find especially :

The tisans or infusions, widely used;
The decoctions, which involve boiling the plant for a certain amount of time;
cold macerations, which are a kind of infusion, but in cold water;
medicinal wines, which are made by maceration in alcohol;
Mother tinctures, which are derived from maceration in a mixture of alcohol and water;
Fluid extracts, which are derived from maceration in alcohol and glycerine;
but also in juice, powder, compress, gargle, lotion, bath, inhalation, etc.

different ways of using plants in phytotherapy

The active ingredients of plants used in phytotherapy

Medicinal plants derive their properties from the active principles they contain. This is not magic, but chemistry. Here is a brief overview of the different types of molecules found in these plants that give them their medicinal properties: