TEAS Many of us are familiar with Herbal Teas. They are made by pouring hot (not boiling) water over fresh or dried herbs and allowing them to soak for a few minutes Herbal Tea’s can be drunk hot or cold. This method is called an “infusion” and is used for Herbs that are flowers or leaves and should be made fresh each day. The second method of making a “Tea” is called a “Decoction”. This is the method that is used for the Herbal Teas in the Cleanses. A Decoction is often used when the herbs are roots, barks, twigs and hard berries. The herbs are soaked overnight in distilled or pure water and then slowly heated to boiling point. They can be simmered for 15 minutes to an hour. The herbs are then strained out and the resulting Tea can be drunk either hot or cold. With the Liver and Kidney cleanses, it is recommended that the Herbal Teas are simmered NO MORE than 15 minutes and that the teas are taken as hot as possible. Teas made as a decoction, especially when you soak the roots or berries overnight, will extract all the phyto-chemicals that dissolve in water. It is recommended that – when handling a specific condition – both the teas and the extract are used. Get the Herbs INTO the body with extracts and teas and on the OUTSIDE of the body with compresses or hot baths – each process will extract needed qualities from the Herbs used Penny’s Herbal Remedies have made teas and extracts that complement each other in all the Cleanses to ensure that you will benefit from all the healing properties of the designated Herbs.