Tea vs. Infusion: What’s the Difference?

An herbal tea is most often used with single herbs or a mixture of herbs for the purpose of simply enjoying a cup of tea or during times of illness. An herbal infusion is very much like a tea, only it is steeped longer and uses a larger amount of herb. The purpose of an herbal infusion is feeding your body a high dose of vitamins and minerals. According to Nature Skills, a cup of nettle tea has 5-10 mg. of calcium, while a cup of nettle infusion can contain up to 500 mg. of calcium! Clearly, infusions provide many more times the amount of nutrition than tea!

Tea vs. Infusion: When do you use a tea and when do you use an infusion?  

Some people drink both teas and infusions on a regular basis for good health, some drink mostly tea and only make infusions occasionally, and some herbalists drink only infusions and don’t mess with the less-nutritious teas. This is what I personally do: I consume herbal teas as a daily drink and at times when my body needs a particular herb(s) for an illness. I treat infusions more like taking a vitamin and drink them as a way to supply my body with high doses of vitamins and minerals. Drinking at least one cup of infusion a day is a great idea for good health! Make sense? Great! 🙂 Now I’ll explain how to make an herbal tea and an herbal infusion!

Herbal tea:

• Combine 1-2 tsp. of dried herb per cup of boiling water.  
• Once you’ve added the herbs to the water, remove from heat.  
• Cover and steep for 5-10 minutes .  
• Strain the herbs and drink.

During times of illness, it is recommended that adults drink one cup of tea three times a day.  Children typically drink half that amount. For pleasure drinking , I would personally recommend herbal mixes such as: Perfect Pumpkin Pie Tea, Passion Fruit Black Tea, or Secret Garden Green Tea. For drinking medicinal teas 3 times a day or so during times of illness, I would recommend teas such as: Immune System Builder or Throat Rescue Tea.  

Herbal Infusion:

• Add about a cup of dried herbs to a quart jar.  
• Pour boiling water over the herbs to the top of the jar.  
• Cover tightly with a lid.  
• Let the herbs steep 4-10 hours and then strain.  

A great way to do this is to make the infusion before you go to bed, and in the morning you have a healthy drink to start your day! You can drink 1-4 cups of infusion a day. Keep any leftover infusion refrigerated, and discard after 36 hours. Some of the best herbs for an herbal infusion are:

• Nettle
• Oat Straw
• Alfalfa