How to Brew Nourishing Herbal Infusions

There’s an old, gentle way of working with herbs that doesn’t involve capsules or fancy powders. Just a jar, a handful of dried plant, and time.

It’s called a strong brew, or a nourishing herbal infusion. And if you’re rebuilding after burnout, recovering from postpartum, feeling worn down by stress, or simply trying to restore balance, this is the first place I’d have you begin.

But not just any herb. Not just any amount. And not just whenever.

Strong brews are herbal nourishment done with intention—so your body can truly absorb and use what it’s given.

✽ What Is a Strong Brew?

A strong brew is one quart (four cups) of a single dried herb, steeped for hours to fully extract its minerals, vitamins, and plant compounds. It’s not the same as tea—it’s deeper. Stronger. Food, not beverage.

This is herbalism as daily nourishment, not symptom management. It supports your energy, hormones, nervous system, skin, gut, and connective tissue—bit by bit, day by day.

✽ How to Make a Strong Brew (Two Easy Methods)

There are two respected ways to prepare a strong brew. Both work beautifully—you can choose what feels right for you.

Susan Weed’s Method (Measured + Consistent):

Use one ounce (about 28–30 grams) of dried herb. Add it to a quart-sized mason jar. Pour boiling water to the top, cover it, and let it steep for 4–8 hours or overnight. Strain in the morning and drink the entire quart throughout the day.

This method is great when you want consistency or are working with herbs that are denser—like comfrey leaf, plantain, marshmallow root, or soursop leaf.

Paul Bergner’s Village Method (No Scale Needed):

Fill one-third of your mason jar with loose dried herb (don’t pack it down). Pour boiling water to the top, cover, and let it steep for 4–8 hours or overnight. Strain and sip the quart throughout the day.

This is a perfect method if you’re using light, fluffy herbs like nettle, red raspberry leaf, oatstraw, or red clover. I tend to follow Paul Bergner’s method as it is one less step. But for accuracy buy a scale and follow Susun Weeds method.

✽ How Often Should You Drink It?

The gentlest and most effective way for most people to use strong brews is to rotate through five different herbs—one herb per day, five days per week.

Rotating your herbs gives your body a variety of minerals without overloading any one effect. You don’t need to know your constitution to benefit—just know that some herbs are naturally drying (like nettle), others are moistening (like oatstraw or linden), and rotating helps keep your system balanced.

✽ What Herbs Should I Start With?

Susun Weed’s classic nourishing herbal infusion rotation includes:

1. Oatstraw (Avena sativa)

2. Nettle leaf (Urtica dioica)

3. Red Clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense)

4. Linden flowers (Tilia spp.)

5. Comfrey leaf (Symphytum officinale)

You can rotate through these herbs one at a time—one herb per day, one quart per day—and trust that the shifts begin when you commit. The beauty of this practice isn’t in dramatic overnight change but in the quiet, compounding nourishment that builds over weeks and months.

I follow Susun Weed’s herbal recommendations because they offer deep, time-tested nourishment—rebuilding the body’s foundations with safe, whole plants instead of pills and powders. These infusions remind us that plants are food, and some of the most potent healing comes not from what's exotic or expensive, but from the wild, green, mineral-rich abundance that grows beside us.

I believe herbal infusions are one of the purest ways to nourish the body, drawn from the very plants that are themselves fed by earth, rain, and sun—and who, in turn, nourish us. For more information on each herb, see the bottom of the blog.

✽ Flavor, Temperature & Storage

Drink it:

– Warmed gently (don’t boil)

– Cold from the fridge

– Or room temp — all are fine

Flavor it:

– Add ½–1 tsp of dried mint, rose petals, citrus peel, or cinnamon chips into the jar with your main herb before pouring boiling water

– Let it all infuse together for 4–6 hours (or overnight)

– Add honey only when reheating before drinking, if desired

Store it:

– Refrigerate leftover infusion

– Best used within 24–36 hours

**A video of how to make the Strong Herbal Brew is below*

✽ Where Can I Buy High-Quality Herbs?

Canadian Dried Herb Suppliers

1. Gaia Garden Herbals – www.gaiagarden.com

2. Organic Matters (OM Foods) – www.omfoods.com

3. Botanica Organic – www.botanicaorganic.ca

4. Golden Bough Botanicals – www.goldenbough.ca

5. The Apothecary in Inglewood (Calgary, AB) – www.theapothecary.ca

American Dried Herb Suppliers (Ship to Canada)

1. Mountain Rose Herbs – www.mountainroseherbs.com

2. Pacific Botanicals – www.pacificbotanicals.com

3. Starwest Botanicals – www.starwest-botanicals.com

When in doubt, choose herbs that are vibrant in color, have a strong smell, and were harvested within the last year. If it looks like beige hay, return it.

✽ Strong brews and nourishing infusions are a powerful way to start nourishing the body—and I highly recommend them. But when your body needs something more specific, a one-on-one consultation can offer deeper support tailored to where you are right now. See Private Consultations.

✽ 3-Month Supply Guide?

To make nourishing herbal infusions for three months, you'll want to have about 13 ounces of each herb on hand, since one infusion uses 1 ounce and you'll be making one infusion per week. For most herbs like nettle, oatstraw, and comfrey, one pound (16 ounces) is perfect—it gives you a little extra in case you want stronger brews.

For lighter, fluffier herbs like red clover blossoms and linden flowers, you may need a bit more—closer to 1.5 pounds—because they take up more space and weigh less per cup.

So for a full 3-month supply, aim for:

• 1 pound each of nettle, oatstraw, and comfrey

• 1.5 pounds of red clover and linden

This will give you enough to make one strong infusion per week for each herb. Store everything in a cool, dry, airtight space, and your herbs will stay vibrant and effective for months.

Private Consulatations Now Available

I’m currently welcoming a few more 1:1 clients. If you're feeling off, run down, or unsure where to begin, I’d love to support you. In our session, you’ll receive not just a list of herbs, but a holistic lifestyle guide.

To inquire about working together, just send me a message [@herbalarchitect on Instagram / through email herbalarchitect@gmail.com]. I’ll follow up personally with next steps.

Love & Sunshine,

Tricia

Make Some Vitamin’s Video

Vitamin & Mineral Makeup of the Core Herbal Infusion Herbs

Here’s a breakdown of the vitamins, minerals, and constituents found in each of the five herbs Susun Weed recommends for nourishing herbal infusions—based on her writings, particularly from:

• Healing Wise (1989)

• New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (2002)

• Articles and interviews available on Wise Woman University and Susun Weed’s website

1. Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)

Key Nutrients:

• Vitamins: A, C, D, E, K, B-complex (especially B2 and B5)

• Minerals: Iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, silica, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium

• Other: Chlorophyll, flavonoids (quercetin), protein (up to 10%), carotenoids

Referenced in:

• Healing Wise, p. 103–110

• “Nourishing Herbal Infusions” article on her website

“A cup of nettle infusion contains more calcium than a cup of milk and tons more magnesium, potassium, and iron.” — Healing Wise, p. 108

2. Oatstraw (Avena sativa tops)

Key Nutrients:

• Vitamins: B-complex (esp. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6), A, E

• Minerals: Calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, chromium, silica

• Other: Saponins, avenanthramides, mucilage, alkaloids (mild nervines)

Referenced in:

• New Menopausal Years, p. 223–225

• Healing Wise, p. 139–144

“Oatstraw feeds the nerves like mother's milk... an infusion is rich in calcium and magnesium in perfect proportion.” — Healing Wise, p. 140

3. Red Clover Blossoms (Trifolium pratense)

Key Nutrients:

• Vitamins: C, A, B-complex

• Minerals: Calcium, magnesium, potassium, chromium, iron, manganese

• Other: Isoflavones (phytoestrogens), flavonoids, coumarins, salicylic acid

Referenced in:

• Healing Wise, p. 125–132

• New Menopausal Years, p. 229–233

“Red clover helps balance hormones, enriches the blood, and is deeply nourishing in minerals.” — Healing Wise, p. 127

4. Linden Flower (Tilia spp.)

Key Nutrients:

• Vitamins: C, trace B vitamins

• Minerals: Magnesium, calcium, trace manganese

• Other: Mucilage, volatile oils, flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin), tannins

Referenced in:

• New Menopausal Years, p. 238–240

• Healing Wise, p. 151–155

“Linden flower tea is soothing to the nerves and the heart, moistens dryness, and reduces inflammation.” — Healing Wise, p. 151

5. Comfrey Leaf (Symphytum officinale)

Key Nutrients:

• Vitamins: A, C, B12 (rare in plants)

• Minerals: Calcium, potassium, phosphorus, trace silica

• Other: Allantoin (cell regenerator), mucilage, rosmarinic acid, inulin, some pyrrolizidine alkaloids (caution noted by Susun)

Referenced in:

• Healing Wise, p. 91–101

• New Menopausal Years, p. 249–252

“Comfrey builds bone and heals tissue faster than any other plant I know.” — Healing Wise, p. 96