Raw herbs are dried herbs. They are closest to the form in which they are grown – roots, stems, bark, flowers, fruit or leaves – which are boiled into a strong tea called a decoction.
Benefits of Raw Herbs
Potency – While tinctures and pills may be less expensive, processors can get away with using lower quality plant material, and potency is lost in the process. Raw herbs are unprocessed, higher quality and more potent.
High Bioavailability – When you ingest food or a supplement, it has to be metabolized — broken down by your body into smaller parts — and then absorbed. The body metabolizes raw herbs quickly when they are consumed as a decoction. Raw herbs in decoction form also have high bioavailability, meaning the active constituents more rapidly enter your bloodstream and become available for use by the body.
Individualized Medicine – Patent herbs and drugs follow a one-size-fits-all approach. With raw herbs, formulas can be modified specifically for your individual needs as a patient, by adding or subtracting ingredients. This helps address the root cause of the imbalance and ignite constitutional healing, especially helpful in chronic or complicated cases.
Healing Ritual – Connecting with the medicine by preparing it is empowering to the patient and gives ownership over the healing process.