Decoction is a method of extraction, by boiling, of dissolved chemicals, or herbal

Herbal

AThe use of a or an depends on whether or not herbal is pronounced with a silent h. herbal is "a collection of descriptions of plants put together for medicinal purposes." Expressed more elaborately — it is a book containing the names and descriptions of plants, usually with information on their...

 or plant material, which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes. Decoction involves first mashing, and then boiling in water to extract

Extract

An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or in powder form....

 oils, volatile organic compounds, and other chemical substances. The process can also be applied to meats and vegetables to prepare bouillon

Bouillon (broth)

Bouillon, in French cuisine, is simply a broth. This name comes from the verb bouillir, meaning to boil. It is usually made by the simmering of mirepoix and aromatic herbs with either beef, veal, or poultry bones and/or with shrimp, or vegetables in boiling water.This is not to be confused with...

 or stock

Stock (food)

Stock is a flavoured water preparation. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces.- Preparation :Stock is made by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following...

.
A decoction is also the name for the resulting fluid. Decoctions differ from most teas, infusion

Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with desired chemical compounds or flavors in water or oil.-History:The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th or 11th century by the Persian polymath Avicenna, possibly in The Canon of Medicine.-Preparation techniques:An infusion is very...

s, or tisane

Tisane

A herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is a herbal or plant infusion and usually not made from the leaves of the tea bush . Typically, herbal tea is simply the combination of boiling water and dried fruits, flowers or herbs. Herbal tea has been imbibed for nearly as long as written history extends...

s, in that they are usually boiled. The term is used colloquially in South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

 to refer to black coffee

Black Coffee

Black coffee may refer to:* Coffee, served as a beverage without cream or milk-Music:* "Black Coffee" , written by Sonny Burke, the lyrics by Paul Francis Webster* Black Coffee , 1956...

 prepared by the traditional method.

Etymology

The term dates back to 1350–1400 from present participle stem of Latin decoquere (meaning to boil down), de "from" + coquere "to cook".

Use

In brewing

Brewing

Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...

, decoction mashing is the traditional method where a portion of the mash is removed to a separate vessel, boiled for a time and then returned to the main mash, raising the mash to the next temperature step.

In herbalism, decoctions are usually made to extract fluids from hard plant materials such as roots and bark. To achieve this, the plant material is usually boiled for 8–10 minutes in water. It is then strained.

External links

• How To Make a Herbal Decoction from unexplained.net