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A decoction is a method of extraction of herbal
Herbal

A herbal is a book, often illustrated, that describes the appearance, medicinal properties, and other characteristics of plants used in herbal medicine....
 or plant material, which includes, but is not limited to:

and

Some 'tea
Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods....
s' are decoctions. Likewise, 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 India of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of area....
 to refer to black coffee
Black Coffee

Black Coffee can refer to:*Coffee, without added cream or milk*Several songs:**"Black Coffee ", a song written in 1948 by Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster...
 prepared by the traditional method. Decoctions, however, differ from most teas, infusion
Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of Wikt:steep plants with a desired flavour in water or edible oil.An infusion is very similar to a decoction but is used with herbs that are more volatile or dissolve readily in water, or release their active ingredients easily in oil....
s, or tisane
Tisane

An herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is an herbal infusion made from anything other than the leaves of the tea bush . Originated from both China and Middle East....
s, in that decoctions are usually boiled.

ction involves first mashing, and then boiling in water to extract
Extract

An extract is a substance made by wikt: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.

ction mashing
Mashing

In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture with pauses at certain temperatures to allow the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the grain into sugars, typically maltose to create a malty liquid called wo...
 is the traditional method used in many breweries.

It was used out of necessity before the invention of thermometers allowed simpler step mashing.

But the practice continues for many traditional beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
s because of the unique malty flavor it lends to the beer; boiling part of the grain results in Maillard reaction
Maillard reaction

The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring heat. It is vitally important in the preparation or presentation of many types of food, and, like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning....
s leading to malty flavors.

The first wort hops
Hops

Hops are the female flower cones, also known as strobiles, of the hop . They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and Herbalism....
 method (FWH) involving addition of hops to the boiler at the first step of sparging
Sparging

The term sparging may mean:*Lautering#Sparging, a process used in brewing beer.*Vegetable fats and oils#Sparging, a process used in edible oils...
 lends a bitter and complex aroma to beers .

erbalism, decoctions are usually made to extract fluids from hard plant materials such as roots and bark.






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Encyclopedia


A decoction is a method of extraction of herbal
Herbal

A herbal is a book, often illustrated, that describes the appearance, medicinal properties, and other characteristics of plants used in herbal medicine....
 or plant material, which includes, but is not limited to:

  • Stems
  • Roots
  • Bark
and
  • Rhizome
    Rhizome

    In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal plant stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes....
    s.


Some 'tea
Tea

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods....
s' are decoctions. Likewise, 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 India of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of area....
 to refer to black coffee
Black Coffee

Black Coffee can refer to:*Coffee, without added cream or milk*Several songs:**"Black Coffee ", a song written in 1948 by Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster...
 prepared by the traditional method. Decoctions, however, differ from most teas, infusion
Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of Wikt:steep plants with a desired flavour in water or edible oil.An infusion is very similar to a decoction but is used with herbs that are more volatile or dissolve readily in water, or release their active ingredients easily in oil....
s, or tisane
Tisane

An herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is an herbal infusion made from anything other than the leaves of the tea bush . Originated from both China and Middle East....
s, in that decoctions are usually boiled.

Process

Decoction involves first mashing, and then boiling in water to extract
Extract

An extract is a substance made by wikt: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.

Use in breweries

Decoction mashing
Mashing

In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture with pauses at certain temperatures to allow the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the grain into sugars, typically maltose to create a malty liquid called wo...
 is the traditional method used in many breweries.

It was used out of necessity before the invention of thermometers allowed simpler step mashing.

But the practice continues for many traditional beer
Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
s because of the unique malty flavor it lends to the beer; boiling part of the grain results in Maillard reaction
Maillard reaction

The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring heat. It is vitally important in the preparation or presentation of many types of food, and, like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning....
s leading to malty flavors.

The first wort hops
Hops

Hops are the female flower cones, also known as strobiles, of the hop . They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and Herbalism....
 method (FWH) involving addition of hops to the boiler at the first step of sparging
Sparging

The term sparging may mean:*Lautering#Sparging, a process used in brewing beer.*Vegetable fats and oils#Sparging, a process used in edible oils...
 lends a bitter and complex aroma to beers .

Use in herbalism

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.

Etymology

Dating back to 1398, from present participle stem of latin decoquere, (meaning to boil down), from de- + coquere "to cook". Decoct is certified in use from about 1420 on.

See also

  • Herbalism
    Herbalism

    Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, and phytotherapy....


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