Samantha Rayburn is partner and co-editor of All In Ohio and founder of Hadassah’s Herbs for Health and Healing.
By Samantha Rayburn
There’s nothing like having a good cup of herbal tea for mere pleasure or for good health. 
Herbal teas are a delicious way for many people to enjoy the quality of nutritious herbs.
Herbal infusions are also a great way to consume the nutritious benefits of herbs.
So what’s the difference between an herbal tea and an herbal infusion?
Well….an herbal tea is usually used with single herbs or a mixture of herbs for the simple pleasure of enjoying a cup of tea or it’s used during times of illness.
An herbal infusion is very similar to tea, except it is steeped longer and uses a larger amount of herb. The purpose of an herbal infusion is to feed 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 may contain up to 500 mg. of calcium!
WOW! Clearly, infusions provide way more the amount of nutrition than just tea!
So….How do you decipher whether to use a tea or an infusion?
Hmmmm….
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 drink only infusions and don’t mess with the less-nutritious teas much at all.
Here’s what I personally do: I consume herbal teas as a daily drink for pleasure.
Then, at times, when my body needs a particular herb (or herbs) 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. As a great rule of thumb for good health, I love to drink at least one cup of infusion a day!
Make sense?
Awesome sauce!
Now I’ll explain how to make an herbal tea vs an herbal infusion!
Herbal tea:
Combine 1 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 3-5 times a day. Children typically drink half that amount.
I have a few great pictures if you’re interested. 
For pleasure drinking , I would personally recommend herbal mixes such as: Calming Peppermint Tea, Cinnamon Hibiscus Tea, or Calendula Rose Floral Tea.
For drinking medicinal teas 3 times a day or so during times of illness, I would recommend teas such as: Breath of Life Tea, ImLife Booster Tea, or Peppermint Berry Tea.
Herbal Infusion:
My favorite way to make an infusion is to 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.
Or you can do one cup at a time. Add 1 tbsp of herb mix to a tea infusion ball, pour 4-8oz of boiling water over it and let it steep 25-30 minutes. Viola! You have a wonderful, quickly steeped herbal infusion. 
Keep an eye out. I’m going to make a video one day over the next week to show you this step by step process in action. Blessings friends!
