Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Decoction
open-in-new
<h2 id="etymology">Etymology</h2> <p>The term dates back to 1350–1400<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> from the <a href="/facts/Past_participle/rYxXQKaG">past participle</a> stem of <a href="/facts/Latin/pM3Kge85">Latin</a> <i>decoquere</i> (meaning "to boil down"), from <i>de</i> ("from") + <i>coquere</i> ("to cook").<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="use">Use</h2> <p>In <a href="/facts/Brewing/aKCgJVyJ">brewing</a>, <a href="/facts/Decoction_mashing/fnG5lRuW">decoction mashing</a> 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. </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Herbal_medicine/aFHY8zCD">herbalism</a>, decoctions are usually made to extract fluids from hard plant materials such as roots and bark.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> To achieve this, the plant material is usually boiled for 1–2 hours in 1-5 liters of water. It is then strained. <a href="/facts/Ayurveda/XCgFAdb3">Ayurveda</a> also uses this method to create <i><a href="/facts/Kashayam/sxLbVxmU">Kashayam</a></i>-type herbal medicines. </p><p>For teas, decoction involves boiling the same amount of the herb and water that would be used for an infusion (one teaspoon per cup) for about five to ten minutes. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Food portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Concoction/vD5hqMsl">Concoction</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Percolation/CRP2RCt6">Percolation</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Infusion/f5ECb9ry">Infusion</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Maceration_(food)/Uhn0FuA9">Maceration (food)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Tincture/9FnzYB8U">Tincture</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Herbalism/aFHY8zCD">Herbalism</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Coffee_boiling/6azR0oKn">Coffee boiling</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Look up <i>decoction</i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. <ul><li><a href="http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_6902.shtml">How To Make a Herbal Decoction</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100620230056/http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_6902.shtml">Archived</a> 2010-06-20 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a> from unexplainable.net</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Biology-online.org <a href="http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Decoction" target="_blank">http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Decoction</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Annex 1: WHO guidelines on good herbal processing practices for herbal medicines". WHO Technical Report Series. Geneva, Switzerlandglish: World Health Organization. 2018. ISSN 0512-3054. Retrieved 24 April 2022. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545291563/GPS?u=edirect_gvrl&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=7f6bffc5" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545291563/GPS?u=edirect_gvrl&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=7f6bffc5</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Courtine, Robert J.; et al., eds. (1988) [French edition published 1984]. Larousse Gastronomique (English ed.). p. 362. ISBN 0-600-32390-0. <a href="0-600-32390-0" target="_blank">0-600-32390-0</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Dictionary.reference.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-29. <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/decoctions" target="_blank">http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/decoctions</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Etymonline.com <a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=decoction" target="_blank">http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=decoction</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Annex 1: WHO guidelines on good herbal processing practices for herbal medicines". WHO Technical Report Series. Geneva, Switzerlandglish: World Health Organization. 2018. ISSN 0512-3054. Retrieved 24 April 2022. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545291563/GPS?u=edirect_gvrl&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=7f6bffc5" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545291563/GPS?u=edirect_gvrl&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=7f6bffc5</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>