…In the West, most people gravitate to putting some appendage on an area that is diseased. Bruises or infections should come to mind. Additionally, many just don’t like the taste of herbs or herbal decoctions. As a result, Soaks or Compresses are a popular method in administrating care to the patient.

The method of preparation is exactly the same as for a herbal decoction. The only difference is in the method of intake. Obviously, as I explained in the previous blog, herbal decoctions are taken in orally, such as drinking the herbs. However, with Compresses, one soaks a cloth in the herbal decoction and then applies the cloth to the area affected. Soaks does include herbal baths or eye compresses. Soaks and Compresses are becoming a highly popular method of treatment in TCM.

Another method of ingesting herbs without directly drinking the formula is in making capsules. For capsules, you would obviously use only the powdered version of the herbs. If one were to make capsules, he would need to invest in some minor capital. The major part of the investment would be in a Capsule machine. Popular versions of the Capsule Machine are the Cap M Quik machine or the Capsule Machine.

The benefits of capsules are that the taste is neutralized. This is important due to the fact that many patients do not like the taste of herbs. In addition, you can travel with them, thus making them more convenient than just taking herbs or granules around with you. The downside is that it does take a lot of effort and time in making capsules.

Infused oils use a particular oil to extract the medicinal qualities of herbs. There are many types of infused oil methods from ointments to salves. Furthermore, there are many different oils that can be used from coconut oil to olive oil.