How to Prepare Andrographis

Andrographis, the king of bitters, is an annual/biennial herb that is native to Southeast Asia, China and India. It benefits human health by stimulating the immune system so the body can fight off invading microorganisms using its active constituent: andrographolides. Andrographis is used worldwide to treat various conditions including herpes, colds, cancer and blood clots. Andrographis gained worldwide recognition in 1919 when it was given credit for putting an end to the Indian flu epidemic. For more information about the health benefits, see resources below. To prepare the herb, harvest or purchase the leaves and the stems and allow them to dry. The two most common routes of ingestion are via tea or capsule form.

Things You'll Need

• For Tea:
• Water
• Kettle
• Cup
• 5 grams dried andrographis
• Tea ball
• Licorice root (optional)
• For capsules:
• Grinder
• 10 gelatin capsules
• Digital scale

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Instructions

Tea

• 1

  Bring one cup of water to a boil in the kettle. Pour into a cup.

• 2

  Place dried andrographis in the tea ball and place in the cup. Allow steeping for 10 to 20 minutes. Remove the tea ball.

• 3

  Add three to five chunks of licorice root, if you wish to counteract the extremely bitter tastes with a natural sweetener. Licorice is the best choice of a natural sweetener because it increases the duration of the beneficial effects of andrographis.

• 4

  Drink one cup on an empty stomach immediately preceding a meal to receive maximum benefits.

Capsules

• 5

  Grind your dried andrographis into a fine powder.

• 6

  Weigh the powder and divide into 10 groups of half a gram each.

• 7

  Open your gelatin capsules, place half a gram into each and secure the capsule closed. Ingest all throughout the course of the day at regular intervals. Do not exceed 5 grams of andrographis daily.