Houttuynia - Tea vs Tincture

For those who have used both, which did you prefer and why?

Did you feel the tea did something that the tincture did not?

I would like to get back on houtty and am contemplating trying the tea. Tea is a lot more trouble than tinctures, and I’m lazy😏. Plus it would cost more to buy all the paraphernalia needed. Just wondering if it’s worth the trouble. I have only used the tinctures from Woodland Essence in the past.

buhner prefers tincture of the fresh herb - but that is like unobtanium unless you grow it yourself - and its an annual i think - so not entirely practical.

the Chinese use it as a tea mainly ( no cultural history of tincturing - as not really any widespread distillation of alcohol in their society ) and there the tea is made from the dried leaves.

buhners anti-viral book says he prefers tincture - but you can use the powdered leaf in capsules or to use 15-30g as a hot water decoction (tea) per day - but that it loses its effectiveness really quickly if boiled - so the Chinese boil it for only the briefest of moments.

when i started taking it i thought it might be wise to double the dosage on the basis that the dried herb i was using would be lower in potency than the fresh herb Buhner advises. but i had massive herx effects from even half the recommended dose - so everything i have experienced to date and other user's accounts leads me to believe the dried herb is plenty strong enough.

i used Plumb Flower brand from 1st Chinese Herbs - and it worked fine for me.