Herbs and Herbal products come in many different forms !

Whole Herbs: plant or plant parts that are dried and then either cut or powered.
Teas:  Come in either loose herb or in teabag form, when seeped in boiled water for a few minutes, the fragrant aromatic flavor and the herbs medicinal properties are released.  As a general rule most teas are consumed for three reason: 1) as alternatives to caffeinated tea or coffee. 2) as a component to a meal strictly for the flavor (peppermint,spearmint, rose-hips, lemon grass, anise); 3) for their mild medicinal effects (peppermint and chamomile for upset stomach or to improve digestion, chamomile or hops as a nighttime sleep aid or insomnia remedy, cinnamon tea as a home remedy for diarrhea)
Capsules & Tablets:  These offer consumer convenience but are not as effect due to processing.
Extracts & Tinctures:  They are high concentration of herbs qucikly assimulated compared to capsules and almost always contain alcohol.  The alcohol is used for 2 reasons: 1) is an excellent solvent to extract herbal properties 2) acts as a preservative.
Essential Oils: EO’s are usually distilled from various parts of medicinal and aromatic plants, and highly concentrated, with one or two drops often constituting adequate dosage. They must be used sparingly and carefully when taken internally. Some also cannot be applied directly to the skin as they may irritate.   Always consult a professional.
Salves, Balms & Ointments:  For thousands of years, humans have used plants to treat skin irritations, wounds, insect and snake bites.  In pre-historic times, herbs were cooked in a vat of goose or bear fat, lard or some vegetabel oils and then cooled in order to makes salves, balms and ointments.  Today a number of products, made with vegetable or petroleum jelly, are sold in the united states and Europe to treat a variety of conditions.  These products often contain the following herbs: aloe, marigold, chamomile, ST. John’s Wort, comfrey and goldenseal

How to make an Herb Tea

Loose teas are usually steeped in hot water: three to five minutes for leaves and flowers (this method is called infusion) or fifteen to twenty minutes in a rolling boil for denser materials like root and bark (called decoction).

Infusions: the simplest method of preparing an herb tea and both fresh or dried her may be used, such as peppermint, chamomile, and rosehips.  Due to higher water content of the fresh herb, three parts fresh herb replace one part of the dried herb.
-Put one teaspoon of herb or herb mixture into a teapot, add boiling water and steep for 5 minutes covered.

Decoctions:  For hard and woody herbs such as ginger root, and cinnamon bark for example, it is best to make a decoction rather than an infusion, to ensure that the soluble contents of the herb actually reach the water.
-Put one teaspoon of dried herb or three teaspoonfuls of fresh material for each cup of water in a pot or saucepan.  Add the appropriate amount of water to the herbs and bring to a boil and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes.