Knowing what ingredients are toxic, harmful, or poisonous is extremely important if you are to explore this. Many of these terms are referred to as the other, but from a medical safety standpoint, it is particularly important to discuss the specifications based on what you personally intend to create.
You should always contact a medical professional before ingesting a new substance into your body. Even if it says it is safe in all the research you find, you could still even be allergic.
A brew is a potion that requires heat to steep and activate the best effects, brews are made for the purpose of drinking hot, such as a coffee or tea. Brews specifically are classified only by the method of heat.
Decoctions are the liquid resulting from concentrating the essence of a constituent by mashing and then boiling it. This includes bark, rhizomes, and the roots of a plant. Pulverizing the plant first will allow for optimum dissolution, and then boil in water to extract the volatile organic compounds and chemical substances.
Curative concoctions in which the effects might shift or benefit selective biological properties to the drinking. They may contain alcohol to promote a proper digestive breakdown.
An infusion is characterized by being a plant or biological extract in water to be drank. Effects are based on which ingredients are chosen. Teas and coffees are examples of Infusions.
The word potion itself refers to a magickal liquid or substance that is intoxicating, and can lead towards positive, negative, or transformative effects based on purpose, intention, and ingredients.
A Poultice, also called a Cataplasm, is a damp patch of heated plant matter that is distributed on cloth and laid over the skin to treat an inflamed or aching section of the body. The intention a Poultice is to cool a spot of the body over a prolonged period by drawing heat out of the spot through the process of circulation and evaporation.
The simple difference between lotions and salves is that lotions are an oil or thicker cream, and salves are more creamy or gelatinous. Both are to be applied to the skin.
To define a tincture would be a plant extract including alcohol, it can either be made into a drink, or something to be applied to the skin such as lotion when diluted.
