Literary notes about Infusion (AI summary)
The term "infusion" has been employed in literature with a rich diversity of meanings that extend far beyond its basic notion of steeping. In medicinal texts, especially those by T. H. Pardo de Tavera, it designates a method of extracting therapeutic properties from herbs—the infusion is prescribed for ailments ranging from skin disorders and cholera ([1], [2], [3]) to menstrual issues and digestive troubles ([4], [5], [6]). In the realm of coffee making, the term contrasts with decoction, highlighting a shift from boiling to the gentler process of steeping as a technique for extracting flavor and aroma ([7], [8], [9], [10]). Moreover, "infusion" is also used metaphorically in literature to denote the blending or permeation of qualities, ideas, or even bloodlines, as seen in discussions of cultural influence ([11], [12]) or character traits ([13], [14]). These varied usages reflect the term's evolution, serving both literal and figurative purposes across disciplines and eras.
- Used as a vapor-bath it produces abundant diaphoresis, and the infusion given internally has a like effect.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - —The infusion of the root is used internally as an emollient and refrigerant; externally in skin diseases accompanied by smarting and inflammation.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - Rumphius is authority for the statement that the infusion of the leaves is used in cholera.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - —The native women use the infusion of its aromatic leaves to induce menstruation.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - It is given in maceration or infusion, 2–15 grams of the seeds to 3 or 400 of water to be taken several times a day.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - —An infusion of the leaves is given as a diuretic and digestive tonic.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - An infusion from green coffee has a decidedly unpleasant taste and hardly any color.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - There are two preparations of coffee, the decoction used by the Arabs and the infusion, used in Europe and adopted in the Philippines.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - By 1760, the decoction, or boiling, method in France had been generally replaced by the infusion, or steeping, method.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - Infusion is the process of steeping—extraction without boiling.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - Such contentedness and change of view in regard to every kind of life does the infusion of reason bring about.
— from Plutarch's Morals by Plutarch - In like manner the western heart had to render Christianity congenial and adequate by a rich infusion of pagan custom and sentiment.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - James Sully compares the receptivity of memory with the infusion of dampness into an old MS.
— from Criminal Psychology: A Manual for Judges, Practitioners, and Students by Hans Gross - ‘They think you’re—you’re drowned,’ replied the boy, who in his malicious nature had a strong infusion of his master.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens