jar of honey

Every one gets coughs and colds once and a while. It doesn’t have to last though. This homemade cough syrup takes care of a broad spectrum of types of coughs in short order. The primary herb, elecampane, is one of those rare plants that take care of both productive and unproductive coughs. The honey base makes it a tasty way to deliver the herbs that finicky patients normally turn their noses up at. All you need are a few common kitchen supplies and a hand full of herbs for an effective cough syrup for the whole family.

This recipe contains elecampane root for cough control, horseradish root for the sinuses and adds the warming power of ginger root. This is a good syrup to use for coughs that accompany the flu as it helps soothe upset stomachs and sore throats. Try brewing your herbs in a slow cooker to bring out all the herbal goodness. Be sure to store your finished product in the refrigerator to save for next time.

To make this cough syrup even stronger, use the same recipe but with fresh roots instead of dried. Increase the cooking time to 30 minutes. Keep the infused water and honey ratio the same for the sake of preservation.

ginger root
Ginger Root

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Elecampane root (dried)
  • 1/8 cup Horseradish root (dried)
  • 1/4 cup Ginger root (dried)
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 cups honey
  • 8 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon powdered ascorbic acid

Equipment

  • 1 measuring cup
  • 1 set of measuring spoons
  • 2 small cook pots (1 with lid) or a slow cooker
  • 1 strainer
  • 1 clean, resealable bottle
  • 1 label

Procedure

  1. Pour the herbs into the cook pot and heat to boiling.
  2. Cover pot with a lid and allow herbs to steep a minimum of 20 minutes or until water darkens. If using a slow cooker, add a little more water to the recipe and keep the lid on.
  3. Pour herbs through the strainer and keep 2 cups of infused water for syrup.
  4. Using The Practical Herbalist’s simple Syrup Making Instructions, heat honey and infused water to make syrup.
  5. More honey may be added for a sweeter syrup.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in ascorbic acid and lemon essential oil as flavoring and preservative value.
  7. Pour the finished product into the bottle and label it clearly.

Storage and Use

Store Elecampane Cough Syrup in the refrigerator.

Children under 12: Take 1 teaspoon of syrup no more than 4 times daily for coughs.

Adults: Take 1 tablespoon of syrup no more than 4 times daily for coughs.

Not intended for children under age 2.

 

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