At long last, I’m putting my recipe up on the blog.
First, I took the basic procedure from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, I used ingredients that were beneficial for sore throat and/or to help with the flavor.
15 whole rose hips
1 Tablespoon Orange Peel
1 Tablespoon each: Yarrow, Valerian, Chamomile and blueberries and elderberries
2 Teaspoons Fennel Seed
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
Put all the ingredients in 1.5 quarts of water over low heat. Simmer the liquid down to about a pint, it will be a very concentrated tea.
Strain the herbs from the liquid and return the liquid to the pot. Add 1 cup of honey to each pint of liquid (or another sweetener such as maple syrup, Karo syrup, or brown sugar). Warm the honey and liquid together enough to mix well. I used 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract and 3/4 cup light corn syrup because I think a full cup is too much (for me). Remove from heat, bottle, and label. Store in the refrigerator and shake well before use. It will store for months in the refrigerator. For my purposes I used my homemade peach liqueur, it added a pain suppressant quality to the syrup since I was coughing so terribly much when I had the flu.
Rosemary talks in her procedure about how some people cook the honey and tea together for 20 to 30 minutes to have it thicken further but she didn’t agree since it tends to degrade the health benefits of the honey. I opted for her method and was quite pleased with the results. NOTE: when using the light corn syrup I did cook it an additional 20 minutes and it was perfect.
The dosage I used was 1 to 2 teaspoons every hour or when a severe bout of coughing started. I wouldn’t recommend my version for children since it contains the liqueur, but it tasted good. 🙂
Just one more thing for your arsenal to combat symptoms of colds and flu.
Take care and be healthy!
(This post first appeared on the ToBeNamedLater.com blog. January 2013)
Kathy is an herbalist/naturopathic practitioner who is constantly researching to expand her knowledge. She came to herbalism after her migraine medicine was suddenly removed from the market and she had to find something new. After discovering the magic of herbs she’s never looked back. She is accredited by the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine (IPHM) and is an Associate Member of the American Herbalist Guild.