With cold and flu season right around the corner, I’ve been busy in our kitchen trying to get ahead. At the beginning of the year I was sick through all of January. Started with a cold, turned into a sinus infection, and just as the antibiotics had me improved, I got hit with the FLU! It was pretty miserable and this was pre-deep freezer, so I kept sending Racer K out for take-out soup and curry. Not this year! I’ve already frozen and canned 5 types of soup and I’m working on a couple others. This will also be handy through the gray, cold winter months when we just get tired and don’t want to cook.
The other thing I’ve done is prepare my herbal cough syrup in advance and it actually came right on time because of a virus going around that Racer K was exposed to. He started coughing and I had him march straight to the fridge for a dose of this because not only does it soothe the coughing, it boosts immunity. This cough syrup is all natural, can be made basically all organic (there’s no such thing as organic honey, though you can ensure you buy your honey from a beekeeper whose crops are organic and/or is near organic fields. Don’t trust anyone selling you more expensive organic honey because I promise, they have little control over where those beautiful bees choose to gather their pollen). I buy most of my ingredients for this remedy from Vitacost because they offer the organic herbs in bulk for a great price.
Here’s wishing you good health this winter!
Tennessee Honeybee’s Herbal Cough Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup elderberries
- ¼ cup thyme
- 1 cup spearmint
- 1/4 cup marshmallow root
- 1-2 cinnamon sticks, either whole or broken up
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 cup raw, local honey
- ¼ cup brandy (optional)
Directions
Mix the elderberries, thyme, spearmint, marshmallow root, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Each of these herbs is helpful. Elderberries are widely known for their immune boosting power, plus they are a great decongestant. Thyme works great for soothing cough, spearmint works to add flavor plus boosts immunity, as does cinnamon. Marshmallow root coats the throat to bring relief to the pain of coughing.
Boil 3 cups water in your tea kettle. We use distilled water so there is no chlorine or fluoride in the water to weaken the immune system. Our Water Wise home distiller is a very hard working machine and I adore it! Pour the boiling water over the herbs and stir briefly just to mix everything together. Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes. Strain in a wire mesh (optionally lined with cheesecloth) over a bowl or over a pot not yet set on the stove. Once strained, discard the herbs and place the liquid in a pot on the stove over low heat. Add the cup of honey. Raw, local honey is all we have at home and this elixir, in its various hues, is full of amino acids and vitamins, as well as phytonutrients. Heat the liquid with the honey over low only long enough for the honey to melt and combine. Remove from stove top, let cool, and bottle.
Optionally and for adults only, add ¼ cup brandy to the mixture after letting it cool and before bottling. This extends the shelf life in the fridge but also, like nighttime cough syrups, helps you fall asleep. This is not enough brandy when mixed with the cough syrup to cause any sort of intoxication when taken per the instructions below and is unnecessary if you do not want alcohol in your cough syrup.
For children: Administer 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon (depending on the age of a child) every 4-6 hours as needed.
For adults: Administer 1 tablespoon every 4-6 hours as needed.
Note: I am not a medical professional, dietitian, or nutritionist. This recipe is based on my personal research and all statements are based on personal experience. This is not a sponsored post. Vitacost and Water Wise just happen to be companies I like; I was not compensated by them in any way.
Warning: Do not use in children under the age of 2. Honey is contraindicated in children under the age of 2 due to the bacteria that causes botulism.