Herbal Syrups

Sore throat syrup

4 cups water

2 tablespoons osha root

1 tablespoon echinacea root

1 tablespoon fennel seed

1 tablespoon slippery elm bark

1 teaspoon ginger root

Cook this down to two cups as directed above and then add:

One half cup honey

One quarter cup brandy

One quarter cup black cherry fruit concentrate

This is a great syrup to soothe the throat. It works best if you take one

tablespoon every two hours at the first tickle of a sore throat

Herbal-C Syrup

6 cups water

3 tablespoons elderberries

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds or cranberries

2 tablespoons rose hips

1 tablespoon pine or cedar tree needles

1 tablespoon lemongrass

Cook this down to three cups and add:

One half cup molasses

One half cup honey

One half cup fruit concentrate

This is wonderful tasting syrup to take as a tonic during cold and flu season.

Wet and Damp Cough Syrup

4 cups water

2 tablespoons elecampane root

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon horehound leaf

1 tablespoon yerba santa leaf

Cook this down to two cups and add:

One half cup honey

One half cup brandy

This syrup is for lingering wet coughs with lots of stuck phlegm and mucus.

Elderberry Syrup

3 cups water

4 tablespoons of fresh or dried elderberries

one half cup honey

one quarter cup brandy

Put the elderberries and the water into a stainless steel sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then let simmer on low heat for fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and let the elderberries infuse for a couple of hours. Strain the elderberries out and put them in the compost pile. You now have a strong elderberry tea. Turn the stove on low and simmer the tea without a lid on the pot until the tea is down to one half of its original volume. In this case you are starting with three cups of tea and cooking it down to one and a half cups. This process is called decocting. Take the tea off of the stove and add the honey while the tea is still warm. Stir in the honey until it is dissolved. After the tea cools, add the brandy. Store this syrup in the refrigerator with a shelf life of about three to six months. Take a tablespoon every hour and a half at the first signs of a cold or flu.