The syrup is made in three steps. First a tincture is made with the berries and the brandy. This needs to macerate for 4 weeks. Then the tincture is strained and the same berries are simmered with water to make a strong decoction to which honey is added. This makes the syrup. Then some of the tincture is added to the syrup to create the final shelf-stable syrup. Both the alcohol and the honey are important to make this shelf stable. Without them, this preparation would spoil quickly. Don't be tempted to cut back on the honey or reduce the alcohol. The proportions are important to the success of the recipe.
When dark, winter days challenge our bodies as well as our spirits, nothing makes a better remedy than old-fashioned tonic syrups. Time-tested & true, these potent preventatives and remedial he…
Making an elderberry winter tonic for your family is really pretty simple. I used to pay a ton of money for this very same medicine each year before I knew how to make my own. These instructions are for fresh elderberries, but you can also use dried ones, in case there aren't any elder trees in your area. Even if you need to buy the berries instead of collecting them for free, it's a much cheaper option for getting this great medicine, and totally worth the small effort of making it. And one more thing... it's delicious.
Nutritive herbs can be used individually or combined to create a delightful health tonic, like this DIY nutrient-dense syrup!
The syrup is made in three steps. First a tincture is made with the berries and the brandy. This needs to macerate for 4 weeks. Then the tincture is strained and the same berries are simmered with water to make a strong decoction to which honey is added. This makes the syrup. Then some of the tincture is added to the syrup to create the final shelf-stable syrup. Both the alcohol and the honey are important to make this shelf stable. Without them, this preparation would spoil quickly. Don't be tempted to cut back on the honey or reduce the alcohol. The proportions are important to the success of the recipe.
An extra gentle salve base recipe that is easily customizable for making herbal salves, balms, chapsticks, and perfumes.
When dark, winter days challenge our bodies as well as our spirits, nothing makes a better remedy than old-fashioned tonic syrups. Time-tested & true, these potent preventatives and remedial he…
Sage & Honey Cough Syrup is so simple and effective that I think everyone should make some. Did you know that honey works better than regular cough syrup?
When dark, winter days challenge our bodies as well as our spirits, nothing makes a better remedy than old-fashioned tonic syrups. Time-tested & true, these potent preventatives and remedial he…
This rosehip syrup recipe is a delightful tonic and delicious way to nourish the heart and get your daily intake of vitamin C.
This cough syrup is so customizable. You can easily make as much or as little as you like. It only uses 4 ingredients, takes less than 10 minutes to make, and can be ready in as little as a few hours. The size of jar used will determine the ingredient quantities needed. This recipe is for a 12 ounce jar. You may choose to make more or less depending on your family size. If you choose to strain the syrup, save the garlic, onion, and ginger to make a salad dressing!
Today, I want to show you how to easily make and use ginger syrup in your daily life, but first, let's look at some health benefits of using ginger.
Nutritive herbs can be used individually or combined to create a delightful health tonic, like this DIY nutrient-dense syrup!
The syrup is made in three steps. First a tincture is made with the berries and the brandy. This needs to macerate for 4 weeks. Then the tincture is strained and the same berries are simmered with water to make a strong decoction to which honey is added. This makes the syrup. Then some of the tincture is added to the syrup to create the final shelf-stable syrup. Both the alcohol and the honey are important to make this shelf stable. Without them, this preparation would spoil quickly. Don't be tempted to cut back on the honey or reduce the alcohol. The proportions are important to the success of the recipe.
Learning how to make dandelion infused oil and dandelion salve is so easy! We're only about a month into our gardening season here in Montana and already my hands are dry and chapped. I've been
Note: This article is how you can make your own elderberry cordial. You can use the elderberry syrup you’ve already made, or you can make it as a stand alone cocktail drink to sip and enjoy while getting all the health benefits! You’ll love this healthy and easy recipe for a lovely liqueur to
When the cold and flu season comes around, you might find it helpful to have this elderberry immunity syrup with rose hips and astragalus in supply!
It wasn't until I had my own garden, and my own family, that I really discovered the worth and medicinal value of antibacterial and antiviral herbs.
This flu and cold fighting Elderberry and Astragalus syrup is simple to make and extremely efficient in healing the body from the common cold!
This herbal iron syrup is a daily tonic made with iron-rich herbs, spices, & dried fruits that is also formulated to aid digestion so that you can actually absorb and use the iron you're consuming. If you don't have an ingredient, just leave it out and add a little more of another. This recipe is easily customized. Makes about 48-1 tablespoon servings. Delicious when taken by the spoonful, stirred into bubbly water, or drizzled over buttered toast or a warm biscuit.
Thyme cough syrup made with honey and lemon is a useful homemade cough remedy to have on hand for cold and flu season for dry or wet coughs.This recipe makes about 2 cups.
This magical Venus Vinegar is composed of the most vitalizing wild foods, herbs, and medicines offered by Mother Nature this season. It is no ordinary herbal vinegar, but a nutrient-rich, beautifyi…
This pine needle cough syrup is beneficial for soothing for a dry and scratchy throat and helping to tame coughs.
Use these syrups to soothe a cough or sore throat; or stir them into hot tea or water to add yummy flavor.
I'm so excited to share this with you today. This post, in a three part series, has been a work in progress. It comes to you after much study and personal experience. It's my wish that the information will inspire as well as educate. I believe that God has not only given us plants as nourishing foods to strengthen and feed our bodies, but I also believe that He has given us the gift of plants for our health and healing. As I've discovered, these plants are to be used with skill, thanksgiving, and respect. The use of herbs in every day wellness and home health care is very appealing to me. For one thing, I love plants and all that gardening entails. I love having a role in helping people heal. To know and demonstrate through the loving care I give, this gift of "the Healer's Art" isn't something that comes naturally. I want this blessing, especially in my role as a mother; a role I take very seriously. I want to do all in my power to take care of myself and my loved ones. Being self sufficient, knowledgeable, and prepared is something in which I'm constantly engaging in and striving for. Sometimes, I think I was born in the wrong century! Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the blessing it is to have modern health care. I am grateful for the services that allopathic medicine has and will provide for my family. However, I'm finding it a little disgruntling that most medicines seem to mask the symptoms, don't seem to really heal the cause, and leave questionable side effects. Why the focus on disease instead of prevention? That's why I find herbs and natural medicine so appealing. These things are so accessible and affordable for the common man. I'm looking for something that will strengthen, cleanse, nourish, and heal my body. And all that comes proactively, mostly by the things I do on a daily basis: what I feed myself and my family and the ways in which we honor and treat these bodies. So, let's get down to the nitty gritty, shall we? May I present to you a little bit of what I do in my home to bring this about: The Herbal Wellness Pantry or the Home Apothecary This is my new shelf (the one that almost broke my foot ) that I've organized in the last few days. Can I tell you how much I love this new kitchen addition? Top Shelf: ~small lidded basket for the essential oils I use in the diffuser, in homemade household cleaners, ones that are handier in the kitchen. ~mortar and pestle to grind herbs, flowers, spices. ~wooden bowl with muslin bags used in herbal baths. ~White clay for facial masks, bath salts. ~Poppy seeds: culinary use, facial scrub. ~Marshmallow Root: used in teas for sore throats, diarrhea, constipation, bronchial inflammation. ~Calendula flower petals: used in soap making, hair rinse, nourishing and soothing for skin. Middle Shelves: ~Dried Elderberries: used in infection fighting/immune strengthening syrup. ~Catnip: used to help bring down a fever, calming and sedative/ digestive aid tea. ~Dried Rosehips: high in antioxidants, vitamin C, iron; used in infection fighting/immune strengthening syrup. ~Echinacea: used in infection fighting/immune strengthening syrup, tinctures, capsulated. ~Comfrey: amazing tissue and bone healer used in poultices, burn ointment and skin salves. ~Cinnamon sticks: warming to the body in hot drinks, used in infection fighting/immune strengthening syrup. ~Whole Cloves: warming to the body in hot drinks, used in infection fighting/immune strengthening syrup. ~BF&C (Dr. Christopher's Bone, Flesh, and Cartilage formula) used is fomentation or teas (soaking) for injured or damaged tissue or bone. ~Calcium Tea: a blend of nettles, oatstraw, horsetail (a whole food based absorbable form of calcium and other minerals I drink as a tea to strengthen my bones) ~Lavender: used aromatically in pillows, sachets, in bath water. Aids in alleviating stress, tension, insomnia. ~Bay Leaf: culinary and aromatic uses. ~Chamomile: used as a tea for treating colic, nervousness, infections, digestion. Also nice addition to the bath. Can be used as an eye wash for conjunctivitis (pink eye). ~Peppermint: my favorite tea. Helpful herb for digestion, stomach cramps, nausea, stimulant herb. ~Yarrow: used in a hot tea or bath water to help induce sweating and lowering fevers. Can be applied to cuts or wounds to disinfect and stop bleeding. ~Red Raspberry leaf: wonderful tonic herb to aid and regulate women's reproductive system, high in iron; helpful in times of sickness and fever. ~Cayenne: powerful and stimulating to the circulatory system by equalizing the blood pressure. Will stop bleeding if sprinkled on a wound, as well as stop a bloody nose (take 1/4-1 t. in a glass of water, or capsule or tincture dropperful). also an aid in shock (same procedure as bloody nose) and head ache. Energy bringer (I take some before I go running; great endurance and speed help in my races). Used in ointment that we have in the first aid kit. You get used to the kick after time. ~Slippery Elm: inner bark powder helpful for soothing inflammation, burn, sore throat or cough (used in homemade lozenges) diarrhea (mix a tablespoon with a bit of oatmeal in a gruel), constipation. ~Mustard powder: used as poultice for respiratory issues or in bath water when there's a fever (sweat inducing). Other things I store in my kitchen: ~fresh garlic cloves: super infection fighter and antiseptic, stimulating to the immune and circulatory systems. Used in poultices, infused in olive oil to rub on lymph nodes, chest, feet. Eaten raw. ~ginger root: very helpful made in a tea for stomach and digestion disorders; very warming to the body, helpful in inducing a sweat (fevers). ~fresh lemons: used in a tea with honey and ginger root when feeling ill. Cleansing to the body, especially the liver. ~apple cider vinegar: used in washing the body (diluted) after breaking a sweat when fevering. ~raw honey: taken (not those under 1 year old) by the spoonful (or simmered with onions in a natural cough syrup, used in immune strengthening/infection fighting syrups. Helpful for seasonal allergies. ~onions: will break up congestion when baked or sauteed and then placed as a poultice on chest. Herb Drying Rack: (All grown and harvested from my garden!) ~Thyme: infection/fever tea ~Marjoram: culinary (Italian seasoning blend) ~Stevia: homegrown sweetener ~Lavender: I can't seem to grow enough. ~Lemon Balm: sedative, calming, and anti- depressive herb used in teas or bath soaks. ~Oregano: infection fighter, culinary (Italian seasoning blend). Stay tuned for tomorrow's Part 2: The Tackle Box First Aid and Wellness Kit and Thursday's Part 3: Essential Oils in the Home
Powerful combination of elderflowers, thyme and linden make this cough syrup strong homemade remedy. All these tree ingredients together with cinnamon are used to fight colds, sore throat, fever and to ease coughing (expectorant).Thyme has been used for centuries to treat bronchitis and cough
Learn 12 practical ways that you can use dandelion flowers to make things that are good and useful for you and your family. (1) Dandelion Oil (2) Dandelion Salve (3) Dandelion Vinegar (4) Traditional Dandelion Syrup (5) Dandelion Soaps (6) Dandelion Lotion Bars (7) Dandelion Tea (8) Dandelion Magnesium Lotion (9) Dandelion Tincture (10) Dandelion Infused Honey (11) Dandelion Cupcakes (12) Dandelion Bath Bombs
Have a dry, hacking cough that's keeping you or your child up at night? This respiratory syrup from The Healing Kitchen can provide comfort and support.
Elderberry (Sambucus) is known as an immune boosting flu remedy but did you know it purifies the blood and circulatory system? Making it a a great (and tasty) spring tonic, but is often overlooked as one. This little berry can do wonders helping us transition from one season to the next. Here's a syrup I just made the other day for my family to use as a spring tonic. You can put this on pancakes, ice cream or just take a couple of tsp everyday. My kids like to mix it in with their water to make tea in a roundabout way. Hey, whatever works, right?! ~Spring Tonic Syrup~ 1c. dried elderberries 1/2 c. dried rose hips 1/8 c. dried licorice 1/8 c. dried ginger 1 cinnamon stick 2 c. honey 4 cups water Combine all ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to an almost a boil and reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Strain into a clean glass jar or bottle, using a mesh strainer. Add in honey and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 months. Next time I make this I am going to play around with the recipe more and maybe add some dandelion, nettles and violets to this for the next batch. (We'll have all three in abundance by the time we run out of our current supply!)
NOTE: This article is about black salve: What is it? What is the difference between a safe recipe and one that’s not? How do you make a good drawing salve? Activated charcoal, plantain, and other healing herbs can help draw toxins from your skin in a safe, non-invasive, and effective manner. You ca
Pine needles can be used for a variety of ailments, as food, for making crafts, and even in the garden. Let us teach you 8 ways to use pine needles.
Elderberry is said to be an immune booster and a great remedy for colds and the flu. Learn how to make elderberry syrup with this simple and delicious recipe.
This homemade cough syrup uses bourbon (or whiskey), raw honey, and apple cider vinegar for an easy tonic. Use it to soothe a sore throat, calm a cough, or simply because it's delicious!
In the late summer and early fall when elderberries are in season, it's the perfect time to make some homemade elderberry syrup! This syrup is not only delicious, but has powerful medicinal benefits as well.
Homemade herbal remedies are easier than you think, and most only require a few minutes of hands-on time before you've crafted powerful herbal medicine for your families' medicine chest. Diving into making herbal remedies might
Note: This article is about how and why you can and should easily make your own healthy calcium powder using eggshells from chickens. Find out the science behind eggshell calcium and simple directions for making calcium powder to support your bone health, teeth, and body. I am a midlife lady, and
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), horehound (Marrubium vulgare), and garden sage (Salvia officinalis) abound in my garden this time of year! Each one of these medicinal herbs are super easy to gr...
Use this elderberry syrup recipe to help fight off the common cold and flu naturally.
Today, I want to show you how to easily make and use ginger syrup in your daily life, but first, let's look at some health benefits of using ginger.
