Herbal Cold and Cough Care Syrup and Tea
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Herbal cough and cold care ranges from off the shelf products to a mix of homemade recipes tailored to your specific symptoms. The sore throat syrup has a mild licorice taste that is quite palatable. I think even kids would take it without a fuss. The cold and flu herbal tea recipe below has more of a kick.
Cold and Cough Care Sore Throat Syrup Recipe
Adapted from Rosemary Gladstar’s “Cough-be-Gone and Sore Throat Syrup”
In Rosemary’s book, she lists the ingredients as follows:
- 4 parts fennel seed
- 2 parts licorice root
- 1 part cinnamon bark
- 2 parts slippery elm bark
- 2 parts valerian
- 2 parts wild cherry bark
- ½ part ginger root
- 1/8 part orange peel
To make 1 quart of herbal infusion, Rosemary recommend 2 ounces of herb mixture to one quart of water. To get roughly the right weight, I used 2 tablespoons fennel seed, 1 tbsp licorice root, 1 tbsp, slippery elm bark, 1 tbsp valerian, 1 tbsp wild cherry bark, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon bark, 3/4 teaspoon ginger root and 1/4 teaspoon orange peel. All measurements were a little generous so I had enough to get 2 ounces.
Over low heat in a heavy bottom pot, simmer the herbs and water until it is reduced by half, so that you have one pint of liquid.
Strain the herbs out of the liquid, rinse chunks out of the pot, return the liquid to the pot.
For each pint of liquid, add one cup of honey. You may go up to a one to one ratio for a sweeter syrup (1 pint honey to 1 pint liquid).
Heat gently and mix until the syrup is well blended.
Add a small amount of brandy, if desired, to help preserve the syrup and act as a relaxant.
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Remove from heat, bottle and label. This syrup should last for several weeks, even months, if refrigerated. (Most herbs have preservative qualities.)
Rosemary suggests taking 1 to 2 teaspoons every hour or two throughout the day, or as needed for cough.
Cold and Flu Tea Recipe
Adapted from Healing Naturally by Bee
For one mug of tea use:
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger (spicy, warming, immune balancing)
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia leaves (or to taste )
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped sage (spicy, antihistamine)
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme (spicy, antibiotic, antiviral)
- Juice of half a lemon (sour, vitamin c)
- A dash of cayenne pepper (hot, immune enhancing) [optional]
Place herbs in mug and cover with boiling water (leave enough room for your lemon juice). Cover and steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain herbs, mix in lemon juice and sip slowly. The warmth and natural antihistamine action of the herbs is great for congestion and runny noses. You can adjust the amount of the herbs a bit to taste. I was a little generous with the cayenne in the photo above – too hot for me! *Note: I had originally listed larger portions of the herbs, but with the dried herbs, I think these amounts will probably be better for most people. You can use more to taste.
Longer steeping will give a stronger brew, but if you leave it too long it may become more bitter, so no more than 15 minutes is recommended. Covering the tea while it’s brewing will help to trap “the good stuff”. 🙂
You may also find our other Cold and Flu Remedies useful, including:
- Make Homemade Elderberry Cough Syrup with Juice or Dried Berries
- Easy Homemade Cough Drops for Treatment of Sore Throats and Coughs
- Immune Boosting Herbs in Finger Gelatin
Originally published in 2012, updated in 2017.
I have just learned of Mountain Rose Herbs and am excited to try making my own health care items.
I would like to learn about herbal remedies for arthritis.
We do use some herbal remedies already but I’d love to learn more! We use elderberry syrup regularly and horehound and honey and a few other things here & there 🙂
I’m so excited I found this site since I just hear someone cough and it seems like I am ill too. I can’t wait to make the syrup and tea!
Pain relief and first aid.
Headaches, sore throat, muscle aches. Love to learn as much about herbal remedies as possible! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity as well!
I would like to have more info regarding the slippery elm bark from Mountain Rose simply because whenever I’m looking for info on natural product, I will invariably find myself on Mountain Rose’s site if for no other reason than to make sure the other sites are telling the truth. I trust Mountain Rose info and use them as a guide to all things herbal. (I just wish that I could order way more than I do; but its coming…)
It seems whenever someone I love gets an illness, I go all in to find Herbal answers. Hep C is my mission now. Learned about Milk Thistle and would like to about other herbs to support the liver and kick Hep C’s butt 🙂
I an so new to herbal remedies I don’t know which I would like to learn more about except all. Maybe headaches, sinus infections, inflammation, seasonal allergies. Those are regular issues in my family it seems.
Mullein is not on here. It is a wonderful herb for colds and cough.
Thanks for the giveaway. I’d like to learn more about making teas for health. Maybe something to help relax at the end of the day (maybe even something breast feeding mamas can drink).
Herbs are like second nature to me but I’d like to delve into learning more about identifying them in the wild.
I enjoy making my own first aid kit and I love Mountain Rose Herbs!!
I would love to learn more about remedies for allergies, as well as remedies for common toddler/child ailments.
have been wanting to try this type of health items but cant find any near by got fingers crossed to win ty for this chance
Nice giveaway. I need to increase my natural remedies supplies and these Mountain Rose herbs would be a great start. Thanks for the opportunity.
Perfect timing! A few friends and I are getting ready to order herbs together from Mountain Rose Herbs in order to prep for winter. This is such a generous giveaway! Whether I win or not, the Cough-be-Gone syrup and Cold & Flu Tea are going on my to-make list!
Oh, I almost forgot ~ I’d love to learn about long-term remedies that could help with symptoms for autoimmune disorders, if any exist.
Crystal – I’d highly recommend looking into detox options – https://commonsensehome.com/the-autoimmune-epidemic-can-detox-treatments-help/
This would be so fantastic to have on hand. Thank you :]
I would like a sore throat remedy.
I would like to learn about immune enhancing herbs and herbs that help digestion. My 4 year old had cancer when he was 6months old so we really try to use natural remedies, he always seems to get everything that goes around so pediatric immune enhancing herbs would be me largest interest.