A lot of us are homeschooling because of this virus. This is a formula similar to the one I was taught by my Grampa, this is how he made cough syrup. You can use the same basic idea with different herbs to make a syrup (Echinacea Root syrup, for instance.) I find sweeter, stronger flavored plants, like cinnamon, work really well for flavoring and back up. If you do this with kids make sure you, the adult, watches them carefully. Hot honey burns badly. If you do this right this could be your science, botany, math, history and recess for a day or three. Grampa would give people a bottle of this and tell them to take 1 or 2 teaspoons an hour through out the day. It won't make you sleepy or anything.
So making a syrup goes like this:
2 Tbsp. rosehips (gather them from a rose bush that IS NOT SPRAYED. The sprays used on roses are especially toxic. I don't recall where I learned that so I can't link you to further info.)
2 Tablespoon Wild Cherry Bark get organic if it's at all possible.
2 Tablespoon Echinacea roots. Both A. and P. are good. Some people think P. is better, some think they work best together, some think what works best is what you have and use. I'm in the last two groups.
1 Tablespoon Mullein Leaf chopped up, remove stem. Try to pick the teenager sized leaves, you don't want the very smallest baby sized ones, not the big huge Gramma sized ones, although Mullein leaves grow bigger by their nature... Mullein grows almost everywhere. Make sure you can correctly identify Mullein. It isn't hard. <3
1 Tablespoon Licorice Root. I buy this. It isn't expensive, I do make sure to get organic.
1 Cinnamon stick or 1 Teaspoon ground Cinnamon. Optional. I buy this too. Also make sure you get organic. You can also used ground cinnamon exactly what you probably already have.
1 Tablespoon Ginger. Optional. Yes. That much. I love ginger and it makes the syrup spicy and warming.
1 pint Honey. Again the thing that works best is what you use. So I like the honey I get from a local farmer but grocery store honey (real honey, NOT fake honey.) is fine.
You can add or remove the "flavoring" herbs as you wish, this will change the formula and they do a lot more then flavor.
Place herbs in a non reactive pot (stainless steel, glass, enamel, etc.) and add a quart of good water. (I like distilled water for making formulas like this, then the city water isn't leeching extra chemicals into our syrup.)
Soak roots and barks and herbs and spices for a couple hours. Two or three is fine.
Simmer on low until I pint of liquid remains.
Turn off heat and strain out roots and barks and herbs and spices. RESERVE LIQUID.
Place liquid back in the pot and add equal parts honey. Y'all, this isn't gram by gram measurements. If you have a pint and a half liquid add a pint and a half honey, give or take.
Heat on low stirring till mixed well.
Turn off heat and cool.
I use an old medicine jar to store my syrup (I also store this in the fridge.) Friends. It is VITAL you label this with ingredients and the date you made it, trust me, you think you'll remember but you won't. It'll last a good few weeks to a few months in the fridge.
