Several people I know have had a nasty cough this autumn that they are finding difficult to shift. As it seems like there is something going around, I thought I would share this herbal cough syrup recipe incase any of you are struggling with the same thing.
A syrup such as this one is lovely if your cough has both dry, tickly phases as well as wetter, more productive ones, as there are herbs here that wll address both states. As a syrup is slippery and sweet in nature though I would avoid it if your cough is very wet and you tend to be an all round damp sort of person. In this case tinctures and teas would probably suit you better.
As I have said before, don’t be put off if you don’t have all these herbs. A classic cough syrup recipe contains just liquorice and thyme herbs so you could try this if you wanted to make it more simple.
I don’t normally use a lot of sugar in the recipes I make but it does work best for this syrup unless you plan to use it all up within a couple of months and store it in the fridge, in which case honey should be fine as an alternative, sticking to equal parts raw honey to herbal liquid.
Herbal Cough Syrup:
25g Thyme leaf
25g Mullein leaf
25g Marshmallow root
25g Licorice root
25g Aniseed
25g Echinacea root
2 sticks Cinnamon
Water 1 litre
Sugar (organic soft dark brown is nicest) 750 g – 1 kg (depending on amount of liquid left after preparation.)
Peppermint EO – 8 drops (be sure you have 100% pure, preferably organic, essential oil, not fragrance oils which can be cut with all kinds of chemicals. Buy from a reputable supplier like Neal’s Yard or Materia Aromatica.)
Method:
Place the roots in a pan along with the aniseed and cinnamon sticks and cover with 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil and then turn down immediately to a gentle simmer, putting the lid on the pan to prevent too much evaporation. Simmer for 20 mins then turn off the heat and add the thyme and mullein allowing to infuse for a further 15 mins. When cooled enough to handle, strain the herbs out and measure how much liquid you have. You should be left with between 750ml and 1 litre.
Return this liquid to the pan along with an equal quantity in grams of soft dark brown sugar. So if you have 800ml liquid you will need to add 800g sugar and so on. Return to a simmer, stirring continually then remove from the heat and stir as it cools and thickens. Add in the drops of peppermint essential oil and stir well to ensure it is properly mixed in. Bottle in sterilised bottles.
You can take a tablespoon of this syrup as needed up to 8 times a day. For children younger than 12 make this a teaspoon and those between 2 and 6 a half teaspoon.
It makes a delicious mix so is a most pleasurable way to banish the season’s ailments.
Wishing you all good health!
Fab recipe – thank you!
My only concern is about the Peppermint essential oil, most essential oils are not suitable to be taken internally and it can be extrememly dangeous. Would it not be better to recommend culinary Peppermint oil?
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Hi Elly, thank you for your comment.
Yes there must be caution taken with internal use of essential oils (some are very strong!) but luckily peppermint essential oil is one that is extremely safe taken in very low dosages like in this recipe. This is a similar quantity to that found in peppermint chocolates or toothpaste. A while back I worked for an organic essential oil company and two of our biggest sellers were peppermint and orange essential oils for use in foods, especially chocolate making.
Whilst not so popular here in the UK or in the US, in France internal use of essential oils are a primary therapeutic tool and are regularly prescribed by Doctors.
However it is definitely worth noting that I am talking about 100% pure, preferably organic, essential oils here, definitely not fragrance oils which can be cut with all kinds of chemicals. I will update the post to include this note.
As always if you feel uncomfortable with an ingredient then do leave it out as the syrup is still delicious without, but I can assure you it is absolutely safe as long as you use high quality oils. The peppermint just helps open the chest a little so it’s a nice addition but all the herbs will still work well if you decide to leave it out.
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Thanks for your reply, much appreciated.Can you recommend a good UK supplier? (I’m not interested in MLMs such as YL or DoTerra).
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Hi Elly,
I get mine from Materia Aromatica, Neal’s Yard or NHR. Here are the links. All do good quality organic oils.
http://materiaaromatica.com/Default.aspx
http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/
http://www.nhrorganicoils.com/
All the best.
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That’s brilliant, thanks so much Lucinda
Blessings
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Your timing could not be better as I have been dealing with a nagging cough since getting over the cold I had a few weeks ago. I kept thinking it would go away on it’s own but it hasn’t, so now I shall have to whip up this lovely syrup and put an end to it once and for all! Did I ever tell you how an herbal cough syrup was the catalyst which caused me to study herbal medicine? I shall have to tell you the story someday 🙂
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Indeed, your timing could not be better. Thanks for sharing this nice recipe with us Lucinda. I will definitely try 🙂
Hugs XXX
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ooh I made mine today. Following this receipt but based on what I had to hand ended up with Althea and Glyc root, fresh Thyme and dried Camomile heads with the last of the dried Peppermint and Melissa from the summer. I simmered with Star Anise as I had no Cinnamon sticks or Aniseed. It is very yummy. Excellent for the kids I might add tincture of Inula, Sambuccus and Cayenne for a grown up punch ; ).
Thanks for the reminder Sophie x
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What a great combination! I shall definitely try that sometime. I might sub out the peppermint EO for adding mint or not. We’ll see when I make it. 😉
Michael
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I made this recipe (leaving off licorice, which unfortunately makes me gag. strange, as i adore fennel, star anise, and tarragon) and it turned out just lovely! thank you for sharing dear friend xxx
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I know it might not taste as nice… But do you think horehound would be beneficial in this?
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Definitely, I’m sure it would be a great addition. And the other herbs and sugar should mean it doesn’t taste too bad. 🙂
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Thank you for such an informative and interesting website!
I have a question regarding your Herbal Cough Medicine…you gave amounts for different age groups but don’t mention under twos. Is this because there are some herbs not suitable for 0-2yrs? I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old and would like to know if I make your cough syrup that it will be suitable for both.
Many thanks
Tara
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Hi Tara,
This would be fine for both but I would omit the peppermint essential oil if giving to a one year old.
Some people have raised concerns about using echinacea for children but in this quantity it is fine as long as your children aren’t allergic to plants in the daisy family. 🙂
The half teaspoon dose would be fine for a one year old.
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