Mid winter in Atlantic Canada, and it seems like everybody's sick. My own little one has had a cough since Christmas! This is quite a shock, it's the longest a germ has ever held on in him. He's in remarkably good spirits though and not actually coughing very much anymore, just a lot of snot still.

Originally I made this cough syrup to help my oldest son who in the fall (as soon as he went back to school) kept getting every germ possible. When he gets sick he always gets a cough and sometimes the cough gets so bad that he needs to use a steroid puffer or else he ends up in the hospital. I do hate that he has to use a pharmaceutical, but I hate seeing him suffer more. There's a time and a place for everything and if it looks like he's starting to have trouble breathing, we head to the puffer.

This cough syrup does provide him some relief and it works wonders for my little one and apparently for @lyndsaybowes' son as well!

As an aspiring herbalist I have many useful plants dried and tinctured for use in medicines. I gathered all lung strengthening, expectorant, decongestant herbs that I had on hand and came up with this recipe. If you would like to make it yourself, many of the herbs I'm sure are available online, and maybe some are even right out your front door! Or, I could make you some, just ask!

getting started

Ingredients and Method:

First, combine and simmer the following ingredients for many (3+ hours)

• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup elderberry wine or elderberry syrup
• 3Tbsp astragalus root
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange peel

simmering herbs, roots, spices, wine, and honey...

Remove from heat and strain into a glass jar. Add:

• 2 Tbsp elderberry wine (or syrup)
• 1 Tbsp plantain tincture
• 1 Tbsp lungwort tincture
• 1 Tbsp elecampane tincture
• 1/2 Tbsp usnea tincture

Use 1/2 to 1 tsp every four hours.

getting low, need to make another batch!

The syrup is delicious, earthy, and effective. I've had no complaints on the taste, my 2 year old asks for more!

I've already explained the benefits of some of the powerful plants used in this recipe, like usnea, elecampane, and plantain. I will continue to do so, as sharing information on the power of plants is a passion of mine, and I think everyone should know!

Thank you for reading.

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