Saturday, February 18, 2006

Make your own herbal cough syrup

1 cup pure water
6 tea bags*
1/2 cup molasses
1 tablespoon natural sugar (raw sugar, turbinado, sucanat- just please, no white sugar!)

*Use tea bags according to the symptoms being treated. For instance my sister was having a sore throat and coughing, so I took 3 tea bags each of Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat and Herba Tussin. I love TM teas!

Place tea bags and water in a small pot and boil, covered, for 15 to 30 minutes, being careful not to let the water boil out. Then remove the tea bags, squeezing each between two spoons to release every bit of liquid. Strain the tea through a very fine strainer or cheesecloth and return to pot. Add molasses and sugar and boil for at least 10 minutes to reduce by one third. (You want to end up with one cup). Let cool completely and bottle tightly in an amber glass bottle. (I reused a Solgar bottle, and what didn't fit I stored in a clean babyfood jar to be used first.) Store in a cool, dark place, or a refrigerator.

To use:
Children 2 years and older, 1 tablespoon every hour or as needed.
Adults, 2-4 tablespoons every hour or as needed.
Read the labels on your tea to determine if your cough syrups will be safe for children.

Please note!
I am not responsible for any contraindications you may experience as a result of this syrup. These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA. This syrup is very safe, but I just had to put this on here so nobody can sue me if they do something wrong. I am not a medical doctor nor have I ever been to medical school.

2 Comments:

Blogger Susan said...

This sounds interesting. Did you come up with it yourself or find it elsewhere?

2/19/2006 5:17 PM  
Blogger Jessie said...

In answer to your question, Susan- yes. : )
I found an original recipe for a similar syrup in a reprint of a magazine article from the 1800's. I made a few changes to it, including using tea bags rather than loose herbs. If I had my own loose herbs as the article recommended, I probably would've used them, but I could only use what I had. It's pretty tasty, for being medicine!

2/21/2006 11:49 PM  

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