What is an Herbal Syrup?
An herbal syrup is prepared by combining a concentrated decoction with either honey or sugar, and sometimes alcohol. The base of such a syrup is a strong herbal decoction. Mixing a decoction with honey or sugar helps to thicken and preserve the decoction. This increases the shelf life of the decoction and often creates a soothing application that benefits situations such as sore throat, cough, dry irritated tissues, and digestive issues. The added sweetener can also help to increase the palatability of some herbs. Many folks, including children, find syrups to be delicious!
Herbal syrups make a yummy addition to beverages and food! Combine a spoonful or two of syrup with carbonated water to create a tasty and healthful herbal soda. You can also make a quick cup of tea by adding a spoonful of syrup to hot water. Enjoy your syrup by drizzling it on foods like yogurt, oatmeal, biscuits, and ice cream or just enjoy by the spoonful.
How to Make an Herbal Syrup
Creating your own herbal syrup at home is surprisingly easy! If you have children around invite them to make the syrup with you. Just like with cooking, children who get involved with making herbal preparations are more likely to try them when the time comes.
The basic proportions you want to use are 2 parts herbal decoction to 1 part honey or sugar. This is called a 2:1 ratio. This means that if you start with your herbs added to 4 cups of water and simmer down the liquid to 2 cups of decoction, then you will want to add 1 cup of honey or sugar to create and adequately preserve your syrup.
Some herbalists like to use a 1:1 ratio of decoction to honey/sugar while others find a 1:1 ratio to result in a syrup that is too sweet. The increased amount of honey/sugar relative to decoction in a 1:1 ratio will be better preserved and hence last longer. Experiment and see which ratio works best for you!
You can further enhance and preserve your herbal syrup with the optional addition of alcohol. Herbal tinctures selected for their beneficial properties can be included in syrup formulas as well. Brandy is another popular addition to syrups. The alcohol helps to further preserve the syrup and can also aid in calming the recipient (Gladstar, 1993). The addition of alcohol is completely optional and may not be the best choice when making syrups for children.
Basic Herbal Syrup Recipe
Use this recipe to make your own herbal syrup choosing the herbs that suit you best!
½ cup to 1 cup of dried herbs
1 quart of cool water
1 to 2 cups of honey or sugar
Brandy or tinctures, optional
- Syrup making begins with a decoction! Combine the hard or coarse herbs such as berries, roots, or bark with the water in a pot. Any leaves or flowers will be added later in the process so set those aside for now.
- Bring to a simmer and partially cover the pot with a lid.
- Let simmer until the liquid inside is reduced by half.
- Remove from the heat and add any leaves or flowers. If you are not using leaves or flowers skip the next step.
- Place the lid on the pan covering it fully and let the leaves and flowers steep for at least 20 minutes and up to a couple of hours.
- Strain out the herbs – you have now created a strong decoction for your syrup base!
- Return the liquid to the pan and add your honey or sugar.
- If using honey, very gently heat until the honey just dissolves being careful not to boil the syrup. This helps to preserve the beneficial, naturally occurring enzymes in the honey.
- If using sugar you have the option of bringing the syrup up to a gentle boil and simmering for up to an additional 30 minutes to thicken the syrup further. Or you can simply reheat the syrup enough to easily dissolve the sugar.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and add any brandy or tinctures you wish to include using up to ¼ cup of brandy or tincture total for each cup of syrup you have.
- Finish up by placing your syrup in clean, sterile bottles. Add a label including the ingredients and the date you created your syrup.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If you used higher quantities of honey/sugar or included alcohol your syrup may last even longer!
- The dosage will depend on the herbs used in the syrup, the situation being addressed as well as the age of the recipient. A general dosage is a ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon taken 1 to 3 times a day with increased frequency during an acute phase of symptoms (Groves, 2016, p. 298).
Great Herbs For Syrups
Any herbs can be used to make delicious herbal syrup though some lend themselves especially well to this form of herbal preparation. Some examples of herbs commonly used in syrups include elderberry, ginger, Astragalus, hawthorn, rose hips, licorice, schizandra, Echinacea, as well as tasty, sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Other herbs that aren’t so tasty such as dandelion, horehound, elecampane, and vervain are often extracted into syrup form to increase palatability.
Feel free to experiment with herb choices when making this wonderful form of herbal preparation. Why not use some lovely nervines and adaptogens such as lemon balm, St. John’s wort, holy basil, and ashwagandha to help support your nervous system? Or try a combination of herbs used to soothe digestive issues such as fennel, ginger, cinnamon, dandelion root, or marshmallow. Great herbs to use in syrups for respiratory issues include thyme, elecampane, and licorice.
When learning how to make an herbal syrup or any other herbal preparation be sure to consult your favorite herbal books for assistance in herb choices or visit our extensive online Herbarium where you will find detailed monographs on numerous herbs!
Recipes for Tasty Herbal Syrup
Now that you know how to make an herbal syrup are you ready to give it a try? Below are a couple of recipes to get you started. Check out this double rose syrup recipe made with rose hips and petals for a delightful and super simple recipe, enjoy one of the recipes below, or create your own blend!
Throat & Cough Soothing Syrup
Whip up a batch of this wonderful herbal syrup the next time a sore throat or a cough comes to visit.
8 tablespoons total to 1-quart water
2 tablespoons elecampane for a cough or 2 tablespoons echinacea for a sore throat. Both can be used to help with a cough and sore throat!
2 tablespoons licorice root
2 tablespoons elderberries
1 tablespoon ginger rhizome
1 tablespoon cinnamon chips or 2 cinnamon sticks
The peel from one organic orange
1-quart cool water
1 to 2 cups honey
¼ cup brandy or rose petal tincture, optional
- Follow the directions given above.
- Take 1 to 2 teaspoons every 2 to 3 hours.
Strong & Calm Syrup
This tasty little blend helps to gently create a strong foundation especially during times of stress or when one has been overwhelmed for a long time.
3 tablespoons ashwagandha root
3 tablespoons eleuthero root
3 tablespoons hawthorn berries
1-quart cool water
1 to 2 cups of honey or sugar
- Follow the directions given above.
- Enjoy 1 to 2 tablespoons per day. Try it as a dessert drizzle or in a cup of hot tea!
Have fun crafting your own delicious herbal syrup blends and bring this wonderful herbal preparation into your home during the darker months of the year. You won’t be disappointed!
REFERENCES
Astragalus Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 9/14/2016 from http://herbarium.herbalacademyofne.com/monographs/#ID=1025
Elder Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 9/08/2016 from http://herbarium.herbalacademyofne.com/monographs/#ID=1005
Elecampane Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 9/14/2016 from http://herbarium.herbalacademyofne.com/monographs/#ID=3039
Ginger Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 9/14/2016 from http://herbarium.herbalacademyofne.com/monographs/#ID=1012
Gladstar, Rosemary. (1993). Herbal healing for women. New York, NY: Fireside.
Green, James. (2000). The herbal medicine-maker’s handbook. Berkeley, CA: Crossing Press.
Groves, Maria. (2016). Body into balance, an herbal guide to holistic self-care. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.
Winston, David, and Maimes, Steven. (2007). Adaptogens. Herbs for strength, stamina, and stress relief. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
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