Herbal syrup is a tasty way to take your herbs. Decide which herbs you will use, based on their actions and your needs. This recipe uses a strong extract of herbs and is made with honey. You can always substitute vegetable glycerine, brown sugar or maple syrup if you prefer.
Place a total of 2 ounces of herb(s) in a cooking pot for every quart of water used. Add the water to the herbs and simmer over low heat until you have about 1 pint of liquid left.
Strain the herbs using cheesecloth and pour the liquid back into the pot.
Add one cup of honey (or vegetable glycerine, brown sugar or maple syrup) to each pint of your concentrated herbal water. Feel free to add more honey for a sweeter syrup.
Over low heat, warm the mixture – but only to the temperature you need to combine the ingredients. Overheating will destroy the enzymes in the honey, so don’t overheat the syrup.
Once your syrup is mixed, you can add a couple of drops of therapeutic essential oils such as peppermint, or even a small amount of brandy to help preserve the syrup.
Once the syrup has completely cooled, pour it into a glass jar and label with herb(s), honey (or the sweetener used), any other additions and the date. Syrup will last for several weeks, and perhaps months if refrigerated.
