Cough medicines

Violet Cough Syrup

Violets have been used to improve acne, anger, asthma, bronchitis, colds, eczema, fever, fibrocystic breast disease, grief, headache, heartbreak, lymphatic congestion, mastitis, mumps, psoriasis, scurvy, sore throat, ulcers, urinary tract infection, varicose veins, and whooping cough. Apply a cloth soaked in violet leaf and/or flower tea to the back of the neck to treat headaches. The flowers are eaten as a breath freshener.

Violet flower essence helps those that feel lonely, despite being surrounded by others. It increases openness and helps shy aloof people that want to share but feel overwhelmed.

1/2 plus 2 T violet flowers, cleaned
1 quart water
7-1/2 cups sugar

Remove the little white part at the base of the petals. Then steep the petals in hot water overnight. The next day, filter this infusion and melt the sugar into it, slowly, until you get a syrupy consistency.

Use: Take 4 tablespoons a day for light coughs and sore throats.

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Homemade Peppermint Candy Cough Syrup

16 ounces of whiskey

32 ounces of honey

8 ounces of lemon juice

16 ounces of hard peppermint candy

Melt the peppermint candy in 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Mix all of the ingredients together in a simmering pan, stirring often. While you are stirring and mixing the ingredients visualize the healing power of the Goddess flowing through you and into the cough syrup. After the cough syrup has obtained a consistent texture then take it off of the heat and let it cool. Administer 1 to 2 tablespoons every 3 to 4 hours.

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Marshmallow Root Cough syrup

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice or juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp chopped dried marshmallow root

In a small saucepan, bring the marshmallow root and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain liquid into another saucepan (should result in about 1 cup). Over a low heat, slowly stir in the sugar until it becomes thick and granules completely dissolve. (Stir in more water if the mixture becomes too thick.) Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice. Transfer to a container and allow to cool before covering tightly

Whooping Cough Syrup

Old cough syrup used by my grand mother when they had bad colds. a very reliable mixture.

1/2 lb flax seed
1 cup granulated sugar
6 lemons [juice]
1/2 pound honey

put flax seed in bag; pour over it 1 1/2 pints of water. let simmer down to 1/2 the amount; remove from fire and add other ingredients while still hot. dose; give any amount as often as needed.
half of recipe makes enough for 1 pint

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Wild cherry bark cough syrup

Cover the bottom of a crockpot with either Wild Cherry Bark
Cover entirely with honey. (can also be done with  Violet leaves and flowers).

Set on warm heat for two days and stir occasionally.

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Cherry cough syrup

An easy to make good tasting, well working cough syrup even the kids will take.

Place 2 cups of cherries in a pan and add just
enough water to cover. Add several lemon
slices and 2 cups of honey.


Simmer the mixture until cherries are soft. Remove from heat. Remove the lemon slices and the cherry pits from the mixture. Refrigerate and take several tablespoons as needed for coughing.

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Harvest Cough Drops

2 c. turbinado sugar
1 c. strong herbal tea
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1/4 t essential oils

Making the tea:
These cough drops are a way to use some of the herbs you have grown or that you find growing near you. I go out and collect everything that is abundant and have properties that are good for cough drops (expectorant, anti-microbial, mucilaginous). Some herbs I have used are elecampane, thyme, sage, echinacea, marshmallow, angelica, elder flowers, mullein and comfrey.

I collect everything and throw all the roots in a pot and simmer these for about 30 minutes then throw in the leafy herbs and simmer some more. I start with about 1 quart of water. After the herbs have simmered for 10 minutes or so I cool it down and strain out the herbs then put the tea back on the stove and simmer until the volume of liquid is reduced to 1 cup.

When the tea is finished, combine it with the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved then lower heat and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 300 degree. This takes a long time! When the mixture reaches 300 degrees remove it from the heat and stir in your essential oils. I used peppermint and eucalyptus. Most of the oil evaporates quickly so I add the oil, stir briefly then pour the syrup onto a baking sheet.

The syrup immediately begins to harden. As soon as I can touch it and pull up the edges I start cutting strips and snipping them into little pieces. You have to work fast. I got behind on one batch and had to put chunks in a bag and crack them into pieces.

Notes: These turn out a lot like the ricola cough drops. If you don't have fresh herbs I'm sure you could substitute dried herbs but I haven't tried out proportions yet. You can add horehound but don't put in too much.

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Cough-B-Gone

An old recipe that still works

Collect the inner bark form the Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) and make a decoction using 2 teaspoons of the powdered bark per cup of water.

 Drink up to 3 cups a day to relive coughs.
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Natural sore throat gargle


Half a pint of rose-leaf tea
One wine glass of good vinegar
Honey enough to sweeten it
Very little cayenne pepper

Mix well together and simmer in a closed vessel
Gargle the throat with a little of it at bed-time, or oftener if the throat is very sore.
And if those don't work, a good strong drink will.
Source: www.suite101.com