The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [128]
2 Measure 1/2 pint of vinegar.
3 Measure 1 pound of white sugar.
4 Macerate the Garlic in the vinegar for four days.
5 Strain and press.
6 Add the sugar.
7 Agitate vigorously, or gently warm the liquid until the sugar is fully dissolved.
8 Bottle in small clean bottles.
Compound Syrup of Blackberry Root
1. Weigh out 2 oz. of cut Blackberry root.
2. Combine with 3/4 oz. each of powdered Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg.
3. Simmer the above mixture in 1 pint of distilled water for 1 hour.
4. Strain and press.
5. Add 1 pound white sugar and dissolve it completely.
6. To this syrup add 1 1/2 fl. oz. of brandy.
7. To this mixture add 1 drop each of Clove essential oil and Cinnamon essential oil.
This syrup supplies the well-known astringent virtues of Blackberry; it is also aromatic and a gentle stimulant.
Black Cohosh Syrup
1. Measure 4 fl. oz. of Black Cohosh tincture.
2. Add to 6 oz. of a prepared simple syrup.
3. Carefully evaporate to 8 oz. (1/2 pint).
4. Bottle in clean 2-oz. size bottles.
This makes a pleasant tasting syrup useful for coughs and other respiratory afflictions. The addition of 1/2 fl. oz. of Lobelia tincture to 1/2 pint of this syrup will give an exceptional relaxing expectorant and antispasmodic syrup useful for treating conditions of difficult breathing, alleviating dry coughs, and calming irritable contractions of the diaphragm.
HERBS ON THE “35 HERBS AND A FUNGUS LIST”
THAT ARE WELL PREPARED AS SYRUPS
Blackberry fruit
Black Cohosh
Burdock
Cayenne
Chamomile
Comfrey root
Dandelion root and leaf
Echinacea
Elder berries
Fennel
Hawthorn
Marshmallow
Mullein
Nettle
Peppermint
Plantain
St. John’s Wort
Uva Ursi
Valerian
Yellow Dock
Ginger
HERBAL HONEYS
Honey is deposited in honeycomb by the honeybee, Apis mellifica, our planet s premier herbalists and medicine-makers. Honey is a peculiar fluid, consistent with the other delightfully peculiar products that honeybees gather and create, such as royal jelly, propolis, pollen, and beeswax. In its freshly produced state honey is fluid, but upon aging it separates into two layers, a rather solid granular lower layer and a liquid upper layer. The granular layer is composed principally of dextrose or grape sugar, the upper layer being mostly levulose or fruit sugar. Honey, normally consisting of 70 or 80 percent sugar in an aqueous solution, has a sweet taste (although I have a quart of decidedly bitter-tasting Dandelion honey in my pantry) and a somewhat aromatic odor followed by a faint acidity. In addition to its sugar content, honey consists of wax, pollen, coloring, and aromatic constituents. It resembles sugar in its properties, but it is more laxative. Honey is emollient, demulcent, nutritive, and mildly laxative. Its emollient and demulcent properties are most beneficial for relieving dryness and pain in the throat and for treating cough and difficulty with swallowing. Combining honey with a strong infusion of Sage is a classic preparation for relieving hoarseness and respiratory congestion. The eminent German hydro therapist, Father Kneipp, maintained that if a little honey were added to herbal remedies, it would greatly enhance their efficacy, as it acts as a medium to promote better assimilation of the nutritive components with the body’s tissues.
The advantages of using honey over syrups as a simple vehicle lie primarily in the user s belief system that honey is more nutritious and health-promoting than white sugar. I am one of those who believe this; however, I am also one who realizes how difficult it is for bees to supply enough honey for themselves as well as for all of us. In light of this, I think that syrups are excellent delivery vehicles that can be used more often, and the amount of sugar that is taken in these instances is of relatively little consequence. Focus on health and well-being; it deposes the tyranny of those little diet demons our minds love to create.
Thank you little furry ones for the sweet nector of your lives.
HERBAL HONEYS
To Prepare Herbal (Medicated)