Homemade Cough and Cold Syrup
Since mentioning and tweeting (@keeperhome) about this syrup I made, I've had many requests to share the recipe, so here it is!
It comes from a book I mentioned briefly before called 10 Essential Herbs
This recipe I'm sharing comes from her chapter on Onion, which I confess I had sort of skipped over at first to read the other chapters on more "interesting and useful" herbs. The laugh is on me, because when I finally got around to reading about the humble onion, I was astounded at how useful it is! I made this recipe in 20 minutes yesterday while puttering around the kitchen making other things and Abbie and I have been using it since then. It seems to be keeping her coughing to a minimum, as well as helping to ease my sore throat and minimizing my stuffiness. I feel like it's helping to decongest my sinuses, which is such a relief, even if it means I'm going through tissue by the boatload.
Ingredients:
1 cup freshly chopped onion
About 1/2 cup raw honey
Plus any of the following (optional):
1 tsp. Cloves (whole or powdered)- specifically good for pain relief
1-2 Tbsp. Comfrey or Slippery Elm (dried or powdered)- Comfrey is particularly good for healing, and Slippery Elm has more of a reputation for soothing and coating the throat
1-2 Tbsp. fresh chopped Ginger root OR 1 tsp. Ginger powder- Ginger increases warmth, circulation (important for healing) and the overall effectiveness of the syrup
**You can include all of these optional herbs, but at a maximum of 2 Tbsp. extra herbs total
Directions
Put chopped onions and any herbs of choice into a small stainless steel or glass pot (not alumnimum). Add enough honey to cover the onions ( for me, this seemed to be about 1/2 a cup, though I didn't measure exactly).
Turn the pot on low heat and slowly simmer. The honey will soften and become liquidy, and you want to keep the temperature very low while allowing the herbs to steep in the honey. It's best to keep a lid on to help keep all of the medicinal properties of the herbs in the syrup, and just take the lid off to give it a quick stir every few minutes to ensure it doesn't burn at all (though the temp. should be low enough to prevent this).
Give it 20 minutes of simmering, then remove it from the heat. Strain the onions and herbs out and store the remaining honey (which might have flecks of herb in it and this is fine) in a small glass jar with a lid and keep it in the fridge.
The syrup can be used as often as needed, up to every half hour. Here are the dosages:
1 tsp. for a younger child
1 Tbsp. for anyone 10 years and older
Image by thenss
While we're on the topic of using onions medicinally, I thought I should mention another use I learn yesterday. A commenter said that when her children are sick, she puts chopped onions in a small bag around their neck when they go to bed and in the morning, they wake up well. First I had ever heard of it, but I've heard stranger things. Wouldn't you know it that later yesterday, as I was reading about onion in the book, I read that breathing the fumes of an onion will help with congestion from a cold or other illness!
Since both Johanna and I have been plugged up lately (her more at night, me all the time) I decided to chop a large onion into chunks and put it in a bowl on the night table near where we both sleep. I couldn't quite bring myself to actually put it in bed with me, but I could still smell it, for sure! Well, last night was the best sleep I have had in a few nights and the first time that I woke up without feeling all plugged up! Three cheers for the onion!
Has anyone else been using onion as a herbal remedy? How do you use it and do you find it effective?
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Awesome!!! Thanks so much for sharing! I had no idea a simple onion was so powerful.
Kendra at New Life on a Homestead´s last blog ..How We Survive On One Income
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My 11 year old daughter uses a tea made with mint and Stinging nettle. She drinks this at least once daily and it helps keep her asthma under control. We do other dietary things that also aid in controlling her asthma but this works well as her medicine for the day.
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 9:24 am
@Kate, I love hearing such an effective natural remedy for asthma- that's great!
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What kind of onion do you use? white? yellow? vidalia? Also - do you use organic? Thanks so much!!
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 9:24 am
@Shel, I had regular yellow onions in the house this time. Sometimes I buy organic, but this time they weren't. It's always more ideal to use organic when possible.
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Yes, Stephanie,
we use onion a LOT! Our naturopath recommends the onion for so many things. It is said that in times gone by people used to slice onions in half and set them around their homes whenever a sickness was sweeping through a town and the houses that used the onion in, no one got sick in.
When my dad had shingles very severely, the only thing (and he tried EVERYTHING) that gave him some relief was rubbing a sliced onion on the shingles themselves. The juice of the onion is very healing.
Onions also help with aches and pains in muscles when there is an issue with toxins. I cut an onion in half and rub it on our shoulders and back of the neck when it seems we are fighting a virus that has settled there.
We rub a sliced in half onion on our sinuses when we have sinus infections, rub it on our foreheads when we have headaches and the most recent one, our throat for a sore throat. I did this last week and it took my sore throat away that DAY!
The onion is truly the most healing food I've come across.
The onion-
-kills viruses
-pulls out toxins
Those are two POWERFUL things!
I've been wanting to write a post about the onion for some time but I think I just did it in your comments instead. LOL.
Jen
http://www.whatscooking4us.blogspot.com
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 9:22 am
@What's Cooking, I think you should still write a post on the onion and then come back and tell me about it! Please!
One other really interesting thing about the onion in the book... she uses round slices to put on top of bumped and bruised areas on the body, especially after some kind of fall or tumble. She says that putting the onion on basically prevents it from actually bruising or swelling up at all! I can't wait to try it (except that it means I need to get a big bruise first- ow!).
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What's Cooking Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:51 am
@Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home, an onion post coming soon on my cooking blog. =0)
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Making an onion tea helps with an upset stomach. You have to like the flavor of onion, but it does help. This is one that I got from my Nana.
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I have the same book, love it, did the same "skip the onion to get to the hard core info" thing that you did. Only I haven't gotten back to the onion part yet. Guess what I'll be doing this afternoon.
I made almost the same cough syrup/sore-throat syrup but used a whole bulb of garlic (minced) instead of the honey. Helps a ton! But it's kinda HOT tasting. How is the onion syrup? I read that it's the hotter onions that have the "stuff" that heals. I so wish it were the vidalias. That would be a treat!
Mother Hen´s last blog ..WOW!!!
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 9:20 am
@Mother Hen, That's so funny that you did the same thing with the Onion chapter!
I don't find it hot. It does have a bit of a strong aftertaste that hits you after the sweetness of the honey has died off a little. My daughter and son will take it just fine, but my daughter always wants to have a drink of water immediately after, so I guess she must find it strong tasting enough to need a little rinse.
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What a great post, I am going to try the cough syrup this weekend. I hate giving my kids the store bought kind.
I love how true you are to what you believe in on eating whole, healthy foods. I love your blog.
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I'm interested in learning about natural remedies so I'm so excited that you posted this.
I'm looking forward to trying it out...
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Thanks for sharing this! Did the book happen to mention how long this would keep? I'd love to be able to make some ahead to have some on hand this winter.
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This is very interesting! I have definitely noticed that the more I cook with onion, the less congested we tend to be. We are increasing onion and garlic in our diets right now, and nobody has been sick as of yet! Great tips, and I will definitely keep this recipe for cough syrup in mind if we need it!
alexis´s last blog ..Super-Simple Handmade Hand Soaps
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Thank you for studying up for all of us Stephanie. Loving these posts. And then for you to get sick to try these remedies....above and beyond. Just kidding! Hope you are well soon. The onion is amazing. We rushed our barely breathing daughter to emergency three times with cough/colds that would restrict her airways (asthma -like response) Three times they admitted her where she was loaded up with steroids for days. Eventually we bought our own nebulizer and had our own stock of inhalants/steroids to keep her airways clear. Until enter the ONION. A homeopath recommended cutting a raw one up, tie in cloth and put beside her head while sleeping. Since the first try she has not been on the 'breathing machine' once. At the first sound of a cough the onions come out , she stays breathing and no more steroids wreaking havoc with her little body. Truly an amazing vegetable for which I am so grateful and now all of us use onions. I also make an uncooked syrup of onion and suger which is effective. As far as I know, like garlic, raw is most effective.
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What's Cooking Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:54 am
@Andrea, I've heard the same thing, that raw is always better.
What's Cooking´s last blog ..Flubber
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
@Andrea, Yes, it's my understanding that raw is always best as well!
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Thanks for the post. I recently soaked half an onion (sliced) in honey and gave it to my sick husband. I think it was that, along with some other home remedies, that caused him to be better in just over a day. If the sick person feels up to it (and is old enough), I've heard that simply chopping onions for a longer period of time can be really helpful. I'm putting together a document on home remedies for our family and I'll definitely put this post (and others of yours) down for reference. Thanks!
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That is great!!! I am thoroughly enjoying learning about these types of remedies from you. I think you have inspired me to go see what my library has about herbs.
I really had to laugh (in a good way) at the thought of you estatic over the onions next to your bed. LOL
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The weird onion thing really works.
My husband and I just tried it on our 6 month old. Our midwife instructed us to grate up some onion heat it up on the stove (let cool down some of course) put it on his chest and wrap clear wrap around him. I did not want to do this because it sounded weird AND really messy. But within minutes his breathing slowed to a more normal rate and his fever went from 102 to 98.4! We were so thankful we did it, and so thankful for a great midwife. I just found your blog and I have really enjoyed it, thanks for all the time you put into it.
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Just started following your blog this week-thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. How long will this be effective sitting in a cabinet-just want to make it even though we have no coughs right now. Thanks again and keep up the blogging-looking forward to reading more!!
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
@Steffanie, Truthfully, I'm not sure how long it would last. I've been keeping mine in the fridge and I think it may last longer that way. However, it was easy enough to make that you could also just make on an as-needed basis.
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I will have to try that tonight~
My girls have been stuffy and my hubby has ashma...(we all sleep in the same room so I will do as you did and put the onion on the night table!
Did I tell you I'm having a giveway? For US residents only and it end Nov 22 (Sun)
I will be giving away a Pumpkin Scone recipe dish towel~
Blessings,
Georgiann
Fruitful Harvest´s last blog ..A Pro Life Site Is Having A Giveaway~
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I make a tea with ginger, honey, lemon and garlic. I posted about it here.
http://tasteandseegodsgoodness.blogspot.com/2009/11/natural-cold-and-flu-remedy.html
I'm always interested in new ways to naturally treat ailments in my family. Thanks for posting!
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What a great recipe. I will try it for sure:)
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FYI...Amazon has this book in stock. I just ordered a copy
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Thank you so much for everything you do for us! I am oh so happy to have read this today. My 4 yr. old seems to come down with everything and I will only give him over the counter stuff when he has a very high fever. If only he was old enough for the neti pot!!! (which is the best thing, by the way). It is so good to know that there are other things out there (and common things, too) that will make him feel better instead of leaving him miserable!
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Something I have done with the humble onion is Chopped some up and gently heated it in olive oil...then strain and use the resulting oil as ear drops for an earache in my children...it has been amazing...it really works! (Just be sure it is not too hot when you administer it).
Camille´s last blog ..Hamburger Soup
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Forgot to say...THANKS for posting...this is terrific info!
Camille´s last blog ..Hamburger Soup
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I just wanted to say thanks for all the wonderful posts on herbs and natural healing... I hate having to buy store medicine to heal my husbands cough (and he hates taking it), and so I rarely do buy it. I always feel bad trying things to help him wait it out, but this makes me so excited to try! Plus I am about to have a new little one in our house in about three months so I love being able to stock up the knowledge for natural remedies before I actually need to use them! Thanks again for all the blessings of your sight. This is truly a great ministry the Lord has gifted you with.
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It's 2am and I'm considering going into the kitchen and making this cough syrup right now (and I happen to have cloves and ginger on hand to add to it). I have been up (actually haven't even been to bed yet) with a 3y/o who has a cold and cannot stop coughing no matter what we do. We've tried teaspoons of raw honey - which usually works- and our other herbal cough syrups and even rubbing his chest with Vicks and nothing is helping.
Laura V.´s last blog ..It's a girl thing!
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@Laura V., Hope it works for you and that you can both get some sleep!
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My sister-in-law gave me a copy of this book last year but for whatever reason I never did more than flip through it. Then just the other week she was telling me about the homemade cough syrup she made with onions and honey. I guess it's time for me to pull out my copy and do a little reading!
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Great recipe. Thanks!
Patrice Farmer´s last blog ..Got Leftover Jeans and Clothes, make a quilt!
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Hi just wondering, how long would this last for do you think? Like if you were using it over a week or two would it last that long?
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:44 pm
@Melissa V, Ours has lasted for about 5 days, but that's with two of us having it multiple times each day (and I take the full Tbsp, compared to only a tsp. for my daughter, plus my son wants in on the fun so I give him a very small spoonful just because
). But I'm sure it would be fine if you had it over the course of a week or two. It's primarily still honey, just with the medicinal components from the herbs steeped into it, so there's not really much in it to go bad. Just be sure to keep it in the fridge.
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What a wonderful find. My daughter woke up a few days ago with a chesty cough & no other remedies have worked. Honey doesn't do a darn thing. So, today has been a smelly day around our house with onions everywhere. I even had her tote around a baggie full of big chunks of onions to the farmers market and grocery story today. Poor thing reeked but I'm willing to try anything. She's sleeping with a bowl next to her bed (& the baggie under her pillow, open) so we'll see what happens when she wakes. Thank you for sharing. I'm going to look into the book now!
Gina´s last blog ..So Much To Be Thankful For
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Thanks for a great recipe and suggestions. Will definately be trying the onion by the bed trick and a natural remedy during this cold season is great as I am 9 months pregnant. I'll be concocting a batch this week with cloves and ginger.
I did want to point out that as one of the suggested ingredients is Comfrey, I've found that there is very conflicting information on the safety of taking Comfrey internally. While it is a very effective healer (is part of a natural remedy I've used for my eczema - works fabulously) so much information points to Comfrey causing issues with the liver. I don't know if you've received the same information but I worry about including it in an internal remedy, especially if given to children. Your thoughts?
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Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
@Margaret, Yes, I have come across a few conflicting things about using Comfrey internally. So far, though, most of what I've read suggests that Comfrey is ok to take internally so I've been using it that way. The other things I'd read didn't give me any substantial reasons why it might not be a good idea, but I hadn't read anything about the liver. I'll look into that more. Thanks for the comment!
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Can't wait to try this on my coughing 5 yr old. Thanks for sharing.
Another use for the onion that I have used in the past is on insect stings. If you take a slice of fresh onion and lay it on a bee or wasp sting it will stop the pain and reduce the swelling completely. My 5 yr ols son was stung by a wasp this summer and was screaming about how bad it hurt. I remembered the onion and grabbed a slice and put it on. He almost immediately said it felt better and stopped screaming. Had him hold it on for a few minutes and you could barely see the little red dot from where the wasp stung him.
I also heard a herbalist speak about onions once and she recommended onion juice for just about everything. Onions are so awesome!!
Thanks again!
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I am assuming that frozen onion I have would NOT be recommended for the recipe? That's all I have right now and I'd love to try it on my son today. Not feeling brave enough to get out to the store with him recovering still from a cold...
heather
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Would frozen onion work???
heather
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I really do think that onions in the room help. I have read that onions absorb things, and they can absorb the virus even. I don't know. I just know that I seem to get better quicker when I have onions in the room, and when I eat them.
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