Natural Homemade Cough Syrup
Natural homemade cough syrup is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients you probably have lying around your spice cabinet. Ingredients like thyme, rosemary, ginger, honey, and lemon are all great for congestion in those winter months when coughs can become pesky. This simple recipe can help soothe a sore throat and cough quickly! Jump to Recipe
Disclaimer: Do not give raw honey to infants under 1 year old
This time of the year is always fairly difficult for most people with the weather changing. Usually around September when the weather starts changing we see an increase of the classic common cold. While it isn’t fun to feel under the weather, it is great to know that there are some great natural remedies you can do to make the symptoms less intense.
Usually if someone in my family gets sick we like to do lymphatic drainage, ozone therapy, and herbal remedies like this natural cough syrup. I also love to support our bodies with great quality organic bone broth and whole foods since our bodies are already in over drive trying to fight off a cold; the last thing we need is sugar to suppress the immune system. Giving your body what it needs allows it to heal a lot faster, which is why I love herbs so much. You can use them when you need them and it won’t be harmful or kill any good bacteria in the GI tract, like some over the counter drugs can do.
Why Natural Homemade Cough Syrup?
It’s super convenient when you aren’t feeling well and really don’t feel like driving to the store. Who feels like leaving the house when their sick? (Not me at least!) This recipe takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes pretty great in my opinion.
In our family we do everything natural so taking herbs and homemade concoctions are always our first line of defense. I love that the ingredients in this homemade cough syrup are simple and safe for the whole family.
Do Natural Remedies Really Work?
YES! They work so much better than over the counter cough medicine in my opinion. You don’t have any of the drowsy side effects with natural cough syrup AND it tastes so much better. We haven’t been to the doctor in over 8 years, so I would say that natural remedies work well, if you do everything correctly of course.
I’m not a doctor by all means, please seek medical attention if you feel it’s necessary. This is just what has worked extremely well for our family and many others!
Rosemary
Oh the savory smell of rosemary! Popular in most food recipes, but rosemary is incredibly good for lowering inflammation. It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties which are needed to ward off colds. Rosemary is great at helping the immune system fight off infections.
Thyme
Thyme is incredibly soothing for the lungs and is very similar to rosemary in that it has antimicrobial properties as well. It’s known for helping the body expel mucus, which comes with pesky colds. It is also great for nasal congestion!
Ginger
Ginger is a natural antihistamine and is a great anti-inflammatory. Both necessary when healing from a cold, especially a cough where there’s a lot of mucus present.
Lemon
Lemon is high in vitamin C and is great for balancing the PH in our body. Having the proper PH is crucial for overall health! Lemons also help in getting rid of mucus forming bacteria.
Honey
Raw; unfiltered honey has SO many anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. The raw honey I LOVE is from beekeeper’s naturals and is called “super food honey” it contains bee pollen, royal jelly, and propolis. These are different parts of honey we don’t often see when buying regular honey from the store. They each contain strong immune-boosting properties! It isn’t necessary to use beekeepers natural honey, you can use normal raw honey that you have at home! I just love the added bonus beekeeper’s naturals has in theirs.
Let’s Get Started!
Natural Homemade Cough Syrup
This natural homemade cough syrup is soothing for sore throats and congestion in the lungs. It takes only 5 minutes to make and it tastes great!
Ingredients
- Half a Lemon, Raw Honey, Thyme, Rosemary, and Ginger
Instructions
- In a 16 oz jar, add a handful of thyme, rosemary, and ginger.
- Cut lemon into small wedges and put on top of the thyme, rosemary, and ginger.
- Pour 1/2 cup of honey on top of the ingredients in the jar and make sure there are no air bubbles. You can use a butter knife to smooth the top
- Put a lid on top and place in the fridge for 24 hours for best results.
Notes
I did add 1 Tablespoon of Beekeeper's natural super food honey but that is not necessary if you don't have access to it. You can just use raw honey.
You can use fresh or dried herbs for this recipe. For the ginger, it is best to buy the actual root from the store and grate about a 1 inch piece into the jar. If all you have is powdered ginger, you can do 1 tsp.
It is best to let the syrup sit in the fridge for 24 hours because the honey will help pull the liquid from the lemons, once it does that you will have a nice syrup consistency on top of your herbal concoction.
I strained and poured off the liquid that formed after 24 hours and used 1 tsp of that liquid twice a day. You can always do 3 times a day if needed! If you have a bigger family you may need to double this recipe to ensure you have enough syrup for everyone.
You can use the remainder of the honey in the jar to put in your tea or any drink you would like.
How Long to Use This Natural Cough Syrup For?
You can use this homemade cough syrup until it is all gone, prolonged use of this will not harm anyone since it is just herbs, honey, and lemon. It will stay good in the fridge for 7-10 days. I’ve mentioned in the recipe that you can make a double batch if you have a large family, just double the ingredients.
As you can see, it is super easy to make natural homemade cough syrup at home with very simple and minimal ingredients. You can also add any other herbs you would like such as, peppermint, chamomile, lemon balm, etc. Whichever herbs you have that are good for inflammation or calming the body can be used!
Have you made your own homemade cough syrup and did you find it helped? Let me know in the comments below.
