~Natural Honey Citrus Syrups for Coughs & Sore Throats~

Soothe a cold or enjoy a deliciously flavored cup of hot water or tea...

Here are 5 easy-to-make, no cook, naturally flavored honey syrups that can be a home remedy to soothe a sore throat or cough. They're also a tasty way to add natural, nutrient-rich flavors to hot tea or water. 

 A home remedy that works! Combinations of honey, lemon, and tea are age old remedies for soothing a cough or sore throat. Turns out there's actually some science behind them; these old remedies can really work! What luck that they taste good, too--way better than those drug store cough syrups...

 

Honey, lemon, & cinnamon may help with weight loss, too. There is so much conflicting information out there about using honey vs. sugar as a sweetener. It's hard to sort it all out. I have heard & read frequently that honey is metabolized in the same way as sugar, and that they have basically the same effect on the body. However, some recent studies in Nutrition Research and Scientific World Journal conclude that natural, unprocessed honey can help with weight loss. They recommend honey as a healthier sweetener than sugar. Lemon and cinnamon have also been found to contribute to weight loss. Combining the 3 in a honey lemon cinnamon tea can be a winner for both weight loss and calming a cough or sore throat...

A great gift for a sick friend or tea lover! I always want to do something for a friend who is under the weather, but never know how to help. A jar of one of these syrups is just the thing. They are such delicious stir-ins for flavoring hot tea or water, that they make a great gift for tea loving friends, too. I have a printable gift tag you can attach to the jar. You'll find it further down in this post...

Ingredients (all chosen for their nutrient-rich qualities, along with good flavor):

• honey -- I used regular pure, unfiltered honey and buckwheat honey
• citrus -- lemons, limes, oranges, and clementines
• herbs -- fresh rosemary & mint
• spices -- ginger (fresh or dried/ground), whole cloves, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom

Slice the citrus into rounds. I quarter the rounds of larger citrus like oranges, and half the rounds of limes, lemons, and clementines.

   

How to stack and mix the syrup ingredients.........

• Add half of the lemon slices, then half of the ginger, then half of the honey; give it a stir with a chopstick, table knife, or other long thin object. Move the lemon slices around to make sure the honey runs between them.
• Repeat with the remaining lemon, ginger, and honey; stir and top off with more honey, if needed, to fill the jar.
• This can be done in any size jar. I used half-pint (1 cup jars). The jars should be approx. 3/4 full with citrus. This allows room for at least 1/2 cup of honey per jar.
• Hint for assembling prettier jars (if you care about that): place some of the lemon slices vertically down the sides of the jar so that full slices are visible from the outside. They tend to stack horizontally otherwise.

 

From thick to thin syrup. Within 3-4 hours the syrup is ready to use. The honey draws the juices out of the citrus, so give it a stir to combine the honey and juice. The result is that the thick honey transforms into a thin syrup consistency. If you prefer a thicker consistency, increase the ratio of honey to citrus in your jars.

• Another way to thicken this is to heat & simmer the mixture for approx. 15 minutes; the honey and pectin in the citrus will naturally gel as it cools. However heat destroys many of the nutrients. Personally, I'm happy with these in a thinner syrup consistency so that I benefit from as many nutrients as possible.

How to use these syrups:

• Swallow a spoonful or two of honey syrup to soothe a cough or sore throat.
• Stir a heaping tablespoon (or more to taste) into a cup of hot water.
• Stir a heaping tablespoon (or more to taste) into a cup of hot tea.