How to Prepare and Use Syrups

A syrup is one of the tastiest of all herbal preparations. Syrups are especially helpful when trying to get a child to swallow a bitter herbal blend that will do him a world of good. The base of the syrup consists of a sweet ingredient such as honey, maple syrup or vegetable glycerin. The herbs can be tailored to your specific needs.

Things You'll Need

• 2 oz. herbs
• 1 qt, filtered water
• 1 cup honey, vegetable glycerin, maple syrup or brown sugar
• Pure fruit juice or fruit concentrate (optional)
• Brandy (optional)
• Glass container

Show More

Instructions

Prepare the Syrup

• 1

  Select the herbs that you want to use for your syrup. Measure out 2 oz. of the herbal mixture and set aside.

• 2

  Pour 1 qt. of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the herbs and bring the heat down to a simmer. Allow the infusion to simmer down to 1 pt. You will be left with a very concentrated infusion.

• 3

  Add 1 cup of honey, or your desired sweetener, for each pint of concentrated herbal infusion. Keep the syrup on the stove over low heat until it is well blended. For a thicker syrup, leave the mixture on the stove for 20 minutes to 30 minutes, but be aware that the longer the honey is in contact with heat, the greater the chances of killing the beneficial living enzymes contained in it.

• 4

  Turn the heat off but don't remove the pot from the stove. If you wish, add the optional pure fruit juice or fruit concentrate for additional flavoring. You may also add a small amount of brandy to help preserve the syrup and act as a relaxant in cough formulas.

• 5

  Remove the syrup from the stove and allow it to cool before bottling. Store the syrup in a glass container. Store in the refrigerator for maximum preservation.

Using the Syrups

• 6

  Administer herbal preparations with caution. A general rule is that larger people will require more and smaller, more frail people will require less.

• 7

  Give adults with chronic problems ½ tsp. to 1 tsp. of herbal syrup daily. Chronic problems are those that reoccur such as arthritis, allergies, insomnia or prolonged bronchial problems.

• 8

  Give adults with acute problems ¼ tsp. to ½ tsp. every 30 minutes to 60 minutes until symptoms subside. Acute problems are sudden and require immediate attention such as migraines and colds or flu.

• 9

  Use Cowling's Rule to determine the proper dosage for children. Take the age of the child at his next birthday and divide by 24. The result is the fraction of the adult dosage you should administer to a child. A child turning 3, divided by 24, will require a dosage that is 1/8 of an adult dosage.