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Last year I posted my cough and cold syrup. That’s some pretty awesome stuff, very effective. If taken at the onset of cold symptoms, it nearly stopped it, and certainly decreased the severity and duration. I love it.
It does kind of have a weird texture, though (because of the powdered fenugreek). It does require refrigeration. And it does only last a month, meaning that if you don’t use it all up, you waste it…and you certainly have to make a few batches through the winter if you want to have it on hand.
I wanted something that could be taken on the go, something that was shelf-stable. Something that would make taking “medicine” easier. I came up with this idea. And it works, and it tastes good (faintly of elderberries and mostly like sugar). Shelf-stable, too, so they will last all winter and you could send someone to work with a little baggie of them. How neat is that?
DIY Cough and Cold Lozenges
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. Elderberry
- 1 tbsp. Echinacea
- 1 tbsp. Slippery elm
- 1 tbsp. Fenugreek
- 1 tbsp. Wild cherry bark
- 2 tbsp. Rosehips
- 1 c. water
- 2 c. cane sugar
Directions:
First, you need to make a strong “tea.” Add your elderberries to a glass jar.
Add the slippery elm.
Add the wild cherry bark.
Add the fenugreek and rosehips.
(I may have mixed up the order in which these were added. It doesn’t really matter. Just add all the herbs to the jar.)
Now, pour boiling water over the herbs, about 1 c. Let this sit and steep overnight, or for several hours.
The next day (or after several hours), strain the tea. Mash the berries up very well. You may pour a small amount of filtered water through it as you are doing this. You want to end up with 1 c. of syrup.
If you mess up and pour too much water through it as you’re straining, you can simmer it for awhile until it’s back down to 1 c. The final amount needs to be 1 c.
Then, add cane sugar to the tea. Not regular white sugar, which is beet sugar. Choose organic cane sugar. Stir it in.
Bring it to a boil. It will double in volume so make sure the pot you are using is big enough to contain it. Mine is a 2-quart, I think.
Allow it to boil, without stirring, for around 10 minutes, possibly a bit longer. On a candy thermometer, you are looking for at least 250 degrees, or the ‘soft crack’ stage. You can test this by dropping a small amount of the mixture into a bowl of cold water. If it immediately firms up and cannot be molded easily, it’s ready. It will look thickened, more like this:
Yes, I have a spoon in it now. I had just tested it and was about to start scooping it out. That’s the only point at which you need the spoon. Before that, just let it cook!
When it is ready, get a large sheet of parchment paper. Drop the liquid onto it in little drops. This is messy and takes awhile and it must be done before the liquid cools too much (it cannot be reheated — I tried). Alternately, you could just pour it onto the parchment paper and later break it up with a knife. That’s faster and I sort of wish I had done that.
Give them a few minutes to harden. It doesn’t take long, but if you touch them immediately, you will burn yourself. Guess how I know?
Once they’re hardened, remove them to a bag to store or to another tray to keep them to cool completely. I feel like I probably should have dusted them with powdered (cane) sugar because they are very sticky. So you might want to consider doing that so they don’t all stick together.
Then they are done! Easy. And they will last. Take 1 drop as needed if you have a sore throat, cough, or feel a cold coming on. Paired with lots of chicken stock, FCLO (there is no current giveaway, but there will be one coming up!), and possibly some fresh juice (my new love), it can help get rid of colds faster.
I’m looking at ingredients as I prepare my Frontier order… did you use Echinacea purpurea or Echinacea angustifolia? Excited to try this!
What a wonderful recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. Ill have to make some to get ready for winter soon!
What a great idea! I can’t take the majority of cold and cough products on the market. I don’t believe I’m contraindicated for any of these.
Great idea! I’ll have to get the ingredients and try this winter.
I’m going to try making this using a mini-ice cube tray!! I think it would work perfectly.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DREDTQ/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15738270459&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2138597722176965310&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B003DREDTQ
Do you think I could use honey rather than sugar?
[…] I have really been digging on this Modern Alternative Mama website – you can learn to make your own homemade cough drops! I don’t know about her […]
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Congratulations!
I think I’m going to try these this year.
Could you please explain why cane sugar is required, instead of white/beet sugar? Is it because you prefer to avoid genetically modified sugar beets? Or is there some other reason you recommend cane? Thanks!
[…] Cough and Cold Lozenges – Modern Alternative Mama shows you how to make homemade cough and cold lozenges that not only soothe a sore throat, but also help fight off a cold. […]
[…] Cold and cough lozenges […]
Echinacea root or leaves? I’m guessing root…
I have tried coating the drops in organic cornstarch, or arrowroot powder. Keeps them from getting so sticky. You can actually put some in a pie tin and then put divots in the powder, then pour the liquid right in and they form very nicely!
[…] I like to keep a few lozenges on hand for coughs and sore throats. Try making your own with this simple recipe. […]
Where can I find these ingredients?!!
I am going to try this with a candy mold or two. Also the pie tin with the powder ideal is awesome, Julee.
[…] Cold and Cough Lozenges — Keep these around in case you start to feel the dreaded cold coming on. […]
[…] Cough & Cold Lozenges by Modern Alternative Mama […]
OK, so I tried this recipe, and there are a few things I needed a little help with. First, I couldn’t get Fenugreek seeds from my local herbalist, and I had everything else, so I went ahead and made this without that ingredient. Second, the only raw organic cane sugar I could get was Turbinado, so I hope that’s ok. Third, I don’t have a candy thermometer, so I just followed your bowl of cold water tip (after boiling for 12 minutes).
Everything seemed fine until I poured the mixture out onto my silicon sheet to harden. It just won’t harden. It is staying as this gooey, sticky, thick mixture, and not hardening like candy. Which of my ingredient/process issues may have been the problem, and can I still salvage this???