How to Make Homemade Honey Cough Drops
The use of honey in natural remedies is nothing new. As we become more concerned about the use of synthetic medicines, the lure of homemade remedies is strong. Feel a nasty cold coming on ? You can make your own homemade honey cough drops with just a few ingredients.
Honey has been used in health regimes dating back to the middle ages. Even our modern medical establishments have recognized the value of honey. In recent times, honey is documented to aid in relief for coughs or sore throats.
Sure you can purchase cough drops and some of them work very well. However, what is really in them? Can you read the label? Do you know what it means?
By making your own homemade honey cough drops, you know what is in them. There is no guess work or hard to pronounce ingredients.
Choosing the Best Honey
Honey is made by honey bees. Plant nectar is gathered from blooming flowers and transformed into…. honey. Honey keeps well without spoiling and stores in the hive for a long time.
Honey does not go bad – when properly stored. It never requires refrigeration. For some ideas on finding the best place to keep your honey, read my article: How to Store Honey – Easy Rules to Follow.
Which honey is best for homemade remedies? I honestly don’t think it matters. The flavor and color of honey is determined by the type of plant nectar collected.
In general, good honey is just that.. good honey. Nutritionally, there is very little difference among the different varieties.
However, it is believed that darker colored honey has slightly more minerals. I chose to use my regular dark honey for my honey cough drop recipe.
Find a local small scale beekeeper, if possible, to purchase your honey. Raw honey will retain more pollen and nutritious goodies. These are often filtered out in commercial honey packaging.
Materials Needed to Make Your Own Cough Drops
In addition to ingredients, you need to acquire a few simple kitchen tools. Most of these are likely already in your kitchen cabinets.
Some items are optional, I use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture during the heat phase. But, I like a small teaspoon for dropping the candy on paper to cool.
Equipment Needed
- heat source – stove or burner
- heavy duty saucepan
- stirring utensils
- candy thermometer (optional) or bowl of cool water
- candy molds or foil paper
Homemade Honey Cough Drops with Lemon, Cinnamon & Ginger
Making your own honey cough drops is easy. With a few simple ingredients and just a bit of patience, you will have a supply of natural cough drops ready to use.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of crushed ginger
- 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar/cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Mix together the honey, ground cinnamon, lemon juice and ginger in a deep saucepan. Heat this mixture to a slow boil - stirring frequently. Use a wide flat spoon to stir well and prevent burning on the bottom.
- As with making hard candy, we want the mix to reach the "hard crack" candy stage. A candy thermometer is helpful to determine when the 300F/150C temperature is reached. If you do not have a thermometer, drop a bit of the heated mixture into a bowl of cool water. When it hardens instantly -- you are ready.
- Sit the mixture off of the heat and let it begin to cool. Once it begins to thicken, you are ready to pour.
- Pour or spoon your honey cough drop mix into a candle mold of your choice. I chose the hexagon shapes because I'm a beekeeper. If you do not have a mold, drop small amounts onto a piece of foil paper to cool. Keep your drops small - mine were a bit larger than I liked.
- Leave the honey cough drops to cool while you clean your utensils.
- Once completely cool to the touch, sprinkle them drops with a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon. Use your fingers to coat the surface of the cough drops and shake off any excess. This helps prevent them sticking together.
- Store in an air tight container and use when needed.
Notes
*This mixture will foam and expand during boiling. Choose a pan that is deeper than you may think necessary. As the foam builds up, remove the pan off the burner for a few seconds to allow the foam to settle down.
*Don't try this on a rainy day. Dry low humidity days are the best for candy making
*These honey cough drops are not extremely sweet because of the lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 28 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 1mg Carbohydrates: 8g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 7g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g
Why Honey for Coughs?
While there is no cure for the common cold, honey has been recognized as an aid for relief. In addition to a soothing coat for sore throats, many people experience other types of relief.
Honey reduced the amount of nighttime coughing and that helps improve the quality of sleep.
Create Your Own Homemade Honey Cough Drop Recipe
Now you have the basic tools to begin. It’s your turn to experiment and tweak this basic recipe to fit your needs and taste buds.
Have fun creating a cough drop recipe that your family will enjoy.
Beekeeper Charlotte
Why Bees Are Important
