Sweet Menstruums
- Honey
- Glycerine
- Sugar
With Honey (or other sweetener)
Honey Infusion
Fill jar with fresh/ dried plant material. Fill again with honey, covering at least 2 inches over the top. Let sit.
- Can warm the honey (via double boiler method) to 130-140 F, to liquefy and pour over plant material.
- Plant material need not be strained from the honey. Based on personal preference.
- Can let honey infusion sit, or warm in a double boiler, or the sun. If warming with fresh herbs, then leave uncapped to let condensation evaporate.
Glycerite
Made like a tincture, but with glycerine as the menstruum, instead of alcohol. Better with dried plant material, and with undiluted glycerine. The glyerite can go bad easily, if there’s extra water content
inside. Useful with nervines, combined with tinctures, or for those who don’t ingest alcohol.
Electuaries
4 fl. Oz honey: 3 T powdered herb
(1 C honey: 6 T powdered herb)
Basically, honey paste.
Pastilles
Electuaries with more powders, to form an even thicker paste-like consistency that remains in a ball, when rolled. Can add demulcent powders as solidifying agents. Can coat/ roll with other powders on the surface,
to further solidify, on the surface. Let dry, then store.
Syrups
Simmer (2 oz herb: 32 oz water) down to 16 oz of strong tea. Strain the herbs, then add (8 oz honey: 16 oz strong tea)
- Can add (16 oz honey: 16 oz strong tea), to make a sweeter syrup that will last longer, unrefrigerated.
- Can add 3-4 T brandy (or other alcohol) per cup of syrup, as a preservative.
- Can add a few drops of essential oil, for a stronger flavor/ medicinal effect.
Oxymels
1 part vinegar: 2-4 parts honey
With Alcohol
Cordials
1 C drinking alcohol (ie. Brandy): 1 C sweet syrup/ concentrate (can do 1 tincture: 3 sweet menstruum)
Let sit for a long time. Can be years!
Infused Wine
Infusing herbs into a drinking wine, with the tincture. May be more tasty than a straight tincture. Can add berries and other sweet fruits, to sweeten the medicine
Elixirs
1 part honey: 2-4 parts alcohol
Make with the same technique as making tinctures. Can strain after 2-4 weeks.
Pleasure Elixirs
Add 3 tsp of pre-formulated elixir(s) to 60 oz sparkling water, for a refreshing drink.
Recipes
(All plants listed in parts. Refer to directions/ proportions above, using the parts listed.)
Arabic Honey Electuary
Black pepper 1: Ginger 1: Tumeric 6-8
4 oz. Honey: 3 T herb powder blend
Sore Throat Pastilles
(From Rosemary Gladstar)
- 1 licorice root powder
- 1 comfrey root powder
- 1 elm powder
- 12 echinacea powder
- 1/8 goldenseal powder
Cough and Sore Throat Syrup
(From Rosemary Gladstar)
- 2 elm bark
- 2 valerian
-2 comfrey root
- 1 wild cherry bark
- 2 licorice root
-1 ginger root
-1 cinnamon bark
- 4 fennel seeds
- 1/8 orange peel
Some Northeastern Spring Sweet Medicine to Make Now
- Violet flowers (honey infusion, sugar, syrup)
- Dandelion flowers (honey infusion, oxymel)
- Cinquefoil young leaves (honey infusion, glycerite)
- Dock young leaves (oxymel)
- Chives young leaves (oxymel)
- Garlic Mustard young leaves (oxymel)
Measurements
1 C= 8 oz
1 pint= 16 oz
1 quart= 32 oz
1 oz= 30 mL
Web Resources
Sweet Medicine Overview, by Kiva Rose
Cordial recipes
