Hyssop and Horehound-The Beauty and the Beast of Herbs

   Welcome back again for our next session on 

Growing Your Own Medicine

series here on the Welcoming House.
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Please do so!
I don't want you to miss any of the posts!

image courtesy

   I am absolutely stunned at the response to this series, and would really like to hear from you in the comment section after this post. What interests you about learning about growing herbs, and using them for health and healing? Your responses will help me tailor my posts more to what you are wanting to learn! If you are just finding us today, I would encourage you to check out Day One and Day Two so you dont miss anything!

   Before we get started talking about the two herbs I have chosen to cover today, I wanted again to post the link from yesterday that I shared with you. If you have not signed up for her classes and handouts yet, you are seriously missing out. Her course has been a great refresher for me, but if you are just starting out, then you will really appreciated her simple, step-by-step plan to learning to grow herbs. Just click on the link below to head over there and see what it is all about:

Growing Herbs for Beginners

   Since both herbs we are talking about today can be used together, or with others in cough syrups, cough drop, in teas, or in ointments, I am going to begin this section by giving you some really really simple ways to make all of those things. In each of my posts I will give you a short amount of information that tells you how much of each herb for each thing...and link you back to this post so you can go right back to the recipes.

            Cough Syrup: take 1/4 cup of dried herb to 2 1/2 cups boiling water. Pour water over herb, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain into a measuring cup. To the remaining liquid add 2 parts honey to the one equal part liquid that is left. For example: after straining you have one cup liquid left. You would add two cups honey, bottle it, and keep it in fridge, using as needed 1 tsp at a time. Read the herb information to see if you can use it as much as you want, or if there is a restriction, such as only up to 4 times a day.

            Cough Drops: Make the same infusion as above, but then add to a saucepan with one pound of sugar. Bring to a boil, and with a candy thermometer, continue stirring and boiling until soft crack stage. Pour onto a oiled jelly roll pan, and then using buttered hands, roll into tiny balls. It is hot, and will cool quickly, so do a little at a time! Below I included a link with pics from one of my favorite sites: Frugally Sustainable.

            Ointment: Take 1/4 cup fresh herb, bruise (roll between your hands or with a rolling pin), and place in a pan with one cup of coconut oil or lard. Warm until oil is liquid, and warm to the touch. Let sit on low, stirring as often as needed, for about ten minutes. Take off heat, strain out the herb, and place remaining ointment in tins or a glass jar, tightly lidded, in a cool place. Many herbs have external uses as well, and this is one way you would use it to treat something on the skin.

This series is now in the form of a book that is available on my Blog, under the link below:

I have added more herbs, and more suggestions, as well as have a 8 page mini-book for free, for a limited time, that gives you the 12 recipes that we use the most around our home here.

Thank you for your support and interest. I hope to do another series on herbs later in the year 2013

Growing Your Own Medicine E-Book

Many Blessings to you and yours,

Heather

Link for picture tutorial on making your own cough drops:  http://frugallysustainable.com/2011/12/horehound-lozenges-homemade-remedy-for/