An Amish remedy for coughing or wheezing

 

 An Amish remedy

Are you coughing or wheezing, or do you have phlegm in your throat? Homemade horehound cough syrup will help.

Horehound is a member of the mint family and has been used to tame coughs and colds for hundreds of years. You can easily and quickly make this cough syrup. Store it in a clean jar in the refrigerator, and it will keep for about two months.

• 1 oz. fresh or dried horehound leaves
• 1 pint boiling water
• 3 cups honey, more or less

Bring the water to a boil. Add the horehound leaves and then reduce the heat. When you have a gentle simmer, let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Strain the leaves and measure the amount of liquid. Add twice as much honey as the amount of liquid and mix well. Pour the cough syrup into a sterilized glass jar, cover, and keep it in the refrigerator.

To use: Take 1 teaspoon cough syrup up to 4 times daily.

Note: If you don’t have a food scale to weigh an ounce of horehound, that’s equivalent to about ¼-⅓ cup ground or ¾-1 cup chopped herb.