There are good reasons to make cough syrup yourself, especially for children. On the one hand syrups from the pharmacy is expensive and on the other hand the industrially manufactured cough syrups contain ingredience, which are not the beest for health. Like for example: sugar syrup, glucose, invert sugar solution (is a mixture consisting of glucose and fructose), honey flavour (instead of real honey), alcohol.
For a good cough syrup one does not need much active substances. For example, the onion, which with its ingredients is very good for the whole respiratory system, has an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. Or thyme, sage, honey.
Thyme contains valuable essential oils that have an expectorant effect. The saponins make the herb the perfect ingredient for cough syrup and its ingredients have an antibacterial effect. The leaves of sage have anti-inflammatory properties and also have a fungicidal and antiperspirant effect. Honey is a real virus killer. It has a calming and antibacterial effect.
With a few ingredients it is easy to make a side-effect-free cough syrup and here follow two possible recipes. The second recipe is a bit more elaborate, but the first is as simple as nothing:
Candy sugar cough syrup
What you need: onions, candy sugar and water.
How to make it:
Peel and quarter the onion and put it in a small pot. Then add the candy sugar – more or less depending on the desired quantity. In this case, however, more is no problem.
Then add some water on top and bring the whole thing to the boil. When the water boils, you can lower the temperature and let the onion simmer for a while – about 20 – 30 minutes. Then let it cool down and pour the broth through a sieve into a sealable glass or bottle. This cough syrup will lasts in the fridge for a few days.
Thyme cough syrup with sage and honey
What you need: 200 ml water, 50 grams thyme, 25 grams sage, 1/2 lemon, 6 tablespoons honey
How to make it:
Pour boiling water over the thyme and sage and cover and leave it for at least 30 minutes. Squeeze the lemon and add to the mixture. Add the honey and boil the mixture again.
Leave it for 2-3 hours and then strain off and fill into a sterile, sealable bottle.
Store the cough syrup in the refrigerator. When the bottle has been opened, the syrup lasts about three days.
