Homemade Cough Syrup & Decongestant

It’s officially flu season and everywhere you go there’s someone coughing or sneezing. The easiest thing to do to prevent getting sick is to get a flu shot, but even then it’s hard not catching a cold when everyone around you has one.   Unfortunately, most commercial cough syrups are loaded with sugar, corn syrup and other ingredients you know nothing about, which is why we know you will enjoy trying these recipes for a homemade cough syrup and a homemade decongestant.

Homemade Cough Syrup

Ingredients

• Honey (Manuka honey): Honey is often a key ingredient in cough syrups since it tastes great, but it also helps soothe and coat irritated membranes in your throat.
• Ginger: The ginger acts an expectorant, helping loose and expel mucous from the lungs.
• Pepper: Pepper helps with the chest congestion and mucous.
• Thyme: This herb has anti-microbial properties and it relaxes the muscles of the trachea and bronchi, by opening up the airways.

Mix 8 tbsp. of honey with 3 tbsp. of warm water. Add about 1.5 tsp. of thyme, pepper, and ginger. Whisk the ingredients until you get the right consistency and add some lemon to make it taste even better. This syrup can last up to a year if you refrigerate it.