During January I spent a lot of time creating herbal curative syrups for friends & neighbors laid low by colds and flu. Dark, rich, fragrant, floral and berrylicious, each was brimming with herbs, blossoms and berries that help chase off nasty viruses, fight back bacteria, restore depleted energies, and positively rejuvenate our cells!

I love every part of making these syrups. The basic process is always the same (you can find the basic recipe here) but from heading outside to harvest the wild elements on offer in nature’s apothecary, to choosing complementing medicinal, culinary herbs, infused honeys and booze from my home pantry, to the long hours of stirring and tasting over the boiling pot and adding a little dash of this and more of that – each one is unique, shaped by the plants, season, specific intention and of course, inspiration…

Containing tonic herbs, berries, roots, and blossoms (once the stuff of alchemical recipes and longevity elixirs) they are created by extracting and preserving the nutrients and medicinal properties of plants in decoctions sweetened and preserved with sugar, honey, alcohol. Today many of the plants used in traditional herbal syrups are the subject of intense research in pharmacology due to their remarkable healing and anti-aging properties. Needless to say their “extracts” are sold back to us in pricey supplements and drugs.

Which is why I call these syrups “magic-ceuticals”. Because as any wise woman knows, crafting truly healing medicine goes beyond chemicals and compounds… To read the full post click here.…

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