Herbal Syrups and Oxymels

Herbal syrups are made by infusing herbs into a sweet mixture of either sugar and water, or honey and water. The best known is elderberry syrup, but there are many types of herbal syrups used by herbalists for all manner of conditions.

When a herbal syrup is made using vinegar and honey, it's called an oxymel. It's technically a different preparation, but it's used in the same way. I've included them here for simplicity.

Oxymels are herbal remedies made from herbs, honey and vinegar. They're similar to tinctures, in that they're herbs extracted in a medium. In this case, they're alcohol-free and sweet like herbal syrups from the honey, and with pro-biotics from the vinegar. Made properly, they're shelf-stable and a great way to preserve herbal remedies for year-round use.

Lastly, I've also included infused honeys in this list, which are basically just herbs infused into honey (without water or vinegar). They're used like herbal syrups.

Below you'll find links to all of my herbal syrup, herbal-infused honey, and oxymel recipes.