Whether you are in the middle of winter or in the height of summer, colds and allergies seem to pop up from everywhere, often catching you by surprise. Hand in hand with these seasonal ailments, comes the dreaded cough. Syrups are an excellent remedy for coughing attacks, but should be taken in moderation to prevent the onset of side effects, such as sleepiness. Cough candies made from natural ingredients help relieve symptoms. If you don't want to buy them ready-made, you can learn how to make them at home using a few simple ingredients and some commonly used tools.
Ingrediants
Ginger Cough Candies
- About 4 cm of fresh ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 360 ml of water
- 300 g of sugar
- 120 ml of honey
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 50 g of superfine sugar, to sprinkle the candies on the outside
Herbal and Honey Cough Candies
- 360 ml of honey
- 120 ml of herbal tea (of your choice)
- 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract
No Cook Herbal Cough Tablets
- 150 g of powdered smooth elm bark
- 4-6 tablespoons of raw or raw honey (about 60 ml)
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 10 drops of orange essential oil
- 6 drops of lemon essential oil
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making Ginger Cough Candies
Step 1. Prepare everything you need
For this recipe you will need the following tools:
- Knife;
- Citrus grater;
- Pot;
- Cake thermometer;
- Candy molds;
- Airtight container to keep them.
Step 2. Prepare the spices and lemon zest
Start by peeling the ginger with a knife or vegetable peeler.
- Nowadays you can find fresh ginger in the fruit and vegetable counter of any supermarket.
- Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, which is commonly used in the preparation of cough products because it is an efficient antihistamine and decongestant of the respiratory tract.
- Cut it into very thin slices with the knife.
- Grate the lemon zest (at least one teaspoon).
Step 3. Place the ginger slices, cinnamon stick and 360ml water in a pot
Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Wait for the water to boil briskly. The bubbles must be large and constant and a lot of steam must come out of the pot.
- Once the water has reached a brisk boil, you can turn the heat down.
Step 4. Let the ingredients simmer gently for 10 minutes
When done, remove the ginger and cinnamon from the water.
- The easiest way to remove the spices from the water is by using a colander.
- Place the colander on an empty pot.
- Pour the hot mixture into the colander.
- The ginger and cinnamon will be blocked by the mesh of the colander while the liquid will fall into the pot below.
Step 5. Add 300g of sugar and 120ml of honey to the spice mixture
Bring it to a boil again using high heat, being careful to stir constantly.
- Honey has been studied in several clinical trials. It has been found to be as effective as syrups in calming coughs.
- Make sure the sugar dissolves completely.
- Check that the sugar has dissolved completely by taking a little liquid with a spoon; if you can no longer distinguish the grains, you can move on.
- At this point you must use the thermometer to bring the syrup to the correct cooking stage (called "hard-crack" to indicate that, once cold, the candies will break into solid fragments).
Step 6. Dip the cake thermometer into the mixture to monitor the degree of heat
Stop mixing.
- The syrup will need to reach a high temperature for it to harden and create candies.
- It is important to check the temperature of the syrup carefully, otherwise it may burn or become too hot to form the candy.
- The ideal temperature (that of the "hard-crack" cooking stage) is 149-151 ° C.
Step 7. Check the liquid temperature constantly
It will increase very quickly.
- As the temperature rises, the syrup may darken. This is a normal reaction due to the caramelization of the sugar.
- When the thermometer reaches 149-151 ° C, remove the pot from the heat.
- At this point you need to add the remaining ingredients before pouring the syrup into the molds.
Step 8. Pour half a teaspoon of grated lemon zest and two tablespoons of lemon juice into the pot
- Be careful when adding the lemon zest and juice.
- As you add the last few ingredients, the boiling syrup may splash.
- Stir carefully to distribute the zest and juice evenly.
Step 9. Grease the molds
You can use regular seed oil.
- Pour the hot syrup into the molds very carefully.
- Try to be precise to pour it exclusively inside the forms, without spilling it on the outside.
- The indicated doses allow you to prepare about 50 small cough candies.
Step 10. Wait for the syrup to cool completely inside the molds
On average it should take about an hour or so.
- When the candies have cooled, you can remove them from the molds and transfer them to a sheet of parchment paper.
- To get the candy out of the mold, tap it gently against a hard surface. The candies should come out on their own.
- If necessary, flex the mold slightly to help them come out, just like you do for ice cubes.
Step 11. Transfer the candies to a container with an airtight lid in which you have poured the superfine sugar
If you haven't bought it ready-made, you can easily make it by pulverizing regular sugar with a food processor. Blend it until it becomes a powder.
- Shake the container so that the sugar evenly coats the candies.
- Superfine sugar is used to prevent the candies from sticking together.
- Alternatively, you can also use powdered sugar, but it generally tends to get sticky.
Step 12. Store the candy in a jar or airtight container
Do not put them in the refrigerator.
- Use them when you feel the need.
- Unlike regular cough syrups, these candies don't contain sedatives that can induce tiredness and sleepiness, so they don't cause unwanted side effects.
- These cough candies have a sweet and pleasant taste that recalls the aromas of lemon, cinnamon and ginger.
Part 2 of 3: Making Herbal Honey Cough Candies
Step 1. Make a strong brew
There are several medicinal herbs that help relieve the symptoms of coughs and colds.
- Elderberries and flowers are widely used to relieve nasal congestion.
- Elm bark was traditionally used by Native Americans to treat coughs and gastrointestinal disorders.
- Chamomile is an effective cough remedy and helps reduce inflammation and mucus production.
- To make a strong brew, put 240ml of water in a saucepan and add a generous amount of each herb.
- Heat the water with the herbs to bring it to a gentle boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low.
- Leave the herbs to steep for 15-20 minutes, keeping the heat low.
- Pour the tea into a colander to remove the herbs, then save 120ml to make the cough candies.
Step 2. Make sugar molds
Instead of using the silicone ones, you can make them yourself using a simple baking dish and some sugar.
- Pour a generous amount of icing sugar into a small (about 9x13 cm) baking dish.
- Use your fingers or a spoon to make holes in the icing sugar.
- The holes will function as candy molds.
Step 3. Mix all the ingredients, then put them on the stove
First, pour 120 ml of the previously prepared infusion into the pot, then add 360 ml of honey and half a teaspoon of peppermint extract.
- Heat the mixture over medium to medium-high heat.
- Stir constantly to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
- Attach the thermometer to the outside of the pot to monitor the temperature.
Step 4. Check the degree of heat of the syrup frequently
The goal is for it to reach approximately 149 ° C. At that temperature, the liquid will harden as it coughs, giving life to cough candies.
- The syrup may become slightly fluffy as it heats up.
- If it happens, you just have to mix it up.
- You will know that the temperature has almost reached the correct value by the time the syrup begins to thicken.
- Normally the process takes about half an hour.
- Once the syrup has reached 149 ° C, remove the pot from the heat.
Step 5. Transfer the boiling syrup to a Pyrex (heat-resistant glass) pitcher, which you will need to accurately pour it into the molds
Transfer it slowly and carefully.
- Pour the boiling syrup into the small holes you made earlier in the icing sugar.
- Alternatively, you can use a candy mold. In this case, remember to grease it with a veil of seed oil.
- If you don't have a candy mold or don't want to use sugar, you can pour the syrup onto a sheet of parchment paper after greasing it with a little oil. Be very careful, as this is the least practical method of preparation.
Step 6. Let the candies cool in the sugar or silicone molds to allow them to harden
Before taking them out of the molds, you must wait until they are completely cold.
- Do not touch them while they cool; once they are ready, you can carefully remove them from the molds. If you used silicone molds, flex them gently to help them come out.
- Roll the candies in powdered sugar to coat them on the outside.
- You can store them in a single layer, sandwiched between two sheets of parchment paper. In this case they will last about three weeks inside the refrigerator.
- Alternatively, you can freeze them, and even in this case they must be protected by two sheets of baking paper. In the freezer they will also last several months.
Part 3 of 3: Making No-Cook Herbal Cough Tablets
Step 1. Prepare all the necessary ingredients
The recipe includes the use of powdered elm bark, cinnamon, honey and orange and lemon essential oil.
- You can buy elm bark powder and essential oils at herbalist's shops, in stores that sell organic and natural products, or online.
- Elm bark powder contains a substance called mucilage, which takes on a gel-like consistency when combined with water or honey. This gel is able to coat and protect the mouth, throat and digestive tract.
- Native Americans have used this remedy for centuries to treat coughs and gastrointestinal ailments.
- Unlike most natural remedies, no negative side effects have been found from using elm bark. However, formal studies aimed at demonstrating its effectiveness are few.
- Remember that some clinical tests have shown that honey is a very good cough remedy.
- In part, cinnamon can also help relieve violent coughing fits.
Step 2. Pour 150 g of elm bark powder, 4 tablespoons of raw or raw honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon into a bowl
Stir carefully to evenly blend the ingredients.
- If the honey is too hard because it has crystallized, try heating the jar by placing it under a stream of hot water.
- The honey should become fluid again.
- If the mixture of ingredients is dry and crumbly, you can dilute it by adding two more tablespoons of honey to make it easier to work with.
- After mixing the ingredients, you should have a soft dough, which may be sticky due to the honey.
Step 3. Add essential oils
Use a dropper to make sure you're getting the right amount of each.
- You will need to add 10 drops of orange essential oil and 6 drops of lemon essential oil.
- Stir to distribute them evenly in the dough.
- Work the mixture for a long time to make sure all the ingredients are well blended.
Step 4. Divide the dough into small portions and shape into balls
Each serving should be about one teaspoon. Shape the balls by rolling them in your hands.
- Once ready, place them on a sheet of baking paper.
- You can arrange them in a pan or directly on the kitchen worktop.
- The important thing is to choose a place where they can lie undisturbed.
- Visually, these tablets may be unattractive, but they contain very effective cough ingredients.
Step 5. Let the tablets dry for at least 24 hours before using them or place them in a container for storage
If the weather is humid, it may take even longer.
- Wrap the tablets in parchment paper for storage.
- Alternatively, you can store them in an airtight container.
- These tablets will last approximately three weeks, provided they are stored properly.
- The indicated doses allow to obtain about 36 tablets.
