Cough Drops YOU Designed!

It's that time of year again!  Family, friends, food, fellowship, and GERMS!
Be ahead of the game this year, and consider packing along some homemade cough drops!  There are many great recipes online, and I encourage you to peek around and find one that fits you and your family.  Some like the breathing benefits of menthol, whereas people like me cannot stand anything resembling menthol.  Or, as this post will suggest, design your own recipe!

The benefits of homemade cough drops have mostly to do with the use of local honey, a major health benefit in and of itself.  Most store-bought cough drops do not even have honey as an ingredient, and in the case of some of the cheapest varieties, the top ingredient is high fructose corn syrup!!!  Top that off with some red 40 for coloring and you now don't only have a cold, but have increased your chances for other health concerns in the future.  There is a pride in making not only homemade cough drops, but homemade essentials in general; you know what went into them.  You were there for every step, every ingredient. 

The general principles for making cough drops are an herbal infusion taking place in boiling water, honey, and a temperature of 300 degrees.  After that, it's all you!  The most freedom is in the herbal infusion itself: what herbs did you decide to include?  You don't have to have a personal health food store in your panty, or even one in town, to make great cough drops.  What teas do you have on hand?  Does your local grocery store have a variety of tea?  How about ginger and garlic?  As you explore your options, feel free to use What I did as your model.

Ingredients:
- chamomile tea
- peppermint tea
- Traditional Medicinals' (LOVE this company!) Breathe Easy tea
- Traditional Medicinals' Throat Coat Tea (I was after the marshmallow root that's included)
- TM's Child Cold Care Tea  
- 1 small tea ball Rose Hips (vit C, iron)
- Nature's Sunshine Lymphatic Drainage (I happened to have this left over from a past illness)
- Nature's Sunshine ALJ (respiratory support)

Step 1: Create your herbal infusion
You want about 1-2 cups of various herbs total to 1 cup water.  Herbs can be loose or contained.  This is part of why I chose to use tea bags because I am too lazy to strain out the herbs later. ;-P  Bring the herbs and 1 cup water to a boil, and let cool until you can handle the tea bags and squeeze out excess liquid.  Discard or compost herbs.

Step 2: Add honey, heat
Add to your herbal infusion 1.5 cups honey, local of course being the most beneficial.  Heat while stirring to dissolve honey.  It will bubble and just keep an eye on it for boiling over.  Set in your candy thermometer.  If you don't happen to own a candy thermometer, you can estimate about 40 minutes of rolling boil to reach that 300 degree mark, but a candy thermometer is best to have.


Step 3: While cough drop ingredients are heating, prepare your large, shallow cookie sheet or pan.  Grease it down (I used coconut oil, but olive or even butter will work). 

Step 4: Hard crack stage
Now, using your candy thermometer, heat steadily until it reaches 300 degrees.  This is the "hard crack" point, or the point where the water-solid ratio is correct for a candy.  You can even test this by taking a drop of the mixture and throwing it into cold water.  It will immediately solidify if you've reached candying point.  As you turn off the heat, this is the time to add any flavorings you may want, such as peppermint extract, lemon flavoring, etc.  I chose not to add flavor as I was after the more earthy/herbal taste with the honey.

Step 5: Pour onto greased cookie sheet, and let cool until you feel comfortable handling the goop.  This is where children or a partner comes in handy because the cough drop mixture will harden quickly on the cookie sheet as you work, making it harder and harder to make the drops.  To make the drops, I used a regular table spoon to scoop up a SMALL (my beginning drops were way too big!) bit of mixture and roll it in my oiled hands like it was clay.  I highly suggest molding the drops into more of an oval shape to help prevent choking.  Do this by first rolling the mix together in a ball in your hand, then alternate rolling your hands up and down to make an oblong shape.


Step 6: Let cool, package
If you have a distraction come up, like feeding your toddler lunch, simply put the cookie sheet in the oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes to soften it up and manageable again.  I used simple wax paper to wrap my drops in as they are for my own family's use, but if you're looking to give these as gifts, let your creativity out!  Twine and small boxes are adorable, as is a dressed up old canning jar.  Happy Healthing!