How to Make and Use an Herbal Electuary

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How to make and use herbal electuaries
Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Remedies » How to Make and Use an Herbal Electuary

Elderberry syrup is a mainstay of our Fall and Winter natural remedies, and one of my favorites because it is the easiest to get kids to take happily. It combines the benefits of flu-fighting elderberry with the antibacterial properties of raw honey (and some other beneficial herbs) for a highly-effective remedy.

What is an Herbal Electuary?

Herbal syrups (like elderberry) are a great way to get the benefits of an herb. Electuaries are similar, but take even less time to make and can make some of the most pungent tasting herbs palatable.

By definition, an electuary is a powdered herb mixed with honey (preferably raw). The texture can vary from more like a syrup (less herb in proportion to honey) or like a thick paste that can even be rolled into pills or lozenges (more herbs in proportion to honey).

Though electuaries are much less well-known than they once were, they are still an excellent and simple herbal remedy you can make at home in minutes and can be really helpful during cold and flu season. Most often, an electuary is made with dried and powdered herbs mixed into honey.

Since both dried herbs are honey are shelf stable, this creates a remedy with a long shelf life. In fact, honey has been used as a preservative for thousands of years, as it has a low moisture content and natural antibacterial properties that give it an almost-indefinite shelf life. (The only caution with honey is not to give it to children under 1 year old as it can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which adults and older children can easily digest but which babies have not yet developed the ability to digest properly).

How to Make an Herbal Electuary:

If you are new to natural remedies, electuaries are an excellent place to start since they are very versatile and almost impossible to mess up! You can use any powdered herb and mix with a high quality honey and you have an electuary in minutes.

Ingredients:

  • Raw Honey (I use this manuka honey for added benefit but regular raw honey also works great)
  • Powdered, dried herbs of choice – TIP: if you don’t have powdered herbs, just run your dried herbs through a blender, food processor or spice grinder until powdered. The thinner the powder, the smoother the electuary will be.

Instructions:

  1. Place the dried, powdered herbs in a bowl.
  2. Add just enough honey to make a paste (about peanut butter thickness or a little thicker).
  3. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and use as needed.

How to Use an Herbal Electuary

Depending on the electuary and how much of the herb I need to consume, I take a spoonful a day. For electuaries for specific ailments, I take more often as needed to speed recovery.

NOTE: Herbs can be very beneficial but also have the potential to be very powerful. As with any product containing herbs, check with a doctor before using, especially if you have a medical condition or are pregnant or nursing.

Types of Electuaries

This is the fun part! There are endless ways to make an herbal electuary and you can customize based on your family’s needs. They can be made with a single herb or a blend and for a specific purpose or just general health. These are some of my favorites:

  • Chamomile Electuary– Powdered chamomile with honey (add a tiny pinch of sea salt and this is a great electuary to promote relaxation before bed)
  • Golden Milk Electuary– All the benefits of Turmeric Tea Golden Milk in a non-perishable form. Mix a tablespoon into a cup of warmed water or coconut milk for instant turmeric tea. I use equal parts dried Turmeric root and cinnamon powder and add dried ginger powder and cayenne pepper to taste before mixing with honey to make a paste. Great by the spoonful or in tea and helps speed recovery from illness.
  • Pregnancy Electuary–  My pregnancy tea in tasty electuary form. I mix about 1/4 cup powdered raspberry leaf with 1 tablespoon each of powdered alfalfa and nettle and add honey to make a paste.
  • Vitamin C Electuary– I mix equal parts powdered camu-camu, rose hips and hibiscus to make a powder rich in Vitamin C. I add just enough honey to make a very thick paste. This can be eaten by the spoonful or formed into little pills or lozenges.
  • Echinacea Electuary– The easiest way to take Echinacea (which can have a pungent taste). I mix powdered echinacea root with honey to make a thick paste and use as needed.
  • Sore Throat Electuary– I mix equal parts powdered peppermint leaf and marshmallow root with enough honey to make a very thick paste and form these into lozenges. They are great for easing the pain of a sore throat.
  • Ginger-Mint Electuary– I give this to my kids for tummy aches. I mix equal parts peppermint leaf and dried ginger with honey to make a thick peanut butter consistency. I give by the spoonful when needed.

Ever made an electuary (even without knowing you were making one?) Will you try making them now?

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

46 responses to “How to Make and Use an Herbal Electuary”

  1. Meg Stewart Avatar
    Meg Stewart

    I’m wanting to make some lozenges with camu camu & rose hips (I don’t have hibiscus) for the kids. Is there a particular way you prefer making them? Do you just do drops on wax paper? Thanks!

  2. Selina Avatar

    I was mixing true cinnamon with honey for a little while now for energy and I had no idea it was an electuary! So cool!

  3. Patty Avatar

    I just made the turmeric recipe using equal parts and the cayanne pepper is so extreme. Did you mean equal parts including the cayanne pepper. I used 1 tablespoon of each. Just want to check. Love this blog and thank you for sharing your wisdom.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      You can make it really in any amounts you prefer. I meant equal amounts herbs to honey though, and personally, I’d do about 5 parts turmeric, 1 part cayenne and 6 parts honey.

  4. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    Might cramp bark powder work for this? Would that also be equal parts, do you think?
    Thanks,
    Ashley

  5. Paula Avatar

    Hi! I know this may be common sense but I dont do much in the kitchen. I was going to do the Tumeric recipe but I cant figure out how much of what to add to how much honey… I was going to use a pint jar. Would you be willing to comment as to how much of each ingredient you would recommend please.
    Thank you,
    P

      1. Colleen Avatar

        How much and how often should I take the honey & turmeric cough syrup?

        Thanks Colleen

  6. Alex Avatar

    Hi, I found your blog by chance and find it very interesting and useful. The recipes you suggest are easy but the problem for me are the ingredients as I live in Europe and eventhough I have Amazon Prime, most of the times they do not deliver here. Any suggestion of sites you know are actually delivering international?
    And, would you recommend the natural homemade cosmetics for grannys too? I work with seniorcitizens and most products are rather agressive to their very dry skin or thinning hair.
    Thanks in advance 🙂

  7. Debbie Avatar

    Hi, this may be a dumb question….do I take the electuary by the spoonful like you would cough syrup? Or mix it into hot water like a tea? I imagine one just eats the spoonful but can’t quite decipher?

  8. Jennie Avatar

    Anyone try making a multivitamin electuary? How much herbs to honey? And could I just use the multivitamin recipe from your website and put it in an electuary? And how much should I take per day? Thanks!

  9. Lindsay Avatar

    First want to thank you for your awesomeness 😉 Our lo is 9 months, vax free. Trying to do everything all natural !
    – elderberry syrup * I made a batch half w honey half without .
    ~ do you think it would still be benifical for her without the honey ?
    ~ she has come done with a fever today 102.0 and I gave her a tsp.
    *** any help is more than appreciated , as I’m still learning

  10. Emily Avatar

    Electuaries are not limited to just herbs in honey! I make one that is bite size ginger and garlic, put in jar and saturate in honey (make sure to get all air out), let sit in dark place for 1 month. Eat a little each day in cold and flu season or a spoonful if feel cold symptoms coming on.
    Your recipes sound great!

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