How to make syrups

how to make syrups

Most syrups warm up honey with the herbs of fruits. In ayurveda, honey should not be heated since it releases toxins, so it becomes poison to the body. Well, there is another ways to make medicinal and cooking syrups, I personally use jaggery which is very rich in minerals and natural sugars. I also use honey but I let the flowers or herbs to be macerated for a couple of weeks in a glass jar.


Syrups are sweet tasting herbal preparations, which make them a great vehicle to give medicine to children. There are simple to make and can last up to one year when preserved in brandy and stored in the refrigerator.. You can also use cane sugar, maple syrup, vegetable glycerine or birch syrup. Syrups are preserve in brandy, the rule of thumb is one tablespoon of brandy for 1 cup of liquid.

Basic cooking syrup Recipe.
You can follow this principals to make any type of medicinal or cooking syrup.
1 part herbs, berries or flowers. ( fresh are preferable, but dry is ok too.)
1 part sweetener
4 parts water
1 tsp Brandy

Cook the botanicals and water over low heat until the liquid reduces to half. If you are using fruits, pulp them with a potato masher to help them draw out the juices. Remove from heat and let cool.
Stain the liquid with a cheesecloth into a measuring cup so that you can see how much liquied you have left. Make sure all the botanicals are not in your infusion, otherwise it will ferment and spoil the preparation.

Pour the liquid back into the pot and simmer for a minute or two; let it cool and add the sweetener, heat only enough to allow the liquid and the sweetener to blend well. For one cup of insuion, add one cup of sweetener and 1 tbl of brandy.
If you are using jaggery; let it cook a bit longer until jaggery is completed melted and a bit syrupy.

Remove from heat, cool and add brandy, pour into sterilized bottle. I prefer to have several small one that one large bottle; it helps preservation. Label and refrigerate.

Basic maceration recipe
Maceration, means you are not cooking the botanicals. I choose this method when I am using flowers like roses and lavenders.
A a general rule, use
1 part flowers or leaves- fresh preferable.
2 parts honey

In a glass jar cover the flowers totally with honey. Seal the jar and let it rest for 3 to 4 weeks. Strain the preparation and stored it a room temperature.

Some ideas for syrups:

Cooking syrups

• Lavender syrup.
• fresh pitta syrup; Mint and spruce tips.
• Rose hips and lemon peels

Medicinal syrups

• High-iron syrup: Nettles ( 2 parts), strawberry leaves( 2 parts), horsetail( 2 parts), rose hips( 2 parts) and yellow dock( 1 part).
• Antioxidant syrup: Raspberry( 2 parts), blueberries( two parts), oregano ( 1 part), dandelion root ( 2 parts)
• Immune syrup; echinacea ( 2 parts),chilly(1 parts) cinnamon ( 2 parts), turmeric ( 2 parts)
• Cough away syrup; yarrow( 1 part) crampbark ( 1 part)horsetail ( 1 part), mint( 1 part), spruce tips( 1 part),plantain (1 part),goldenrod (1 part), colsfoot ( 4 parts).
• Allergy syrup; mossberries ( 1 part),plantain leaf ( 1 part), nettles (2 parts).
• Blood cleanse syrup; turmeric root (2 parts), nettles (2 parts), red clover (2 parts), cramp bark (1 part), juniper (1 part), mint ( 1 part)