Cough-Ease Cough Drops

Making effective homemade herbal cough drops requires a time commitment, but the reward is worth

the effort. These soothing cough drops are great for dry, scratchy throats or spasm-like coughs. Not

only will they ease your cough, they’ll soothe dry tissue in your throat as well.

Supplies

Pint-sized glass canning jar

Fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth

2 cup glass measuring cup

2 small silicone candy molds (cough drop sized)

4-quart stainless steel saucepan

Large, rimmed, heat-proof baking sheet

Candy thermometer

Silicone spatula

Unbleached parchment or waxed paper

Ingredients

5 tsp linden (Tilia spp.) aerial parts

2 tsp peppermint (Mentha x piperita) aerial parts

1 tsp plantain (Plantago spp.) leaf

1 tsp thyme (Thymus vulgaris) aerial parts

1 tsp marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) root

1½ cups water

1 cup unbleached cane sugar

½ cup honey

Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Directions

• To make a strong herbal infusion, place all herbs except marshmallow root, in a glass canning jar. Pour 1½ cups of boiled water over herbs and let steep for 1 hour. After an hour, add marshmallow root and let sit for another hour (marshmallow root’s soothing mucilage is best extracted in cool water).

  
  

• While herbs are infusing, place both silicone molds on a rimmed, heat-proof baking sheet and set aside.

  
  

• Strain herbs by pouring the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or several layers of cheesecloth over a glass measuring cup. Press the plant material (marc) to squeeze out every last drop of infusion. Compost the strained herbs. Reserve 1 cup of herbal infusion.

  
  

• In a 4-quart saucepan, clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Combine 1 cup of herbal infusion, cane sugar, and honey in the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Continuously stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.

  
  

• Once the sugar is dissolved, allow the mixture to come to a boil. Occasionally stir the mixture, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well to prevent the sugar from burning. Just be sure to avoid scraping the sides of the pot as you don’t want to re-incorporate any crystalized pieces into your mixture as it will make your final product too brittle. Bringing the mixture to temperature can take a while. During this time, the mixture will expand quite a bit and become darker in color. However, once the mixture comes to temperature and gets to the hard crack stage, you have to move quickly, so keep a close eye on your candy thermometer and be sure your measuring cup and silicone molds are close by and ready to go!

  
  

• When the mixture reaches 250 degrees F, begin to stir constantly, stirring the bottom and avoiding the sides. When it reaches 302 degrees F, carefully pour the mixture into a glass measuring cup to make pouring easier. Pour the mixture into the silicone molds. Use your silicone spatula to help spread the candy into the molds more easily. This will help save you time as you don’t have to pour the cooling mixture into the molds so carefully.

  
  

• Once the molds are filled, allow them to cool for several hours or overnight before unmolding. Immediately wash all supplies that have come into contact with the cough drops with hot, soapy water to make cleaning easier. Otherwise, you’ll need to soak the supplies for a couple of hours.

  
  

• Once the cough drops have cooled, remove them from the molds by pressing on the back of the mold to pop the pieces out. You can toss the cough drops in confectioner’s sugar to help keep them from sticking to each other. Store in a single layer in an airtight labeled container, placing parchment or waxed paper between layers, at room temperature for 6 months (or longer when frozen).

  
  

• To use, suck on a cough drop anytime you experience a dry, scratchy throat or have a cough that won’t go away!