Homemade Cough Syrup | Eucalyptus and Thyme

The season of coughs and sniffles are here, so why not have this homemade cough syrup on hand and ready to go? This essential oil cough syrup is quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients you may already have on hand. And for a natural cough syrup, it’s all goodness and no fuss!

Let me first start by saying that this homemade cough syrup is extremely potent, and it does use essential oils. If you’re uncomfortable with ingesting essential oils, then this natural cough syrup may not be for you. While I am not an advocate for ingesting essential oils, I do know that there is a time and place for the ingestion of them . . . and this is one of them.

Natural Cough Syrup for Night Time Variation

Below you’ll find the regular natural cough syrup recipe, but I wanted to let you know of another variation that you might enjoy. For starters, chamomile is one of my favorite herbal additions to this natural cough syrup for nighttime use.

I make two cough syrups, one for daytime and one for nighttime. In the nighttime cough syrup I add the chamomile. You can do this by simply adding the chamomile flowers (1 ounce) to the simple syrup while the syrup is still very hot, but not still boiling on the burner. Then strain the chamomile out of the simple syrup once it cools, before making the rest of the homemade cough syrup.

Antibacterial Cough Syrup Variation

Another variation of the base cough syrup is to add garlic. If you’re fighting off something bacterial, especially bacterial pneumonia, adding garlic to your infused honey may be a great option for you. You would simply add two crushed garlic cloves to your cough syrup and burp the lid each day until the ferment is done. Otherwise, you can add two garlic cloves to your simple syrup when it’s still hot to let it infuse. Then remove the the garlic before mixing.

How to Make Natural Homemade Cough Syrup

Now, onto the base syrup for your natural homemade cough syrup! Here’s how you make it.

2 ounces raw honey
1 ounce simple syrup (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water)
1 ounce thyme infusion (recipe below)
24 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oil (no substitutions)
48 drops sweet orange essential oil

1. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice) and 1 cup water. Boil together to make a simple syrup.
2. Allow the syrup to cool, remove 1 ounce of the syrup to make your natural cough syrup.
3. Add honey, thyme infusion and essential oils together until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour into a 4 ounce sterile glass bottle, label (with expiration date as well), and store in a cool dark place (like a cupboard or medicines cabinet) for up to 3 months.

Thyme Infusion Recipe:

• Add 3g of dried thyme leaves into 1.5 ounces of a 50:50 blend of water and vodka in a mason jar or oven proof dish. Make sure the leaves are completely submersed. Soak for 24 hours.
• Turn oven onto 200 degrees, then immediately turn it off and place the glass container of thyme and liquid into the oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove after 30 minutes and allow to cool. Strain the herbs from the liquid. You will now have a proper thyme infusion.

Dosing Guidelines Dose:

• 1 teaspoon per 150 pounds every 3-6 hours
• No more than 8 servings per day.
• Continue to give until symptoms resolve or up to 2 weeks for adults and 1 week for children.

Natural Homemade Cough Syrup

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Ingredients

• 2 ounces raw honey
• 1 ounce simple syrup, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water
• 1 ounce thyme infusion, recipe below
• 24 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oil, no substitutions
• 48 drops sweet orange essential oil

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice) and 1 cup water. Boil together to make a simple syrup.
2. Allow the syrup to cool, remove 1 ounce of the syrup to make your natural cough syrup. Add honey, thyme infusion and essential oils together until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour into a 4 ounce sterile glass bottle, label (with expiration date as well), and store in a cool dark place (like a cupboard or medicines cabinet) for up to 3 months.

Notes

Thyme Infusion Recipe: Add 3g of dried thyme leaves into 1.5 ounces of a 50:50 blend of water and vodka in a mason jar or oven proof dish. Make sure the leaves are completely submersed. Soak for 24 hours. Turn oven onto 200 degrees, then immediately turn it off and place the glass container of thyme and liquid into the oven for 30 minutes.Remove after 30 minutes and allow to cool. Strain the herbs from the liquid. You will now have a proper thyme infusion. Dosing Guidelines Dose: 1 teaspoon per 150 pounds every 3-6 hours No more than 8 servings per day. Continue to give until symptoms resolve or up to 2 weeks for adults and 1 week for children.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Resources:

Kemmerich, B. (2007). Evaluation of Efficacy and Tolerability of a Fixed Combination of Dry Extracts of Thyme Herb and Primrose Root in Adults Suffering from Acute Bronchitis with Productive Cough. Arzneimittelforschung, 57(09), 607-615.

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