With the winter months fast approaching, I like to have a variety of herbal remedies on hand for my family. While I absolutely love herbs like elderberries and echinacea for their immune stimulating properties, sometimes you need some powerful anti-microbials on hand as well.

Some of my favourite plants are ones that we grow for culinary purposes as well.

Thyme – Thymus vulgaris

Delicious with potatoes, chicken and in stews, this culinary herb has amazing medicinal benefits as well. In terms of winter season prep, Thymus boasts:

• antimicrobial (bacterial, viral and fungal)
• febrifuge and diaphoretic
  • helps with modulating fever and promoting sweating

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• expectorant
  • helping both to thin and expel the mucus
• decongestant
• respiratory antispasmodic

In addition to these properties, thyme is an antidepressant, anxiolytic, general nervine, relaxant and tranqulizer. Thyme also helps to support the liver and promotes blood flow to the brain. Functioning as a carminative, this plant ally would aid in digestive complaints like gas, bloating, indigestion and cramping.

Due to it’s strong effect on the nervous system, thyme tinctures (not culinary use) should not be used when on anti-convulsant, sedative and mood-altering medications.

 

Oregano – Origanum vulgare

Another amazing culinary herb that boasts medicinal properties:

• antimicrobial (bacterial, fungal, protozoal, viral)
• decongestant
• respiratory antispasmodic
• expectorant
  • aids in thinning and expelling of mucus

Like it’s culinary companion thyme, oregano also aids in the nervous system through it’s antidepressant, anxiolytic, nervine, tranquilizer and relaxant properties and supports the digestive system through its carminative and antispasmodic properties. It helps to promote circulation throughout the body including aiding in blood flow to the brain.

One are to be cautioned about is Origanum‘s stimulating emmenagogue properties – it is therefore not recommended in pregnancy.

 

What is an Elixir?

If you have ever made a cup of tea, you will know that the extraction medium for the medicinal properties of the plants is water. When we make tincture the extraction medium (also known as menstruum) is alcohol. When we make an elixir we are using alcohol and a sweetener (usually honey) as the extraction medium. So in simple terms, it is a sweetened tincture.

Elixirs are a really nice alternative for medicines that are not super tasty. The sweetener, while adding it’s own medicinal benefits, does help to improve the taste of less palatable herbs. It also makes getting medicines into children that much easier.

So while thyme and oregano are both very pleasant tasting, in my opinion, my kiddo may think otherwise. Plus they both have some heat to them and the honey will help.

Please note that real maple syrup is another great sweetener option. It is more expensive than honey, but for folks who can’t have or are avoiding honey, it will work quite nicely. Personally, I prefer maple syrup with my elderberry elixirs because the flavour is just so yummy.

 

 

How to Make a Thyme Oregano Elixir

What You’ll Need

• Herbs – thyme and oregano (see below for more specific measurements)
  • either fresh or dried can be used, but fresh is the preference if you have it
• a jar – either 250ml or 500ml
• vodka or brandy
• honey or maple syrup

Harvesting Herbs

Before you harvest your herbs (or measure out your dried herbs), you will need to decide if you plant to be…

• more scientific in your approach
• follow a more folk-based method

If you run a herbal clinic, see clients or sell products, you may want to use a more scientific approach. This will ensure that every batch of elixir is uniform and the same. The measurements for a 5:1 ratio of herb material to alcohol (as I was taught in school) is the following:

Fresh herbs

This measurements are for the thyme and oregano combined. Ideally you will be using equally portions of each, but if you don’t have enough of one of the herbs, just specify those ratios on your label. For example, if you had three times as much oregano to thyme simply write: Oregano: Thyme 3:1 on your jar so you will remember that was your recipe.

• 500 ml – 87 grams
• 250 ml – 43 grams

Dried Herbs

• 500 ml – 63 grams
• 250 ml – 31 grams

If you are making medicines for your family and want to approach this more like our ancestors did, then a folk type method will likely work just fine for you!

• Fresh herbs – loosely fill your jar with the chopped herbs
• Dried herbs – fill your jar approximately halfway with dried herbs

 

The Method

Once you have your herbs harvested, ensure you strip all of the leaves/flowers off the stems. In general stems and stalks are very fibrous and contain very little in the way of medicinal properties. Once you have all of your leaves removed from the stems, measure out your herb material to ensure you have enough.

Chop your herbs well, ensuring that you work safely but quickly. Chopping your herbs does result in some oxidation, so I do suggest that you complete this task in a timely manner. My favourite type of knife for chopping medicinal herbs is a mezzaluna. If you don’t have one yet, I highly recommend them.

Place the herbs in your jar and fill your jar approximately 1/3 of the way with honey or maple syrup. For a 500ml jar I found this was approximately 1/2 a cup of honey.

Using a chopstick or other utensil, stir your honey and herbs around a bit, as you slowly add your alcohol. The honey is very thick and viscous, so you will need to stir a little to ensure it settles.

Continue to add alcohol until your jar is full.

If you are using a jar with a metal lid (like a mason jar), ensure that you use a piece of parchment paper in between your jar and lid. The alcohol in this preparation will cause your lid to rust/corrode which will contaminate your medicines.

Label your jar with

• contents including ratios of herbs used
• date medicine was made

Let your jar sit for at least 8 weeks (3 months if using dried herbs) before pressing your herbs. If you don’t know how to press herbs, check out my blog post on pressing herbs on a budget.

 

Taking Your Elixir

What you have you in front of you is a powerful antimicrobial medicine. In most cases, items like elderberry syrup might be just fine for you. But if you are dealing with a more virulent infection, especially something bacterial which your elderberry syrup or echniacea won’t cover, it’s time to take your Thyme Oregano Elixir.

If you are sick or know you’ve been exposed, you can safely take 3-4 droppers (approximately 1 tsp) of your elixir up to 4 times a day. For children I would half that dose (1-2 droppers or 1/2 tsp).

Please avoid if you have any serious health conditions, acute or chronic, if you are on medications, pregnant or nursing. Consult a qualified herbal practitioner prior.

 

Video Instruction

If you like to watch things as a way or learning, you can find a video on this post here.

May you enjoy a blessed winter and good health!

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