An electuary is a powdered herb mixed with honey (preferably raw) into a pasty mass suitable for oral administration.
Because electuaries are simple herbal remedies, you can make them at home in just a few minutes and can be helpful during cold and flu season.
You can create an excellent natural remedy with dried herbs and honey in the composition. They are considered shelves stable.
- If you want its texture to be more like syrup, add fewer herbs in proportion to honey.
- If you like thick pastes that can even be rolled into pills or lozenges, add more herbs in proportion to honey.
Honey has low moisture content and natural antibacterial properties that give it an almost-indefinite shelf life. It has been used as a preservative for many years.
Make an Herbal Electuary
Electuaries are very versatile and almost impossible to mess up. So, if you are new in preparing natural remedies, they are an excellent place to start.
Let me give you an idea of how to proceed:
Ingredients:
- Powdered herb- If you don’t have powdered herbs, just put your dried herbs through a blender until powdered. The thinner the powder, the smoother the electuary will be.
- High quality honey for example manuka. Usual honey is good too.
Directions:
- Place the dried, powdered herbs in a bowl.
- Add just enough honey to make a paste (you decide how much thicker you want it to be).
- Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and use as needed.
You can take a spoonful a day, depending on the electuary and how much of the herb you need to consume. For specific ailments, you can take it more often as needed to speed recovery.
Types of Electuaries
You can customize your herbal electuaries in infinite ways based on your family’s needs. You can add a single herb or a blend and you can use it for a specific purpose or just general health.
These are some electuaries that I recommend:
Golden Milk Electuary– to speed recovery from illness use:
- Mix a tbsp. of Turmeric tea into a cup of warmed water or coconut milk for instant turmeric tea.
- You can use equal parts of dried Turmeric root and cinnamon powder.
- Add dried ginger powder and cayenne pepper to taste.
- Mix with honey to make a paste.
It is great by the spoonful or in tea.
Sore Throat Electuary
- Mix equal parts of 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.
Pregnancy Electuary
- Mix about ¼ cup of powdered raspberry leaf with 1 tablespoon each of powdered alfalfa and nettle and add honey to make a paste.
Chamomile Electuary– to promote relaxation before bed use:
- Mix powdered chamomile with honey.
- Add a tiny pinch of sea salt.
Ginger-Mint Electuary
- Mix equal parts of peppermint leaf and dried ginger with honey to make a thick peanut butter consistency.
You can give this to your kids for tummy aches. When needed, give this by the spoonful.
Vitamin C Electuary
- Mix equal parts of powdered camu-camu, rose hips and hibiscus to make a powder rich in Vitamin C.
- Add just enough honey to make a very thick paste.
- It can be eaten by the spoonful or formed into little pills or lozenges.
Echinacea Electuary
- Mix powdered Echinacea root with honey to make a thick paste and use as needed.
It is the easiest way to take Echinacea (which can have a pungent taste).
Attention: Adults and older children can easily digest honey, but don’t give it to children under 1 year old. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum and babies don’t have the ability to properly digest it.
Check with a doctor before using any electuary especially if you have a medical condition or you are pregnant or nursing. Herbs can be very beneficial but also have the potential to be very powerful.
Have you ever tried to make an electuary? What were the results? Share your thoughts in the comment section bellow.