Herbal Recipes: Teas, Syrups, and Salves

An evening ritual

European kitchen garden

Chamomile-Lavender Bedtime Tea

The wind-down cup, built from the two most reached-for calming herbs in the garden.

Gather
- 2 parts dried chamomile flowers
- 1 part dried lavender buds
- Honey, to taste
Make it
1. Combine the dried chamomile and lavender in a jar and store away from light.
2. For one cup, use about a tablespoon of the blend per 8 oz of water just off the boil.
3. Cover and steep for 8–10 minutes, then strain.
4. Sweeten with honey if you like, and drink about half an hour before bed.
Best made in small batches, since the flowers lose fragrance after a few months on the shelf.

Made with Chamomile, Lavender
The medicine-drawer standby

European kitchen garden

Calendula Hand Salve

A simple two-ingredient salve for everyday dry skin and rough winter hands.

Gather
- 1 cup dried calendula petals
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated beeswax
Make it
1. Combine the calendula and oil in a jar; steep 3–4 weeks in a warm, dark spot, shaking occasionally.
2. Strain the oil through cheesecloth, pressing out as much liquid as you can.
3. Warm the strained oil gently and stir in the beeswax until fully melted.
4. Pour into small tins and let set uncovered for a few hours before closing the lids.
In a hurry, the oil can be gently warmed on low heat for 2–3 hours instead of steeping for weeks.

Made with Calendula
The September ritual

European & North American

Elderberry Syrup

A seasonal kitchen staple, bottled every fall when the berries darken.

Gather
- 1 cup dried elderberries (or 2 cups fresh, stems removed)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup honey
Make it
1. Combine the berries and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Cover and simmer gently for 30–45 minutes, until reduced by about half.
3. Mash the softened berries, then strain through a fine cloth, pressing to extract the liquid.
4. Let the liquid cool until just warm, then stir in the honey until dissolved.
5. Bottle and store in the refrigerator; use within a few months.
Elderberries are only used cooked, never raw — this recipe is what the plant entry in the Library refers to.

Made with Elderflower & Elderberry
The garden-shelf tonic

North American home tradition

Herbal Vinegar Tonic

A sharp, pungent vinegar infusion in the old “fire cider” tradition, built from whatever the kitchen garden has on hand.

Gather
- 1/2 cup grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup grated fresh horseradish
- 1 whole bulb garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Apple cider vinegar, to cover
- Honey, to taste, once strained
Make it
1. Pack all the solids into a quart jar, filling it about two-thirds full.
2. Pour in apple cider vinegar to cover everything completely, leaving an inch of headspace.
3. Cap with a non-metal lid (or wax paper under a metal one, since vinegar corrodes metal) and store in a dark cupboard for 3–4 weeks, shaking every few days.
4. Strain well, pressing the solids to extract the liquid, and stir in honey to taste.
5. Bottle and keep in the refrigerator.
Traditionally taken by the spoonful, diluted in warm water, or splashed into a salad dressing.

Made with Rosemary, Ginger
A Korean winter cup

Korea

Korean Ginger-Jujube Tea

Saenggang-daechu-cha: a long-simmered, naturally sweet tea for cold evenings.

Gather
- 10 dried jujubes (red dates), rinsed
- A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 6 cups water
- 1 small cinnamon stick (optional)
- Honey, to taste
- A few pine nuts, to serve (optional)
Make it
1. Slit each jujube with a knife so it releases its sweetness.
2. Put the jujubes, ginger, cinnamon, and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 40 to 60 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about a third and deep amber.
4. Strain, pressing the softened dates. Sweeten with honey and float a few pine nuts on each cup.
Keeps in the fridge for about five days; reheat gently. The simmered dates can be pitted and stirred into porridge.

Made with Ginger, Jujube
The teahouse pot

China

Chrysanthemum & Goji Tea

Ju hua gou qi cha: small golden flowers and red berries that unfurl together in the glass.

Gather
- 6 to 8 dried tea chrysanthemum flowers
- 1 tablespoon dried goji berries
- 2 cups water just off the boil
- 1 or 2 pieces rock sugar (optional)
Make it
1. Put the flowers and goji in a teapot or heatproof glass.
2. Pour on water just off the boil and cover.
3. Steep for 5 minutes, until the flowers open and the tea turns pale gold.
4. Add rock sugar if you like. Top up with hot water two or three times; the flavor holds.
Drunk warm in cool weather and at room temperature in summer. Eat the plumped goji at the end.

Made with Chrysanthemum, Goji
The bedtime glass

India

Haldi Doodh (Turmeric Milk)

Warm golden milk, the Indian household standby for a cough or an achy evening.

Gather
- 1 cup whole milk (or any milk)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, or 1 inch fresh turmeric, grated
- A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of ground ginger, or a thin slice of fresh
- 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey or jaggery
Make it
1. Warm the milk in a small pan over medium heat with the turmeric, pepper, ginger, and cardamom.
2. Bring just to a simmer, whisking, and let it bubble gently for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Take it off the heat and strain if you used fresh roots or whole pods.
4. Let it cool until comfortable to sip, then stir in the honey.
The pepper and the fat in milk both help the body absorb turmeric. It stains, so rinse the pan right away.

Made with Turmeric, Ginger, Cardamom
When a cold comes on

India

Tulsi-Ginger Kadha

A spiced decoction simmered down by half, made in Indian kitchens at the first sniffle.

Gather
- 12 to 15 fresh tulsi leaves (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, crushed
- 5 black peppercorns, crushed
- 2 cloves
- A 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 2 cups water
- Honey or jaggery, to taste
Make it
1. Put everything except the honey into a small pan.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until reduced to roughly 1 cup.
3. Strain into a cup.
4. Cool slightly and stir in honey or jaggery; honey is added only once the kadha is warm, not boiling.
Every family has its own kadha; turmeric, licorice, and lemon are common additions.

Made with Holy Basil (Tulsi), Ginger
The ruby agua fresca

Mexico

Agua de Jamaica

Tart, deep red hibiscus water, poured over ice at every taquería and family table.

Gather
- 1 cup dried jamaica (hibiscus calyces)
- 8 cups water, divided
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
- Juice of 1 lime (optional)
- Ice, to serve
Make it
1. Rinse the jamaica in a strainer.
2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add the jamaica, turn off the heat, and steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Strain into a pitcher, pressing the flowers.
4. Add the remaining 4 cups of cold water, the sugar, and lime juice; stir until dissolved and taste for sweetness.
5. Chill and serve over ice.
Keeps a few days in the fridge. The steeped flowers can be sautéed with onion and chile as a taco filling.

Made with Jamaica (Roselle)
The monsoon harvest

Sonoran borderlands

Prickly Pear Syrup

Magenta syrup from ripe tunas, a late-summer tradition of Sonoran and Arizona kitchens.

Gather
- About 2 pounds ripe prickly pear fruit (12 to 15 tunas)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
Make it
1. With tongs, singe the fruit over a gas flame or scrub it under running water to remove the glochids.
2. Cut the fruit in half, put it in a pot with the water, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until soft; mash well.
3. Strain through a sieve lined with a doubled cloth, then strain again through clean cloth to catch every glochid. You should have about 2 cups of juice.
4. Return the juice to the pot with the sugar and citrus, bring to a boil, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Cool and bottle; keep in the fridge.
Use it on pancakes, in lemonade and iced tea, or in a margarita. Prickly pear jelly and syrup came with Spanish and Anglo settlers; O’odham cooks more often ate the pads.

Made with Prickly Pear
The summer thicket drink

Native North American

Sumac-ade

A cold-steeped, lemony pink drink from staghorn sumac, made across the continent for generations.

Gather
- 6 to 8 ripe red staghorn sumac clusters, gathered after dry weather
- 2 quarts cool water
- Maple syrup or honey, to taste
Make it
1. Break the clusters into pieces over a large bowl, discarding any stems with bugs or mold.
2. Cover with cool water and rub the berries between your hands for a few minutes to loosen the sour coating.
3. Let it stand 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, until pink and tart. Don’t use hot water, which draws out bitter tannins.
4. Strain through a cloth to catch the fine hairs, then sweeten lightly.
5. Serve chilled.
Credit belongs to the Algonquin, Menominee, Ojibwe, Lakota, and many other nations who steeped sumac for a drink. Make sure the berries are red and upright; poison sumac has white, drooping berries.

Made with Staghorn Sumac
The wartime winter spoon

Britain & North America

Rose Hip Syrup

A tart, fruity syrup from wild hips, the method British families used to replace oranges in wartime.

Gather
- 2 pounds ripe rose hips, stems and flower ends trimmed
- 12 cups water, divided
- About 2 cups sugar
Make it
1. Chop or pulse the hips roughly and drop them straight into 8 cups of boiling water. Bring back to a boil, then remove from the heat and let stand 15 minutes.
2. Pour through a jelly bag or doubled cloth and let it drip.
3. Return the pulp to the pot with the remaining 4 cups water, boil, stand 10 minutes, and strain again.
4. Combine the liquids and strain once more through clean cloth to remove every seed hair.
5. Boil the juice down to about 4 cups, add the sugar, stir to dissolve, and boil 5 minutes. Bottle while hot and refrigerate.
Keeps several weeks in the fridge once opened. Take it by the spoonful, over yogurt, or in hot water as a winter drink.

Made with Wild Rose Hips
A winter pot

Chinese household

Astragalus & Dang Gui Chicken Soup

The simplest of the Chinese tonic soups: astragalus and dang gui in the classic five-to-one ratio, with red dates, ginger, and goji to round out the bitterness.

Gather
- 1 small chicken (about 3 lb), or 2 lb bone-in pieces
- 30 g astragalus slices (a small handful)
- 6 g dang gui (2 or 3 slices)
- 6 dried red jujubes, slit
- 3 thick slices fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon dried goji berries
- 3 quarts water, salt, and a few scallions
Make it
1. Rinse the herbs. Blanch the chicken in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, and rinse off the scum.
2. Put the chicken, astragalus, dang gui, jujubes, and ginger in a large pot with the water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 1½ to 2 hours.
3. Add the goji berries for the last 10 minutes. Lift out the astragalus and dang gui slices.
4. Season with salt, scatter with sliced scallion, and serve the broth with the meat.
Dang gui is left out in pregnancy and by anyone taking blood thinners; skip it and the soup is still a good astragalus broth. Nobody eats the astragalus slices, which stay woody.

Made with Astragalus, Dang Gui, Jujube, Ginger, Goji

Chamomile-Lavender Bedtime Tea

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Make it

Calendula Hand Salve

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Make it

Elderberry Syrup

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Make it

Herbal Vinegar Tonic

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Make it

Korean Ginger-Jujube Tea

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Make it

Chrysanthemum & Goji Tea

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Make it

Haldi Doodh (Turmeric Milk)

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Make it

Tulsi-Ginger Kadha

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Make it

Agua de Jamaica

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Make it

Prickly Pear Syrup

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Sumac-ade

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Rose Hip Syrup

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Make it

Astragalus & Dang Gui Chicken Soup

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