Herbal Cough Drops

Natural Relief for Cough

Homemade cough drops offer a simple, natural way to soothe a scratchy throat using ingredients that have been trusted for generations. Honey is used as the base not only for its rich, golden sweetness, but also for its natural ability to coat and calm the throat. It’s often used in traditional remedies for its soothing and humectant properties, helping to keep the throat moist and comfortable while offering a touch of sweetness that balances the warmth of the spices.

Herbal Allies to Soothe the Throat and Tame Coughs

Ginger brings a gentle heat and brightness that helps open the senses and provides a feeling of warmth from within. Freshly grated, it adds both depth of flavor and natural wellness benefits, long appreciated for supporting circulation and respiratory comfort. Cloves, with their distinct numbing quality, are another herbal favorite, as they help take the edge off throat irritation while infusing a subtle, spicy aroma that feels grounding and restorative.

Cinnamon ties everything together with its sweet, earthy warmth. Known for its comforting scent and soothing nature, it’s often used in seasonal blends to calm and balance. When combined, honey, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon create a naturally harmonious mix that comforts, revives, and brings a sense of cozy wellness to the colder months, a reminder that simple, time-tested ingredients can often be the most nurturing.

How to Make Homemade Honey Cough Drops

This recipe is super simple and only needs a couple of ingredients.

Prep the Baking Sheet: Start by prepping a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. You will need that to put the hot honey and spices on when they are done cooking. It happens fast, so you are going to want to prep this beforehand. 

Grate the Ginger: Next, grate a good chunk of some fresh ginger. Powdered ginger also works if that's all you have. Grab your cinnamon, cloves, honey, and candy thermometer so you have them to hand. 

Cook Everything Together: In a small saucepan, add honey, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves and stir everything together. Turn the heat to medium-low and allow this to slowly heat. It will start to boil pretty fast and then will continue to increase in temperature slow and steady. Once it gets to 300 degrees, take it off the heat because it has reached the hard crack stage.

 

Form your Cough Drops: Spoon the honey onto the parchment paper and allow it to cool. At this point, sprinkle the honey dollops with a little bit more cinnamon and cloves. Once it has cooled down enough to touch, but still malleable, roll the honey into balls and set back on the parchment paper. If you wait too long they will become completely brittle, but that is also ok and they can still be used!

 

 

Wrap it Up!: With squares of parchment paper, wrap the cough drops individually so they won't stick to each other and store somewhere for the next time you need an immune boost! 

 

Recipe: Herbal Cough Drops

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup honey
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tsp ground cloves 

Instructions: 

Add honey, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon to a saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Allow this to heat up until it reaches 300 degrees, stirring periodically and using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature. Once it has reached 300 degrees, spoon the honey onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the honey dollops with more cinnamon and cloves. While the honey is still malleable, roll each dollop into a ball and wrap with parchment paper. Enjoy!

*This article is intended for informational purposes. The statements above have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.