Croaking Toad Cough + Sore Throat Elixir
Do you wake up wondering if you might be in a pond with all of the croaking sounds you're making with the uncomfortable predicament of a cough and sore throat? Fortunately, our dark green elixir is a soothing blend of healthful herbs to tame the darndest of toads!
SAGE Salvia officinalis : The Latin binomial for Sage is derived from the word "Salvus" meaning "healthy" which is quite telling!
CHLORELLA Chlorella vulgaris : A sassy seagreen that is not only full of vitamins and minerals, but lends a nice green tinge to our elixir which I quite like.
ELECAMPANE Inula helenium : A common name for Elecampane is "Elfwort" and let us reassure you that the Elves know a thing or two about coughs and sore throats (as they can often be the source of sickness cavorting through our dreams, shooting elfshots, and tying knots in our immune system and hair).
MARSHMALLOW ROOT Althaea officinalis : Marshmallow root is mucilaginous which is a very good property to have as part of a soothing elixir.
LICORICE ROOT Glycyrrhiza glabra : A harmonizing resolution to our entire blend.
RAW LOCAL HONEY: Raw Honey is a golden treasure of wellness. Full of vitamins, minerals and living enzymes, Honey is a perfect medium to carry the medicinal powers of our Cough + Sore Throat Elixir.
RAW APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: Alkalinizing vinegar is chock full of vitamins and minerals rounds out our Cough + Sort Throat Care Elixir in healing qualities and taste. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar helps to bring the body back into balance while providing essential nutrients.
Begin by combining the following dried herbs:
- 1 part Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
- 1 part Marshmallow Root (Althea officinalis)
- 1 part Elecampane Root (Inula helenium)
- 1/2 part Sage Leaf (Salvia officinalis)
- 1/4 part Chlorella Powder (Chlorella vulgaris)
Place them all in a glass jar with a tight sealing lid. Since we are using raw apple cider vinegar as our menstruum, you might choose to use a plastic lid or place wax paper between the metal lid and the blend to prevent corrosion. Cover your herbs with (preferably local) raw apple cider vinegar so that there is roughly 3/4 inch of the vinegar floating above or below the herbs. You can see an illustration and read more details about herbal extraction over here. Let your blend brew for a few weeks - I typically brew all of my extracts for one cycle of the Moon.
Once ready, strain the herbs from the vinegar. Respectfully dispose of the herbal remains, adding them to compost, burying them, or in some way giving their contribution honor. Now it is time to mix local raw honey with your herbal vinegar. My weight ratio for the vinegar to honey was 1 part vinegar to 6 parts honey. That may seem like a lot of honey, but because I was weighing the ingredients and honey weights much more than vinegar it is far more balanced than the numbers suppose. Basically, add honey to taste. If you want a sweeter elixir or oxymel, that is less herbally potent, add more honey. For a more herbally potent elixir or oxymel, add less honey. Stir together the honey and vinegar until they dissolve into one another in a loving embrace of healing wellness. Bottle and store in a cool dark place. I store mine in the refrigerator since I tend to live in warmer climates and I want my elixirs to last for a long time.
A dose of 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon is recommended up to 3 times daily during times of cough + sore throat. You'll want to refrigerate your Croaking Toad Elixir after opening and typically use within 6 - 12 months, though some elixirs have lasted quite longer with proper storage.
I hope you enjoy your Croaking Toad Elixir! Many a Worts + Cunning remedy-enjoyer has claimed that Croaking Toad has worked wonders where others remedies have failed. I was just happy to get to call something Croaking Toad inspired by folklore regarding toads and sore throats and a very memorable scene from the original Wicker Man movie...
