Ginger-Honey Cough Drops

Ingredients:
•    1 Ginger Root
•    1 Cinnamon Stick
•    11/2 C Water
•    11/2 C Sugar
•    1/2  C Honey
•    2 T Lemon Juice
•    1/2 t Lemon zest
•    1/4  C Powdered Slippery Elm Root or Powdered Sugar  (for dusting)
•    1/8 C ground Slippery Elm Root (optional)
•    1/8  C ground Horehound (optional)
•    3 T ground Willow Bark (optional)
•    1/2 t Horehound Flavoring (optional)

Directions:

  1. Start by peeling the ginger with a paring knife or vegetable peeler then cut the ginger into very thin slices using a paring knife.
  2. Use a micro plane to get at least 1/2 t of lemon zest
  3. Squeeze the lemon to get 1 t of lemon juice.
    Note: Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and is commonly used in cough remedies as an effective antihistamine and chest decongestant.
  4. Place the ginger slices, a cinnamon stick, and 1 1/2 cups of water into a saucepan. Bring this to a boil over high heat. (Place the Slippery Elm, Horehound and Willow Bark into the pot also if it is being used)
  5. Reduce heat and simmer the mixture for at least 10 minutes (longer will make the cough drops stronger).
  6. Strain the liquid to remove the cinnamon stick, ginger and any Slippery Elm, Horehound and Willow Bark if they are used.
  7. 1  1/2 C of sugar and 1/2 C honey. Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Note: Honey has been studied in clinical trials. It has been proven to be as effective as cough syrup in suppressing coughs
  8. Return pot to low heat and place a candy thermometer into the mixture in the saucepan and stop stirring
  9. Closely monitor the temperature gently stirring occasionally until the temperature of the liquid reaches 305 F
    Note: The temperatures tends to rise quickly after the mixtures reaches 270 F.
  10. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and Horehound Flavoring to the hot liquid and stir.
  11. To make the actual cough drops you have several options
  12. Use a small candy mold – Grease candy your candy mold and pour the hot mixture into the molds.  Let cool for 1 hour, place in freeze for 15 minutes, then then remove the cough drops from the mold
  13. Use a cookie sheet with wax paper of non-stick aluminum foils and pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet.  Pour it thin.  When the mixture begins to set up in about 15 minutes take a pizza cutter or knife and score the mixture to make small “cough drop squares”
  14. Use a spoon to drip the mixture onto wax paper or non-stick aluminum foil.  Do this quickly since the mixture will tend to start solidifying fairly fast.
  15. Put the cough drops in a lidded jar with 1/4 C of Powdered Slippery Elm Root or Powdered sugar, or dust them individually to prevent the individual cough drops from sticking together.

    adapted from www.wikihow.com