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Honey and Herbs: Bringing Sweetness And Creativity Into The Kitchen
By Sarah Head |
 Longevity Electuary |
 Elderberry Elixir |
Electuaries
Electuaries are medicines made with honey or jam, sometimes made into a paste first. Ancient healers, such as Avicenna and Galen used honey as a medium for delivering potentially unpalatable herbs. The electuaries could be very complex mixtures. Galen’s Theriac electuary was made from a combination of sixty-four ingredients while the ancient Ayuvedic tonic, Chyawanprash, contains up to eighty.Here are two different electuary recipes from Kiva Rose Hardin, who practices in New Mexico and offers international distance learning opportunities.
 Nettle Seed 
Wild Rose |
Winter Cherry Nourishing Electuary |
Kiva Rose gives the method of making these electuaries as, “Basically, just mix your finely powdered dried herbs together in the desired proportion. Then, add enough slightly warmed honey (just warm enough to flow, not hot) to create a thick paste. Stir well, to make sure all powder is integrated. Check your texture and adjust as necessary, I like mine to be thick enough to roll into little balls but soft enough to be pliable. Using a mucilaginous powder as a primary part of your powders will help it all stick together better and will add a soothing, healing quality to the preparation. An electuary can be used right away, but I prefer to give mine a couple weeks to age and mellow a bit.”
Spiced Electuary
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes,
1 tsp whole cloves,
2 tsp coriander seeds,
2 tsp dried ginger root,
2 tsp whole black peppercorns,
2 tsp fennel seeds,
2 tsp nutmeg powder,
3 tsp cardamom seeds,
3 tsp whole allspice berries,
3 whole star anise,
3 tblsps cinnamon chips
Grind all spices together in a mortar and pestle (or electric coffee grinder if you have one) until quite finely powdered. Stir into 2 cups of honey and simmer together over a the lowest heat possible double boiler for at least a day, preferably longer, but stirring often. Strain warm honey through a medium fine sieve. This will assure that you remove all the tooth-breaking hard parts, but still allow the powered bits to pass through. The finished electuary should be rich, dark and nearly paste-like in consistency. Store in a clean jar and cap tightly.
It doesn’t have to be winter to make an electuary. Ananda Wilson posted this recipe for a longevity electuary in the summer. It is based on Ayuvedic principles.
Longevity Electuary
In an 8 oz jar, add:
3 tsp Ashwagandha and or Shatawari powder
3 tsp Spirulina powder
3 tsp Slippery Elm or Mallow powder
2 tsp Siberian Ginseng (Eluthero) powder
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Cover almost full with good local, raw honey
Add 1 tsp of Rose hydrosol or Rose elixir. Dried Elderberry powder is optional as well!
Slowly, to avoid the infamous "cloud poof", stir with a spoon until all the powders are smoothed into the honey. Label and store. Refrigeration isn't necessary.
The longevity electuary is intended to be used daily, eaten by the spoonful, used on toast, stirred in warm milk with ghee, or in yogurt or smoothies. Ananda said, “These herbs will provide you with stamina, clarity, physical and mental energy, good digestion, and strong mucous membranes. It is also a notorious aphrodisiac.”
Oxymels
The combination of infused cider vinegar and honey is often known as an oxymel. The practice originated in the Middle East and was brought to England following the Crusades when the medicines of Avicenna were widely used. Knights and their ladies would be offered hot oxymels when they broke their fast as a stimulating way to start the day.Elixirs
Honey can also be combined with brandy to provide my favourite herbal medium – the elixir. The elixir is basically a honeyed tincture made with brandy which is becoming increasingly popular amongst US herbalists, mainly thanks to the encouragement of Kiva Rose Hardin.Kiva Rose says that she likes elixirs because:-
• The sweet taste brings out the aromatic flavors and heart healing properties of many herbs.
• Honey actually adds to how well the herbs are preserved and increases the shelf-life of the tincture.
• Unlike most sweet medicines, it can be used in very small doses, thanks to the particular combo of honey and alcohol. This keeps it from having much of a blood sugar impact.
• Because it helps to bring out the flavor and aroma of many herbs, the herb’s nervine effects are enhanced, often in a significant way.
• They’re also extremely simple and intuitive to make.
Making elixirs is fun. Whereas with tinctures, you always make single herb extractions and then combine the extracts; with elixirs, you gather a variety of herbs and combine them all with equal parts of honey and brandy. The dose is 15 drops or 1/2tsp/30 drops every 2-3 hours.
Elderberry Elixir (based on Kiva Rose’s recipe)
2 Pint Jar
1/2 ounce of dried elderberries (2oz fresh approx to fill half the jar)
1 cinnamon stick,
1oz root ginger peeled, sliced and chopped
Large handful of fresh or dried rosehips
Chopped peel of half a large orange
appr. 1 pint brandy
˝-1lb honey
Place the herbs in the jar, cover with honey and mix well. Add brandy until the jar is full and mix well again. Leave to macerate for 4-6 weeks.
During 2009 I created five different elixirs:
Respiratory: Flowering thyme, purple sage leaves and fennel
Uplifting: St Johns wort flowers, rose petals, lemon balm leaves, violet leaves, alpine strawberry leaves, heartease aerial parts.
Fever: Red bergamot leaves and flowers, marigold flowers, flowering thyme
Colds/coughs: Peppermint, flowering thyme, sage leaves (purple & green), yarrow leaves, rose petals, self-heal.
Digestive: Fennel seeds and ginger root
Honey is a very special product. Whether used as a sweetening agent or medium to extract herbal properties, it offers an opportunity to nourish our bodies and bring a smile to our faces. It encourages us to be creative and enjoy our medicines and tonics. Life without honey would be an infinitely poorer place.
References
Wilson, A - Longevity ElectuaryHess, S - Entertaining The Electuary
Sarah Head is a member of The Herb Society and a regular contributor to our forum and website. She offers training on coping with bereavement to professionals all over the country. And also runs herb workshops and grows over 100 herbs in two gardens in Solihull and the Cotswolds.
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