How to Make your own Delicious Immune Boosting Raw Honey Elixir with Lemon, Ginger & Turmeric

A spoonful of Lemon, Ginger, Turmeric, Honey Elixir makes the medicine down in the most delicious way!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE knowing how to make my own home remedies and potions! That is actually how I got started on this business, just playing around in the kitchen with herbs, spices and raw honey. This elixir here is really easy to make and easy to tailor to your tastes and uses.

I've always been interested in natural remedies and making my own plant medicines. I loved learning these things from a very young age. I thank my back-to-the-land parents for instilling these values and nurturing this knowledge in me! I love recipes like this one because they are simple to make, have many uses and taking them is easy and enjoyable! They can also be made with ingredients that are easy to find, commonly found in our homes and when but put together in this way, they become health tonics.

Honey Elixirs are really perfect for children too! (be aware, honey is not advised for children under 1 year of age). Though very medicinal, this elixir is gentle and safe for most folks to use. Please note, I am not a trained herbalist or naturopath so make sure you do your own research when taking medicines, particularly if you have a preexisting condition.

Simple Ingredients:

Raw Unfiltered Clover Honey (find it here in our store)
Organic Meyer Lemons
Fresh Organic Ginger Root
Fresh Organic Turmeric Root
Organic Star Anise Pods, Cinnamon Sticks, Cardamom Seed (optional)

Raw Honey is an amazing natural remedy with many health benefits including for, digestion, heart health, immune function, skin, calming coughs and soothing sore throats. It has also been found to be full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. In order to get these benefits from honey you always want to use Raw Honey (Unfiltered when possible) because honey when it is raw and unfiltered is the most intact and maintains the beneficial properties naturally occurring in this incredible nectar from the bees.

Ginger Root has been found to have many health benefits including aiding in digestion, soothing sore throats, nausea, stress, inflammation, mood enhancement, increased circulation and much more.

Turmeric Root is another incredibly beneficial food and has been found to reduce inflammation, increase heart health and immunity as well as help with depression and is full of antioxidants. This is just naming a few of the many benefits found in Turmeric Root.

Lemons are a good source of Vitamin C and Antioxidants. It is also known to be a digestive aid and helps increase hydration, lower blood pressure, strengthen the bronchial system and boost the immune system.

Star Anise, Cardamom, Black Pepper & Cinnamon can all be added to this recipe for addition flavor and benefits. I added Star Anise to this batch particularly for the flavor of it but it also has been found to have many health benefits such as boosting the immune system, being antibacterial and anti-viral. It also supports respiratory health, relieves pain and inflammation, aids sleep and much more. Nature really is incredible!

How To Make It:

You can make your home health elixir to your particular tastes. The ratios of each ingredient can be adapted to your preferences or what you have on hand.
I used Myer Lemons because I love their flavor, juiciness and the taste in the rind which has very little bitterness to it. Always use organic when possible! I washed and thinly sliced four medium lemons with the peel and all.
After washing the organic ginger and turmeric root (pat them dry to avoid adding more water to the mix) I peeled the ginger root because the skin was thick and a little tough but if it is a young ginger with tender skin, you can leave it on. I thinly sliced a lot of ginger! Im a big ginger lover and wanted a good ginger kick in my elixir. I did not peel the turmeric root because I could tell it was fresh and the peel was tender. Like many things, the peels have vitamins and minerals that benefit our health as well so it is nice to leave them on when you can.
After slicing lemon, ginger and turmeric root, I put them into a 24oz mason jar and added one whole Star Anise pod.
I used one of our 1 lb/16 oz jars of our Raw Unfiltered Clover Honey but I also like to make this using our Virgin Clover Honey which hasn't been heated above 95 degrees. Either honey is good. If you use the Virgin clover you will have to add it in stages as it will take longer to filter down to the bottom of the jar due to its crystalline form. To soften the honey you can put it in a sunny window or a warm corner of the house.
Fill the jar to the top covering the lemon, ginger and turmeric.
Let sit then shake. Honey is Hygroscopic, which means it pulls moisture from around itself (it will even pull moisture out of the air if you leave the lid off of your honey). Let the sit for an hour or so while the honey pulls the juices from the lemons and roots, making it more liquid, then return to give it a little shake.
Let it sit on the counter at room temperature for 5 days to two weeks. It will become more liquid as it sits and the honey pulls the moisture from the lemon, ginger and turmeric.
Shake & Burp it daily! This is a fermentation so be sure to open the jar daily to release the natural gases that occur from healthy fermentation. Also shake it to mix the honey and other ingredients.
It will get tastier over time. Honey is shelf stable but once you add moisture it can turn go bad in the warmth so best to keep it in the refrigerator one it reaches a level of fermentation and flavor that you like. It is difficult for me to tell you exactly how many days this will take. I have left mine on the counter for 6 week while I used it up and it was fine. But it can go "off" so keeping it in the refrigerator is going to be the most stabilizing way to preserve it over time. It can be kept for months and months.

Uses:

Eat it or take it like medicine as needed or desired.

By the spoonful for sore throats, coughs, immune support, daily health tonic
Put a tablespoon or so in a cup adding ginger, turmeric and lemon to the cup of warm (not boiling so you don't kill the beneficial properties) water for a tasty drink to sooth tummy, throat, head or chest. It is also just delicious!
Add it to a warm herbal tea you love.
In a glass of water to sip on through the day (add a pinch of mineral salt for an electrolyte drink)
In water with Raw Apple Cider Vinegar as a health tonic (look into health benefits of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar!)
Take a spoonful before a meal to aid in digestion.
Over ice cream because, why not?!!
Pull out pieces of Turmeric, Ginger and Lemon to curb your sweet tooth with something good for you.

Variations:

The Honey, Lemon, Ginger and Turmeric are a good base and great starting point. If you wish to add more to it for an even more medicinal tonic there are a lot of possibilities. Some ideas are: black peppercorns, nutmeg, coriander seed, fennel seed, licorice root, hot peppers such as cayenne or jalapeños (fresh or dried), garlic and onion.

I love sharing these simple recipes and I hope you get inspired to experiment in your kitchen. We always love to hear from you about your experience so feel free to share with us or reach out if you have questions!