The word oxymel is Greek for acid honey. It's a mixture of vinegar and honey, typically with herbs added for additional medicinal properties. The vinegar in oxymel has been shown to prevent bacteria from growing in the mouth, which could be useful if you're sick or have just had dental work done. This ancient cure-all is still a useful and beneficial way to use herbs like sage and thyme!
What is an oxymel?
An oxymel is a mixture of vinegar and honey. It's used as a tonic for coughs, sore throats and fevers. It can also be used for colds and asthma.
How to make your oxymel
Now that you’ve got the ingredients and tools, you’re ready to make a big batch of your own oxymel.
Here’s how:
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Gather all your supplies and ingredients in one spot. Think about where you want them so that everything can be easily accessible when it’s time to start making the mixture. You don’t want to be searching for something while trying not to spill anything on yourself or your kitchen!
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Combine apple cider vinegar, honey and spices in a pot large enough for boiling water; add some water if needed so that it doesn't boil over (or use a double boiler). Heat over medium heat until the mixture has come to a simmer - this will take approximately 15 minutes depending on how hot your stove gets with this sort of thing! If desired, add some fresh ginger here too if not already included elsewhere as per personal preference
What ingredients are needed?
Oxymel is a sweet syrup that can be made with three simple ingredients: vinegar, honey and water. The vinegar must be raw and unpasteurized to retain its full health benefits, so look for one in your local health food store or online.
Honey can naturally vary in sweetness depending on the type of flower pollen bees picked up while they were out collecting nectar from different flowers; this means that each batch of honey can have a slightly different flavor from another. If you'd like your oxymel to have a specific flavor (like minty or lemony), try using dried herbs as well!
Making the vinegar decoction
Now it's time to make the vinegar decoction. Add 1 cup of any vinegar of your choice to 2 cups of water, heat, and add herbs and spices. Bring it all to a boil, then let simmer until the volume has been reduced by half. Strain out the solids and store in a sealed jar on your countertop (you don't want those microbes getting into your food!).
Making the oxymel syrup
Making an Oxymel
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Gather your ingredients: honey, vinegar, and water. You can use any kind of honey you like; we like to use a local raw wildflower honey. The vinegar should be apple cider vinegar, but white distilled or red wine vinegars are also fine substitutes if you don't have access to ACV at the moment (or just don't like the taste). The water should ideally come from someplace close to where you live; if that's not possible, filtered tap water will do in a pinch.
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Combine all three ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake until mixed well (this can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on how much shaking power you have). Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks after making it!
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Drink 1-2 tablespoons per serving of hot tea or add cold into plain yogurt for an instant pick-me-up snack day after day for better health than ever before!
The finished product
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The finished product is a syrup.
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The syrup is a mixture of honey and vinegar.
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It can be used to treat coughs, colds and sore throats.
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It can also be used to soothe sore gums when brushing your teeth.
Using your homemade oxymel
You can use your homemade oxymel as a mouthwash, gargle, cough syrup and sore throat remedy.
To use the oxymel as a mouthwash: Add ½ teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm water. Swish for 30 seconds and then spit out. This is also good for loosening up thick mucus in your throat.
To use the oxymel as a gargle: Add 1–2 teaspoons honey to 1 cup of warm water and gargle with this mixture frequently throughout the day while you are sick or just at night before bed if you want to sleep better!
To use the oxymel as a cough syrup: Mix equal parts vinegar and honey together until they combine into one substance (about 1 tablespoon of each). Take ½–1 teaspoon every few hours until your cough goes away; then cut back down on frequency but continue taking it until all symptoms disappear completely!
This ancient cure-all is still a useful and beneficial way to use herbs.
Oxymel is an ancient recipe with many uses. It’s a mixture of vinegar and honey, and it was traditionally used as an antibiotic or antiseptic to cure everything from sore throats to indigestion. The combination of honey and vinegar appears in the medical literature as far back as the 7th century CE.
The name comes from the Greek words oxys (acid) and meli (honey). In ancient times, oxymel was made by boiling down wine until it turned into vinegar, then adding raw honey to it until it reached the desired consistency—usually somewhere between a syrup and a thick liquid. Today's oxymels are usually just mixed together at room temperature for immediate use instead of being cooked down first like in olden times!
We hope you enjoyed this guide, and that you will try making your own oxymel. It is a great way to use herbs that are growing in your garden, or even ones you might have at home already. We recommend starting with the more common ingredients first like honey or vinegar. Once you become familiar with making an Oxymel, you can branch out into other herbs in your medicinal herbs and flowers seed kit like lemon balm, thyme, oregano or sage, which will all be very effective!
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