Earth Friendly Goodies If it's Good for the Earth it's Good for Your Health After scoring a great deal on some raw wildflower honey, I decided it was time to try my hand at making Medicinal Honey by combining it with fresh ginger root and rosehips. Although I have adapted this recipe to suit my preferences, I was originally inspired after reading about how to make medicinal honey in Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen. Making Medicinal Ginger Rosehips Honey is pretty simple and my recipe only requires 3 ingredients:
Medicinal Honey Ingredients:
- Raw Wildflower Honey
- Raw Ginger
- Organic dried Rosehips (which is the protective covering around rose seeds)
*It will also be helpful to have a fine mesh strainer (I prefer stainless steel) to strain the rosehips.
You are free to alter the proportions, but I took about 1/3 cup of rosehips and covered with water in a mason jar which I let sit at room temperature for about an hour and shook vigorously a couple times.
Some medicinal honey recipes call for simmering the rosehips for 20 minutes, however, because rosehips are such a great source of vitamin C, I didn’t want to destroy the health benefits of rosehips with heat, so I just let it soak a longer period of time at room temperature. Then I gently strained out the rosehips, getting as much of the syrupy rosehip concentrate as I could, which amounted to about 1/4th cup worth. The rosehip concentrate has pleasant berry-apple-rose flavor which is quite pleasant sweetened with honey.
Next, I pealed a medium sized ginger root and cut it into thin slices.
In a pint size mason jar, I combined my raw wildflower honey, added the ginger root slices, and stirred in the rosehip concentrate blending it all together with a fork.
That’s it! Easy as pie! I put a lid on the jar, made a quick label with the date, list of ingredients, and a couple of health benefits of medicinal honey, and then put it in the fridge. It should keep for a couple months or longer but is unlikely to last that long.
A spoonful at a time either by itself or mixed into tea and other beverages is a healthful tasty way to enjoy your medicinal honey.
Healing Properties of Medicinal Honey
The health benefits of ginger are pretty awesome. It is an excellent remedy for nausea and can aid in the digestion of proteins and fats. A warm and stimulating circulatory tonic, ginger will help prevent clotting, and is beneficial for the heart. However, ginger should be avoided if you have a peptic ulcer.
Rosehips are a great source of vitamin C making them an excellent immune system enhancer, good for the respiratory system and connective tissues.
One warning about rosehips though : the little hairs on the rosehip seeds are an itchy irritant which you do not want to swallow. This is one of the reasons I strained out the rosehips before adding the rosehip concentrate to the honey. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Interesting share Sandra.
Ginger and honey has great health benefits and i use it as a remedy for cough . It works really well for me. Would also try Rosehips as they are immune enhancers.
That’s a good idea! I love how it looks like.Can’t wait to try this at home this medicinal honey because of its benefits of the ingredients.
Hi Sandra,
I have heard a lot about the medicinal properties of both ginger and honey. Preparing the medicinal honey seems to quite easy. Thanks for sharing the information and the recipe. Much appreciated.
This looks like the perfect sore throat remedy. I feel better just looking at it, can’t wait to go out and make my own!
Thanks for the healthy share. I am sure this would help many including myself because I prefer natural and herbal medicines for myself and my family.
My grandmother used to stocky up on herbs when she was still alive, and those herbs make up most of the contents of her medicine cabinet; which I also found useful whenever I get to visit her. Okay, ginger for sore throat, rosehips for blemishes, and honey for smooth, moisturized skin. Even if the three ingredients vary in use, they still make a great concoction for little pains and sores.
Rosehips for blemishes, I wonder if that is because of the Vitamin C content? Thanks for reading Stacey, we can learn so much from our Grandmother’s herbal wisdom… if we are paying attention.
I imagine the home-made medicinal concoction smells really sweet. Peptic ulcer is common among households everywhere and this alternative modality can really help in soothing gastric pangs.
At first the article sounded like some concoction for Wiccan ceremonies, but it’s something more. You can find rosehips, ginger and even honey in your kitchen. If you don’t use rosehips for cooking, then search your backyard. Thank you very much for this recipe.
I’m not very familiar with the health effects of honey but after reading your article, i find myself enlightened. One of my friends often give me honey and I just use it to make my grilled meat more delicious. Thanks for the great information.
This DIY honey recipe is a must try. But I’ll also add my personal tweaks to it. Have you ever considered garlic? It has a lot of antibacterial properties and it’s also proven as an antihypertensive.
I would love to try this with garlic. At a small food coop once, I tried a homemade tincture of something-I think it was called fireside honey–but it was a delicious mixture of garlic, raw vinegar, cayenne, honey, and several other ingredients. There is much room for experimentation!
Aside from honey having a lot of medicinal benefits, the ginger you added is also a great cure for sore throat and tonsilitis. It lessens to strain on your throat. My doctor used to prescribe this to me instead of giving me medicine.
Thanks for reading, Calra! It sounds like you were lucky to have a good doctor, open to prescribing food cures instead of always medicating you with the latest pharmaceuticals. When someone gets sick around here, we also like to make homemade ginger ale with raw honey and fresh ginger. It is a much requested favorite in times of health too!
I can imagine the smell of that concoction. Sweet, spicy, with a hint of flowery fragrance, Smells like early fall to me. I must check out my grandmother’s preservation room if she has this sweet stuff.
Very valuable article. And the good thing is that the ingredients are easy to find. Ginger and honey are staples in my ref so it shouldn’t be difficult to try this one out. Thanks for sharing Sandra.
Hi
I like a hot honey drink. Have never added anything to it though. Will definatly have an experiment with some ginger and see what I think. Not 100% convinced yet.
Will come back and let you know what I thought .great stuff lee
This looks like a great one to have on hand for cold or sore throat– definitely saving this recipe.
Honey is good as your post. Many cosmetics companies use raw honey in many different product uses from skin moisturizers to bar soaps and lip balms. Raw honey is a healthy, natural ingredient. Increasingly, consumers are favoring cosmetic products with natural connotations. Honey helps retain moisture (it is called a humectant), plus it has antimicrobial properties which helps in healing sore throats and other common ailments. Thank you Sandra Long.
I’m definitely going to try this. I am a fan of natural remedies instead of medication, but often don’t know where to find the. I’m saving this one!! Thanks!