Home made cough syrup can be made using the lowly ribwort, a much maligned weed from your lawn. I just went through a bad case of cold, and while looking for home remedies I found this recipe on Klostersuppe mit Haube. Since I have ribwort growing in abundance on my lawn, it wasn't hard to gather the necessary amount, which I did, the syrup then I prepared, tested, and I can report to you that it worked quite nicely. :)
So now I am going to share with you the recipe in good old English:
½ - ¾ lb ribwort leaves
3 cups water
1 thick slice of a lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ lb brown rock candy
2 lb sugar (or honey)
Wash well the leaves and chop them up roughly. In a pot bring the water, lemon, lemon juice and and the rock candy to a boil, add the chopped leaves and then let it simmer on the lowest possible heat for 20-30 minutes. Now sieve it through a cheese cloth lined sieve, pressing out the juices thoroughly. Add the sugar to this liquid and let it simmer for about an hour, until it becomes thicker, more syrupy. Pour this syrup into prepared bottles and keep it in a dark cupboard until needed.
