Homemade cough syrup

[DCP]

Homemade cough syrup

Anyone have a receipe that works

Thanks

[Chihuahua Floyd]

This was realy proscribed by a Dr. for my little girl many yearsa go.
1 part honey
1 part lemon juice
1 part really cheap burbon.

for a twoyear old one spoonful will do it. for me, I just swig from the bottle. Dr. told us that the really cheap burbon has an oil, left from the manufacturing that is the key ingredient. Decent burbon carbon filters this oil out,so only cheap, non-charcoal or carbon filtered burbon will work.
I thinkthe pint I bought that afternoon cost $2.95, and twenty years later it still ain't empty.
CF

[Boerrancher]

That is pretty much what Grandma always use to make, except she would use a good grade of corn whiskey. A couple of table spoons as needed and in a day or two I was as good as new. Also if you have the Mullen plant growing near buy you can dry the leaves and brew a tea in your auto drip coffee maker just like you would coffee. Sweeten it with honey and drink up. It is a natural expectorant and bronchial dilator that will break up any chest congestion you may have. As a kid growing up with Asthma I drank quite a bit of Mullen tea when I would have an attack, it does work.

Best wishes,

Joe

[BDJ]

Horhound cough syrup and drops
Make it every Late summer/early fall. The horhound grows wild in the fence row behind the garden. My buddy has bee hives so I use honey in almost everything. He needs cast 255gr. .45 bullets, I need dark honey, works out great.
http://www.localharvest.org/blog/12447/entry/homemade_herbal_cough_drops_and

[km101]

This was realy proscribed by a Dr. for my little girl many yearsa go.
1 part honey
1 part lemon juice
1 part really cheap burbon.

for a twoyear old one spoonful will do it. for me, I just swig from the bottle. Dr. told us that the really cheap burbon has an oil, left from the manufacturing that is the key ingredient. Decent burbon carbon filters this oil out,so only cheap, non-charcoal or carbon filtered burbon will work.
I thinkthe pint I bought that afternoon cost $2.95, and twenty years later it still ain't empty.
CF


This is a time tested recipe! And it really works! The alcohol and lemon juice help to dissolve phlegm and the honey makes is palatable to the young 'uns.

If I am making it for me I just skip the first two ingedients and take an extra-large dose! Repeat as necessary. :)

[blademasterii]

Take one large cup, add whiskey. Repeat as necessary.

[BruceB]

You guys are driving me nuts.

Just about one year ago, my heart surgeon had some post-operation words of advice for me(no joke)....

He said, in just so many words: "You drink, you DIE."

As a result, I haven't had even a single beer since January 2012.

(wistfully)

[imashooter2]

This is a time tested recipe! And it really works! The alcohol and lemon juice help to dissolve phlegm and the honey makes is palatable to the young 'uns.

If I am making it for me I just skip the first two ingedients and take an extra-large dose! Repeat as necessary. :)

Beat me to it. :)


You guys are driving me nuts.

Just about one year ago, my heart surgeon had some post-operation words of advice for me(no joke)....

He said, in just so many words: "You drink, you DIE."

As a result, I haven't had even a single beer since January 2012.

(wistfully)

That ain't livin' my friend. :( I'm curious as to what his medical explanation was as to why the occasional drink would kill you?

[41 mag fan]

As a result, I haven't had even a single beer since January 2012.

(wistfully)

Nothing wrong with that Bruce. Healths more important than drinking a beer

[Lloyd Smale]

drop 4 oxycodone in a pbr!

[Dale in Louisiana]

The old folks (great grandmother died at 96) used to take a half pint of bourbon and drop a few peppermint sticks in it and let them dissolve.

Makes a bit of sense: alcohol for the anesthetic effect, peppermint to help clear stuffy passages, sugar to coat and sooth.

Many modern off the shelf formulas do much the same, adding acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain and some more aggressive drugs for the anti-congestive properties, but for a bunch of country folk living a day's ride from the nearest town, doctor, druggist, etc., the above worked pretty good.

dale in Louisiana

[BruceB]

"I'm curious as to what his medical explanation was as to why the occasional drink would kill you?"

Hmmm.... I had just recently had a coronary double-bypass operation, to correct what was diagnosed as heart failure. My condition before the operation was near-terminal, and afterwards I was "fragile". Alcohol was one factor that would push me closer to the edge, and the surgeon was most emphatic about the abstention.

After about fifty years of dedicated drinking (but NOT an alcoholic!), I find that I miss the TASTE of the stuff more than the elevated moods. Southern Comfort, good port, dark rum, Russian vodka....I can taste them in my imagination.....AAAAAAGH!

Also no salt, no sugar, no butter, no processed meats (bacon, sausage etc...too much salt)...it's not fun, but I'm still on the green side of the grass.

[429421Cowboy]

Yep, my Armenian gramma still makes us honey and lemon mixed with any kind of booze, she prefers blackberry brandy but I'd be just as happy if that god-awful stuff fell off the planet instead of made it down my throat!

Just read something that said the honey/lemon mix has been shown to be just as good as any cough syrup, and tastes way better to me!

[Bulldogger]

I too get a lot of relief from the 1 1 1 recipe given above. I find it doesn't give any additional relief after the first dose; you feel it bite into the soreness in the back of your throat, then a little more to coat everything and you've got all the goodness you're going to get out of that round. That doesn't stop me from finishing the 3 ounces... but I have to admit after the first ounce, it's more for relaxation.
BDGR

[snuffy]

That ain't livin' my friend. I'm curious as to what his medical explanation was as to why the occasional drink would kill you?

Rant on!

This mindset is so prevalent in today's society. People seem to think they just can't get by without drinking some form of alcohol.

If I were to buy some cough syrup, I would study the label to see if there is alcohol in it, then find one that does NOT contain any.

30 years this coming August will be my anniversary of not consuming alcohol. An alcohol caused accident made me make a vow that I would NEVER drink again. It's just not worth it!

Oh, you can have fun without it! The idea that everything goes with a couple of drinks is just wrong.

Yes, I've had many sessions of the ceiling spinning after going to bed. I absolutely hate the feeling of being out of control of my body. Second is the frightening hangover the next day. I was a binge drinker. I could go 10 days to two weeks with nary a drop, then look out!

I've known quite a few functional drunks. Those that would have liquid lunches in a bar & grill, they never went near the grill part! They're all dead, never got to enjoy retirement, never had money for toys, all extra $ was spent on booze and cigarettes.

Rant off, flame suit on!

[Larry Gibson]

Take one large cup, add whiskey. Repeat as necessary.

+1 here, preferably with good Canadian........

Larry Gibson

[OeldeWolf]

Ihave to agree with Snuffy. There is a lot of alcoholism on my dad's sode (Native American and Military), so even if I did not have religious prohibitions, I would never dare drink. But despite that, I have occasionally "gotten in trouble" and have had a lot of fun in life,

But with that said, I have a pint of cheap brandy in the cupboard. I believe it is about 6 yrs old about now, and still mostly full. But a spoonful or two will help clear the throat and airways enough to help the breathing. But only enough for the job. Happens maybe twice in a bad year. I just treat it like the drug it is.

But this is America still (I think), so nothing wrong with differing opinions, as long as folks are responsible about it. But then, that can be said about pretty much everything in life.

[km101]

You guys are driving me nuts.

Just about one year ago, my heart surgeon had some post-operation words of advice for me(no joke)....

He said, in just so many words: "You drink, you DIE."

As a result, I haven't had even a single beer since January 2012.

(wistfully)


I think Willie Nelson said it best: "Well there's more old drunks than there are old doctors, so I guess I better have another round!"

My heart surgeon and my cardiologist both told me that "moderation in all things" is key. My cardiologist also concurred with my family doctor, who recommended a glass of wine a day to increase my good cholesterol!! I guess it depends on your specific condition or maybe your doctor. :drinks:

[waksupi]

My doctor told me it is a good thing for me to have a shot of whiskey per day. I'm up to June 22, 2047.

[Denny303]

may have to try that 1,1,1, mix, thanks for the info!

[imashooter2]

Rant on!

This mindset is so prevalent in today's society. People seem to think they just can't get by without drinking some form of alcohol.

If I were to buy some cough syrup, I would study the label to see if there is alcohol in it, then find one that does NOT contain any.

30 years this coming August will be my anniversary of not consuming alcohol. An alcohol caused accident made me make a vow that I would NEVER drink again. It's just not worth it!

Oh, you can have fun without it! The idea that everything goes with a couple of drinks is just wrong.

Yes, I've had many sessions of the ceiling spinning after going to bed. I absolutely hate the feeling of being out of control of my body. Second is the frightening hangover the next day. I was a binge drinker. I could go 10 days to two weeks with nary a drop, then look out!

I've known quite a few functional drunks. Those that would have liquid lunches in a bar & grill, they never went near the grill part! They're all dead, never got to enjoy retirement, never had money for toys, all extra $ was spent on booze and cigarettes.

Rant off, flame suit on!

Nothing worse than a reformed drunk or smoker. :roll:

The world is chock full of responsible people that have a drink now and again, under appropriate conditions and in moderation that doesn't have them out of control of their bodies, getting in accidents or hung over.

If you don't want to consume alcohol, that's a fine lifestyle choice. Have at it. Bruce expressed regret at being told he could no longer have a drink.

[imashooter2]

"I'm curious as to what his medical explanation was as to why the occasional drink would kill you?"

Hmmm.... I had just recently had a coronary double-bypass operation, to correct what was diagnosed as heart failure. My condition before the operation was near-terminal, and afterwards I was "fragile". Alcohol was one factor that would push me closer to the edge, and the surgeon was most emphatic about the abstention.

After about fifty years of dedicated drinking (but NOT an alcoholic!), I find that I miss the TASTE of the stuff more than the elevated moods. Southern Comfort, good port, dark rum, Russian vodka....I can taste them in my imagination.....AAAAAAGH!

Also no salt, no sugar, no butter, no processed meats (bacon, sausage etc...too much salt)...it's not fun, but I'm still on the green side of the grass.

I can understand direction not to drink to excess and not to consume large quantities of salt, sugar, etc.. I cannot understand an outright prohibition.

[Norbrat]

Back to the original question, here is an alcohol free recipe which works for me.

3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
2 tablespoons molasses or honey or golden syrup
1 cup vinegar

Crush the garlic and cloves togther (a mortar and pestle helps, but can be done with the back of a spoon in a bowl)

Add to the molasses/honey/golden syrup and vinegar.

Simmer gently, stirring, until reduced to about half.

Let cool and strain, pressing the mush through the sieve.

Add about the same amount of water.

Sip when you feel the tickle of a cough coming.

May not taste as good as whiskey based recipes, but it does work.

[WILCO]

it's not fun, but I'm still on the green side of the grass.

Sooner or later Bruce, we'll all be standing where you are. Hang tough brother!

[longhorn]

BruceB: I'd get another opinion, preferably from a cardiologist with access to all your records. I am refraining from a rant here, feel free to PM me.

Secondly, the only chemical that will affect the cough center in the brain is an opioid narcotic or very similar molecule; that's why dextromethorphan will work in high doses, but not what you can usually get in cough syrups. Honey and lemon and whiskey, horehound, etc may all soothe, but they address the irritant, not the cough. I usually leave out the lemon, myself!

From your friendly non-local pharmacist-

[Boerrancher]

My doctor told me it is a good thing for me to have a shot of whiskey per day. I'm up to June 22, 2047.

Thank you Ric for causing me to cover my monitor with my evening coffee. The only thing worse then wasting good whiskey is wasting good coffee.

Best wishes,

Joe

[shooter93]

Lol...you better get busy Ric if you're going to catch we older gents here. Find another doctor Bruce....a number of doctors including my own recommend moderate alcohol usage for heart patients even post surgery ones. So who am I to argue??????

[trooperdan]

Slice up a large onion about 1/4" thick, place in a container and cover with honey. Place in ice box for at least 24 hrs, 48 is better. Drain the liquid and take a tablespoon every 4 hrs.

[swheeler]

A shot of bourbon, if you want lemon or honey have at it, if the cough doesn't go away take another shot, repeat as necessary. This remedy has worked for 45 years and I ain't pushin' up daiseys yet! Life is too short to not relax and enjoy it, bartender"another round":) And my doctor has told me to have a glass of red wine or a beer or two in the evening, I don't think I'll be switching docs soon.

[1Shirt]

We always used ChFloyds recipet, except that we added abot 3 fingers of boiling water to it, and it was downed as soon as it was cool enough to drink. Mom always called it a hot whisky sling!
1Shirt

[softpoint]

My old grampa used to laugh and say the best cough medicine was two big tablespoons of Epsom Salts dissolved in a small glass of water...........

[geargnasher]

Make tea with dried Hohound, crushed whole cloves, spearment leaves, fresh Prickly Ash bark, dark clover honey, and two 5/325 Hyrocodones dissolved within. Don't put booze in it due to the Tylenol/liver thing. I tried the Mullen tea when I was a kid and fascinated by "home remedies", but I was fortunate enough not to be sick often enough to tell if it helped a cough. Fresh Mullen leaves make fantastic TP in the wilderness.

Gear

[Jeffrey]

Echinacea purpurea is an immune system booster (increases T cell production) that has been used by American Indians since preColumbian times, especially for upper respiratory bugs. It is always in my house ready for use. Start with 1 tablet WITH FOOD at each meal. Contraindicated for pregnant woman. http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-echinacea.html

[Jailer]

This was realy proscribed by a Dr. for my little girl many yearsa go.
1 part honey
1 part lemon juice
1 part really cheap burbon.

for a twoyear old one spoonful will do it. for me, I just swig from the bottle. Dr. told us that the really cheap burbon has an oil, left from the manufacturing that is the key ingredient. Decent burbon carbon filters this oil out,so only cheap, non-charcoal or carbon filtered burbon will work.
I thinkthe pint I bought that afternoon cost $2.95, and twenty years later it still ain't empty.
CF

My grandma used to make this. Simmer it on the stove an drink it hot. Around these parts it's called a whisky sling.

[snuffy]

Nothing worse than a reformed drunk or smoker. :roll:

The world is chock full of responsible people that have a drink now and again, under appropriate conditions and in moderation that doesn't have them out of control of their bodies, getting in accidents or hung over.

If you don't want to consume alcohol, that's a fine lifestyle choice. Have at it. Bruce expressed regret at being told he could no longer have a drink.

Uh-huh, there's nothing worse to a sober tea teetotaler like me than someone that's drunk. 2 ways to look at it.

I agree that a couple beers at home, or a stiff shot of booze, never hurt anyone. For me, well I can't do that. Once I start, even though I only planned to have 2 beers, the sky is the limit.

I never liked the taste of any kind of alcohol. I had a shot of bourbon ONCE! It tasted like it had been filtered though someones 4 day socks! Musty moldy, funky, blah taste. The only hard liquor I could stand was vodka, no taste. Beer, IF it was extremely, cold was just okay. Boar pee with the foam farted off!

[MtGun44]

50-50 Jack Daniels and maple syrup.

Bill

[Fretboard]

Onion syrup
Take two large onions cut in half then slice. Place in fry pan with a little water and cook until the onions start to caramelizes. add just a little more water with two tablespoons of sugar, stir until you get a thick syrup.
Take two tablespoons of syrup as needed
It works

[jonp]

I'm pretty sure it's called Jagermeister

[MT Gianni]

Local honey will have the enzymes in it to battle local allergens. If you take a piece of comb. say 1/2 tsp and keep it in your mouth for as long as possible, at least ten minutes you can usually sleep all night without coughing. Alcohol will relax muscles and lemon or vinegar are acids with mucus being a base.

[Thin Man]

We get a local product that works really well. It goes by the name "Apple Pie."
Yum.

Thin Man

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Haven't seen good old fashioned ginger ale mentioned yet, something with a kick, like Blenheim's. Helps loosen the phlem. I like some soup (just about any but cheap Ramen noodles are usually what I go for) with somewhere around 3-4 table spoons of Texas Pete hot sauce. Thins and loosens way better than Musenex, cheaper too!

[Wayne Smith]

Echinacea purpurea is an immune system booster (increases T cell production) that has been used by American Indians since preColumbian times, especially for upper respiratory bugs. It is always in my house ready for use. Start with 1 tablet WITH FOOD at each meal. Contraindicated for pregnant woman. http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-echinacea.html

Unfortunately for LMOL it is directly related to Ragweed. If you are allergic stay away.

[OeldeWolf]

I have here an old book, entitled "Fortunes in Formulas." Several cough remedies.
One starts out with 8 grains of heroin, though...

Ipecacuanha wine, 1 floz
spirit of anise, i fluid drachim
syrup 16 fl oz
syrup of squill 8 fluid ounces
tincture of tolu 4 fluid drachims
distilled water to bring batch to 30 fluid oz


glycerine 2 fluid oz
fluid, extract of wild cherry, 4 fluid oz
oxymel 10 fluid oz
syrup 10 fluid oz
cochineal, a sufficient quantity



Some of the ingredients in the others are not really legal, now. Like heroin, solution of morphiine acetate, camphorated tincture of opium....
they might have worked well, though... :)

You can get lost in this book, it has formulas for just about anything that could have been useful. Including dyes, and relishes for dinner.

[popper]

Gargle with warm salt water.

[SlippShodd]

Fresh Mullen leaves make fantastic TP in the wilderness. Gear

Note: Make certain Gear hasn't been hunting recently in the area you're gathering Mullen leaves for cough syrup...

[Dale in Louisiana]

Gargle with warm salt water.

The warm salt water gargle is good therapy, especially when the sore throat is the result of mucus from a head cold.

I think that my dear, departed Dad prescribed this to us for everything short of a near amputation of a limb. Black salve was the rest of his curative arsenal.

On the same track, salt water (saline solution) irrigation is good for a lot of allergy and head cold issues. Hose the stuff up your nose for a while and it will flush out a lot of things, many of which you really don't want to observe too closely.

"Neti pots" are available at many drugstores and they will make the task easier.

dale in Louisiana

[1Shirt]

Onion syrup works well, but goes bad quickly. Use within a day or it goes rotten.
1Shirt!

[popper]

and it will flush out a lot of things, many of which you really don't want to observe too closely. that would be peas and spaghetti?

[mold maker]

My MIL used to make a brew that had white Lighten as its base and lots of rock candy for thickener. I don't know if it did anything for the cough, but nobody ever coughed a second time, for fear of another dose.

[SlippShodd]

... I don't know if it did anything for the cough, but nobody ever coughed a second time, for fear of another dose.

Sounds a lot like Buckley's Cough Syrup; easily the most vile tasting stuff on the planet. I think it's not so much a medicine as a placebo -- the subconcious brain simply turns off the cough impulse for fear that you might actually put more of the stuff in your mouth. It's quite expensive for a very small bottle, but that appears to be a lifetime supply, hence the high initial price versus no repeat business. When I feel a tickle coming on, I just take the bottle out of the cabinet, gaze upon it fearfully for a moment and... Voila! I'm cured.

mike

[alrighty]

I have a friend that swears by Dr. McGillicuddy's Menthol mint.I didn't think it worked as well as the Whiskey/Honey/Lemon recipe, that is what I use if at home.I also use the Horehound but in a already made hard candy.

[popper]

Then there is the cherry plague mom used to pour down us. One dose and you don't want to cough anymore.

[catmandu]

Haven't seen good old fashioned ginger ale mentioned yet, something with a kick, like Blenheim's. o!

Around here it was Verners ginger ale. Used to have a real bite and about 2x the fizz. Modern stuff has been tamed down so babies can drink it. I remember when a kid if it was not chilled and you took a big swig it would come out every orfice and burn doing it. But if you had an upset stomach it would make you burp out all the bad that ailed you.

Paul in WNY

[xs11jack]

Got a really bad code in Mn back in 1963. A fellow worker said go to the local bar and order two shots of Ginger Brandy. The first one didn't seem to do anything, but the second one got rid of the cough and felt like your throat was being torn from your body. I haven't drunk any kind of brandy since then, just in case.
Ole Jack

[SSGOldfart]

We grow up using Rock candy,a little honey and lemon juice, and whisky. Just make a couple of pints at a time store it in a cool place

[SSGOldfart]

We grow up using Rock candy,a little honey and lemon juice, and whisky. Just make a couple of pints at a time store it in a cool place

[starreloader]

Bob, growing up in the hills of Pa., my mom made the same remedy for the 5 of us boys.. Not sure about the real whiskey part, had a few relatives that made their own clear fire-water

[Mohawk Daddy]

I have a friend that swears by Dr. McGillicuddy's Menthol mint.I didn't think it worked as well as the Whiskey/Honey/Lemon recipe, that is what I use if at home.I also use the Horehound but in a already made hard candy.

Yes. Get a pint of McGillicuddy's Mentholmint Schnapps and put it away for when you need instant relief from a coughing fit. One shot usually does it.

[Tom W.]

A shot of Crown Royal helps me. I still have about a half of a liter I bought on a cruise two years ago. Kinda scares to have any while undergoing chemo. I bought a six pack of Abita Amber before last Thanksgiving. It's still intact.


BTW, how does one dig up such an old post?

[rockrat]

Grandads was rock and rye. Rock candy and rye whiskey. He never took more than two shots a years, if that. Plenty left when he passed away.

[David2011]

There was a scientifically based article I read years ago on the hot toddy. It's the same as the 1,1,1 formula with boiling water added in a mug. The science was that hot lemon juice is an antihistamine, honey coats and soothes and bourbon is a decongestant. The article was adamant that American style corn whiskey was the only liquor that provided the desired decongestant effect. All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. For the recipe it doesn't matter.

[Lloyd Smale]

drop one oxycodone into a bud. Nothing works better:redneck:

[Driver33]

Peppermint an high proof shine or high proof shine lemon juice an honey is the two recipes I have used with good results

[Blackwater]

All I know is I've tried the honey, lemon juice and liquor stuff, and it DID in fact help significantly. I think the alcohol, being a solvent, cuts phlegm and other stuff loose so we CAN get it out. The honey coats the throat and inhibits bacterial growth wherever it is adhering to our passages. And the lemon juice has a mild antibiotic effect as well, plus the vitamin C shot that can't hurt, either.

Oh! And it's pretty well cheaper than the prepared off-the-shelf concotions. Doesn't work any better, but IME, about as well. I usually have an ounce or so of straight bourbon or rum afterward, and that tends to help clear my breathing passageways. The relaxation effect, though very slight (and maybe largely psychological?) also helps. But it'll never be fun to need ANY of these things!

[Beerd]

drop one oxycodone into a bud. Nothing works better:redneck:

Lloyd, yer gettin' forgetful.
Back on Page 1 you prescribed 4 in a PBR.
..

[Texas by God]

Wild Turkey 101 and honey. A shot; a tablespoon. Repeat until cough stops or you quit caring.
Best, Thomas.

[bubba.50]

honey, lemon juice, bourbon, cayenne pepper. mix in proportions to suit yer needs & yer constitution.

[Spoonerism]

My grandmother had what I'll call 2.5 recipes for cough and cold remedies. The first for mild cough, cold, and sinus issues was one qt of your favorite local corn likker or a suitable substitute from the liquor store. Standard proof works fine, no need for the 150 proof fire water. Take your jar of white lightning and either drink a few shots or find someone who will, you will need the room for the rest of the ingredients. Add one bag of horehound candy, a few spoon fulls of honey, a shot of lemon juice, and if you are up for it a few cinnamon sticks. Take one table spoon to one shot every few hours as the tickle in your throat returns.

The next recipe is for more serious illness, flu, bad cold, sinus infection, punomia, and bronchitis. Take a jar of corn liquor, add one bag of horehound candy, shot of lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. To this add 1 table spoon white pepper, 2 cloves of garlic finely minced, a few drops of clove oil or whole clove (fresh is much better), more thyme than you feel you want to use. A shot of pineapple juice can help get the mix down. Take a shot every few hours as you can stand it, you won't want to drink it.

Now for the .5: if you don't or can't drink alcohol. You can use apple cider vinegar. It's rough, but it works. Keep some tums handy, this stuff can tear you up. After you stop with the syurp, eat some yougert, this stuff is hard on the bowls. The “extra strength formula” got me through some bad punomia last year in a week. Mix the stuff a few weeks before you typically get sick, for me it's early spring and early fall. It will form a thick sludge in the bottom of the jar. Shake thoroughly before use and try not to puke the first time you use the strong stuff.

[Lloyd Smale]

those 4 must have slowed the brain cells. But hell, I aint coughing.
Lloyd, yer gettin' forgetful.
Back on Page 1 you prescribed 4 in a PBR.
..

[varmintpopper]

Drink two cups of Caster Oil,,,,,, You will be afraid to cough.

Good Shooting

Lindy

[smokeywolf]

All three components of the honey, whiskey, lemon home remedy perform more than one function.
Honey is a bactericide and soothes the throat.
Lemon is a germ & bactericide and cuts mucus.
Whiskey is a germ & bactericide, anesthetizes the throat and cuts mucus.

One of the best alcoholic treatments I've found for stuffy sinuses is to heat a measuring cup of water in the microwave, pull that measuring cup of water out of the microwave and float a snifter of Metaxa 7 star Greek brandy in it. After about 10 minutes start sippin' that brandy. I've never had it fail to clear my sinuses.

[Bzcraig]

Don't have a recipe but my MD grandfather used to bring us unmarked one gallon glass containers of cough syrup. Kinda got in the habit of hitting that bottle every time I walked by the linen closet. [smilie=l:

[Grmps]

Something about local honey helps relieve and prevent allergies from local pollen.

[smokeywolf]

If you really want to get serious with the honey, whiskey, lemon, use Manuka honey. Very expensive but fairly well proven medicinal properties. Undoubtedly, some of our members from "down under" can elaborate on Manuka honey as it only comes from their homeland.

[pjames32]

In the late 60's while in pharmacy school working in a hospital pharmacy I "made" cough syrup 50 gallons at a time. Honey and lemon were NOT in the ingredient list. Wild cherry syrup #103 was the primary followed by grain alcohol and codeine. This formula is no longer on the market.
Honey, lemon and whisky works for a home remedy. Cough syrup over the counter with dextromethorphan works.
With that said I'm a 70 year old functioning alcoholic who drinks nearly every day and my cardiologist says OK-keep it under control. I'll keep the cardiologist :) Your Dr. may not agree!

[KenT7021]

My parents used DeKuyper fruit flavored brandy for years.Very effective and tastes good.I still keep a bottle on hand.

[jonp]

Homemade Cough Syrup = Jagermeister

[shooterg]

You guys had lemons when you were kids ? Doubt I saw one until I went to school. Grandpa did have bees, so we had honey, but Moms generally just took a level spoonful of sugar(we bought flour and sugar in large sacks, split 'em between 2 households) added either cheap bourbon(musta been Pop's, Grandpa was a Baptist minister !) or some of Mom's uncles homemade lightning. The best thing about it was it put me to sleep and good rest is about the best thing for a cold/cough anyways. Guess they'd go to the pokey these days for dosing a tot with hard liquor !

[Geezer in NH]

terpin hydrate/codeine worked great for coughs. addictive yes but used only for coughs???? Nanny state rules again.

[gwpercle]

Simmer 2 cups of ripe elderberries with 1 cup of water and strain, like you were making jelly, let the strained juice cool and add 1 cup raw honey (unpasteurized) and the juice of one lemon .
Two or three spoons full , mixed with a little optional bourbon for the adults.
Elderberries are supposed to be good for cough and colds , at least that's what I was told...this stuff taste good at least .
Gary

[matrixcs]

Once upon a time the best recipe was paregoric and molasses...

[swheeler]

I haven't coughed in 50 years! Prefer Kracken black spiced rum with just a touch of Fresca now, used to be Wild Turkey, Old Charter or 101 Fighten Cock.