Tincture Toddy!

This winter I've been trying to take care of myself, eating right, probiotics,vitamin D and exercise- but despite my efforts I woke up this morning with a sore throat and more tired than normal. Normally it would be fine, it's the weekend I have plenty of time to rest but this evening I have a bachelorette party that I don't want to miss!

So I got thinking about old folk cures and my mind drifted to one of my favorites- a Hot Toddy!

The traditional recipe consists of Hot Water, Lemon Juice, A Cinnamon stick, Honey and of course Whiskey. As an herbalist I have many tinctures laying around all which have medicinal properties. So I got thinking.....

I could make a Tincture Toddy!

A typical tincture bottle is 1oz which = 600 drops of tincture. When recommending a tincture I usually tell my clients to take anywhere from 10-60- drops of a tincture 1-4 times daily. Doing the math I decided to go like I was taking the max 60 drops x 4 times daily which would = 240 drops a 1/2 oz give or take.

Now for the tinctures; I decided to choose the following to test:

Spilanthes : Chosen for it's numbing quality and it's similar properties to echinacea

Hyssop: Chosen for it's anti-viral properties and traditional use in colds

Self-Heal: Chosen for it's Anti-viral properties and energetics

Rose petals: Chosen for the energetics

For the experiment I added the following:

60 drops of tincture

30 drops of maple syrup

1oz boiling water

sm lemon wedge

sm cinnamon stick

If you want to make a big proper Tincture Toddy I would try the following: 1/2 oz of tincture to 6 to 8 oz of boiling water, a lemon wedge, maple syrup or honey and a cinnamon stick!

So the verdict was:

Spilanthes: You couldn't really taste the tincture at first but after a moment my tongue and throat were completely numb. The lemon and flavor of the spilanthes mixed well together. Great if you have a sore throat or if you just like the feeling of your mouth going numb.

Hyssop: The flavor was very savory with a thyme/Bee Balm essence. It worked well with the lemon & cinnamon. The hyssop felt like it had some big time healing properties and energetically was very uplifting! Great to make if you can't rest and need an herbal kick!

Self-Heal: The flavor of the tincture really didn't come through. The energetics were mellow and nurturing. A nice tincture to put in your toddy if you are lounging by the fire on a snowy day.

Rose: This was so delightful and yummy! I think the difference was as well that the others were in vodka and the rose was in Brandy. I drank the entire thing in seconds.SO Good.

So there you have it! I encourage you all tonight to get out those tinctures and make a toddy! Your body will thank-you. I'm off to make a proper Hyssop Toddy, hoping it will be the kick I need to get over this possible virus that may be brewing!