Horehound

Horehound, Marrubium vulgare.

A greyish-leaved herb, somewhat resembling mint in appearance; traditionally used in the manufacture of cough remedies.

Cough candy recipe:

• Cover dried or fresh aboveground parts of horehound with water
• Simmer for 15 minutes
• Strain
• Measure liquid - how much did you get? 5 dl (= 1 pint)? Add 5 dl (=1 pint) sugar. 500 g (= 1 pound)? Add 500 g (= 1 pound) sugar. Or just add 2 cm (= 2/3 inch) sugar to your 2 cm (= 2/3 inch) liquid, while still in the kettle. This is a very mild medicinal herb that's going to get boiled all the way to timbooktoo and back again; it's not all that important to get dot-precise measurements.
• Also add 1 tablespoon oil or butter, that way you won't have to watch your kettle, as it now has to
• Boil for 2-4 hours, or until at least half the volume is gone
• Pour unto cookie sheets
• Let harden
• Break into candy-sized chunks
• Take a "candy" (yech) when you have a cough.

If it didn't harden, don't fret. Pour the mess into a wide-mouthed jar instead, and serve as cough syrup in teaspoon doses. Throw out if it molds, and let boil for longer next time around. It might crystallize in your jar, too, but that's life.

A nicer cough candy recipe:

• Instead of the horehound take 1 part peppermint, 1 part thyme, and 1 part hyssop. Yum!

Classification: Horehound belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae.