Oxymel — from the Greek for acid and honey — is one of the oldest documented medical preparations in Western medicine. Hippocrates prescribed it; American apothecaries kept it on the shelf throughout the 1800s for coughs and seasonal illness.
Ingredients (makes about 2 cups)
- 1 cup raw, unfiltered honey
- 1 cup raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
- 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs (or 2 tablespoons dried thyme)
- Optional: 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried ginger, 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Method
- Warm honey very gently until pourable — do not simmer or boil; heat above 104°F (40°C) damages its active enzymes.
- Combine warmed honey and vinegar in a clean glass jar. Add thyme and any optional additions.
- Cap loosely and infuse at room temperature 4 to 6 weeks, shaking every few days.
- Strain through cheesecloth and bottle.
- Take 1 to 2 tablespoons as needed, diluted in warm water if preferred.
Thyme contains thymol and carvacrol, studied for antimicrobial properties; raw honey and raw vinegar each contribute their own. Store in a cool, dark place up to 6 months.
This recipe is one of twenty in The Forgotten Apothecary — our full digital cookbook of pharmacy-counter tonics, switchels, oxymels, and healing syrups.