Monday, November 18, 2013

Make Your Own ~ Pooh's Medicinal Honey


"Pooh's Medicinal Honey" is inspired by a love of literature, preparing a pantry and making your own medicines. Simple projects like these require a few minutes during the "good times" but are a wonderful way to increase your preparedness for both the common cold and your food storage during those "trying times". And of course, a touch of whimsey always adds a few smiles… 

Note: This post was created by gleanings from Jacqueline who shared the benefits of raw honey and cinnamon as a medicinal duo to fight colds and Annie who opened the doors to the world of "herbal honeys" to me. Thank you ladies!


Simple Supplies:
  • raw honey
  • cinnamon (Make sure it is REAL cinnamon ~ceylon cinnamon~ and not cassia. Read here for more information.)
  • clean jar with lid
  • 2 weeks of waiting ;)

Directions:

Add 4 Tbsp of cinnamon to every cup of raw honey and mix together. Place in a clean jar, cover with lid and set in a sunny spot for two weeks to infuse.  Some people let it go for six weeks and let it sit in their pantry. The choice is yours :)


"Because of its warming and stimulating properties, cinnamon is used to boost vitality, improve circulation, and clear congestion… It is also a powerful antiseptic, with antiviral and antifungal properties, and is often indicated in cases of viral infections, fungal infections, and colds and flus."


To Use as a Cold Fighting Medicine:
  • Take 1 generous tsp., two times a day for approximately 3 days. This is intended for both adults and children. Cinnamon and raw honey are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. 
Prescription for Young Children:
  • Read a chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh each night until symptoms fade, then continue until childhood fades (for it is very fast)! 
To Use as a Pantry Food (or "Larder" as Pooh would say):
  • Don't worry if your cubs children keep looking for more. This could also be used as a healthy pantry food by mixing into the morning oatmeal, spreading over toast or stirring into your coffee or warm cup of tea.

To Use as a "Preparedness" Food:
  • Consider storing a few extra quarts of this infusion since it will last for many years. Cinnamon kept by itself may become rock hard but mixed in honey will preserve it further. Both cinnamon and honey have so much nutritional and medicinal value that it would be a wise addition to your food storage (read some health benefits of cinnamon here and raw honey here).
Important Note: Infants under 1 year should not be given honey.



Home Education:
                   
This would also be a fun project to do with your child since it is so easy. They would love to be involved in making "Pooh's Medicinal Honey"! This is where learning takes place by measuring, stirring and learning about the medicinal properties of food while spending time with mama. Linking this project to the Winnie-the-Pooh book makes reading more exciting too! Here is a coloring page featuring Pooh and a honey jar which you can incorporate as well.


Printable Labels Because:

"As soon as he (Pooh) got home, he went to the larder; and he stood on a chair, and took down a very large jar of honey from the top shelf. It had HUNNY written on it, but, just to make sure, he took off the paper cover and looked at it, and it looked just like honey. 'But you never can tell,' said Pooh. 'I remember my uncle saying once that he had seen  cheese just in this colour.' So he put his tongue in, and took a large lick."

'Yes,' he said, 'it is…"

It is important to label your honey because you may have someone mistake the contents or be a bit uncertain about them like our dear friend, Pooh (label is shared below along with the recipe). You may want to include this in your herbal. Simply follow the link at the bottom of this post, download and print :)


Lastly, this would make a thoughtful gift for a friend who is under the weather, for as Pooh says:

"A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside."

You will find your free download of Pooh's Medicinal Honey HERE.

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making MondaysModest Mom Monday'sMonday's MusingsMake Your Home Sing MondayGood Morning Mondays,  The ScoopTitus 2 TuesdaysTuesdays with a TwistRaising HomemakersWise Woman Link UpHomestead Blog Hop Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and ConversationHomemaking ThursdaysHome Sweet HomeOur Simple HomesteadFrom the Farm Blog HopFront Porch Friday Blog HopAwesome Life Friday Link UpFive Star Frou Frou FridayShabbilicious FridaySimply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). The Winnie-the-Pooh illustration was found here.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is approved by the FDA or intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. All things on this blog are my opinion or the opinion of others.



34 comments:

  1. It's been a while since we've used honey and cinnamon so I need to make some for sure. Thanks for the reminder. I've always been fond of Winnie the Pooh - just got a set of Pooh drawer pulls at a yard sale for 25¢. ;)
    JES, this post is really lovely. Your whimsical Pooh labels are adorable. Thank you for sharing them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 25 cents!!! Love hearing about the great deal!!! Thanks for sharing :)

      Delete
  2. As always, this is just lovely. You always know how to pull things together; Pooh, children, mama, coloring, reading, snuggling, and honey. Precious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am a new reader and I have to tell you, I am smitten! :)

    I am determined to read your entire blog from the beginning, and while it may take me forever to do it (and lose some sleep in the process!), I am sure I will be very enjoyable and VERY educational!

    I am a Christian homeschooling mother in Pennsylvania and it's the dream of my life to be what I am! I am so thankful to God and to my husband for allowing this dream to happen and I only hope that I am doing a good job!

    I took a quick break from housework, so I better get back to work, but I will be back here as soon as I can! :)

    Johanna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a sweet comment! Thanks for sharing! It sounds like we have a lot in common ;)

      Delete
  4. I L-O-V-E this! You are so very clever. This is going on my to-do list. This would also make a fantastic gift in a 4 oz. jar ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, a 4 oz. jar and a favorite tea bag would make a nice gift set!

      Delete
  5. I love how you correlate all your posts with books, thoughts, scriptures and stories. And you know how much I love your labels. I am excited to read some Winnie the Pooh with the littles and let them color the labels and affix to "all" of our herbal honey. Thanks so much for the fun idea!

    p.s. I can never make bread with the children without first reading the Little Red Hen, love having a story to go with our kitchen adventures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree! I was just mentioning the little red hen today in a little life lesson of our own… And I like the idea of having the children color the labels!!! :) Great thinking!

      Delete
  6. I just loved your post here, never thought of mixing the honey with cinnamon-I shared a link back to you on my blog today
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  7. -you don't mention the kind of honey. I had always heard that tupelo is the only honey that won't crystallize over time. Are there others that last a long time? thanks for the recipe. hope I will not need to try it! lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say any kind of raw honey. Though it may crystalize over time, it is still very good. We like to keep a larger amount of honey in our pantry because it boasts an excellent shelf life (practically indefinite) and is therefore an excellent preparedness food. To bring honey back to its "soft self", simply place your jar in a pot or sink full of very warm water. Do not heat to high degrees because you will kill the beneficial enzymes found in honey. Hope this helps :) Happy honey-ing!

      Delete
  8. Hi, Jes! A delightful post, as usual! I wondered, why does the cinnamon have to infuse with the honey? I did not think that its healing properties would change/become stronger with the long infusion (unlike tinctures that need a prolonged infusion time.) Could you please clarify this? Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question! You make a good point… My guess is that it would blend together for a stronger flavor… But, as I researched into herbal honey's, most are done with a fresh herb that you would strain out when done so the longer infusion makes more sense in that case. It may be just as effective without the waiting period but since I used the source listed above in the post, I chose to go the infusion route just in case I was missing something… Sorry I couldn't be of more help (as I said the herbal honey world is new to me too :)… Perhaps someone else has something to add?

      Delete
  9. Love this. Honey has so many amazing qualities, but I've never thought about it as a cold treatment. Thanks for sharing. (Visiting fro Wildcrafting Wednesday)

    ~Taylor-Made Ranch~
    Wolfe City, Texas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With cinnamon it is :) Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. This has been my first visit to your blog. How delightful! Thank you so much for sharing this. I will definitely try this!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Currently have a cold, so could use some of this! Guess I can make now for the next time. :) Would love if you linked this to our Snickerdoodle Sunday (http://2crochethooks.com/snickerdoodle-sunday-6/). Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Honey and Cinnamon is a must have on hand for me during this time of year. It's so great at helping stave off colds and heal any sore throat. Thanks for sharing on Wildcrafting Wednesdays! I hope you'll join us this week and share more of your awesome posts.
    http://www.herbanmomma.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a delightful and well tied together post! Makes me smile!! Your creativity is inspiring!
    JES, I am featuring this on the Link-Up! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!~~ But remember, you had a happy part in it :)

      Delete
  14. LOVE, Love, Love!!! Thanks Jes for sharing with Wildcrafting Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love this! Thank you for putting it all together! We quote Winnie the Pooh quite a bit around here :)

    ~Lisha :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is such a great idea - I use both products, but have never mixed them like this. Thank you so much for suggesting and sharing this. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love this recipe. Thanks so much - I'm pinning it now. Happy to have found your beautiful blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Heather, it was fun to prepare since Pooh was involved :)

      Delete
  18. I will share this recipe with my grand-daughters. Thank-you also for the link to ceylon cinnamon. I didn't realize the difference between ceylon and cassia (fake) cinnamon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure they will enjoy this little project! Thank you for sharing Carol :)

      Delete
  19. Great post with amazing info. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dearest JES, I could use some of your medicinal honey right about now as my body is fighting a cold :) I will certainly have to make some of this. Thank you for taking care of your readers, sweet friend :) Hugs to you!

    And thank you for sharing at Roses of Inspiration - perfect timing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Pooh is a favorite here in the cottage... and raw honey also! thank you for sharing JES... mari

    ReplyDelete
  22. JES, we adore Winnie The Pooh here. The books are a firm favourite, and Pooh quotes are bandied around fairly often. Your medicinal honey sounds fabulous. I do a similar one, but mine has lemon and fresh ginger in it. It works wonders too. Love, Mimi xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't Pooh the best? Simply timeless like honey :)

      Delete