white fabric bell tent with mountains in background.
basket of calendula flowers
Cob chicken coop
from behind, three kids and three dogs walking on dirt road.
peach jam and peaches on wood chair.
milpa (corn field) with sunset and mountains behind.
clothes hanging to dry with mountains in background.

How to Make Delicious Herbal Infused Medicinal Honey!

two mason jars full of honey infused with elderberry and sage on top of wood chair outside

Oh, sweet honey! It’s the universal sweet treat, a medicinal wonder, and a homesteader’s delight. It’s especially delightful collecting honey in our homesteading region of Baja California (Zone 9b). We live in a Mediterranean climate that is conducive to the bees staying active year-round (therefore producing honey nearly year-round). Although our homestead does not have honeybees yet, it is on our extremely expansive list of projects to do here on Our Baja Homestead!

While honey is predominately thought to be a sweet treat, did you know it has extremely beneficial health benefits to boost your immune system? Especially if it’s local and paired with medicinal herbs! Medicinally Infused Honey is an excellent “First Herbalism Project” due to how easy it is to make, and how easy it is to find the products to make the infused honey! You can dive straight into this amazing medicinal Elderflower and Sage Infused Honey Recipe or brush up on your honey facts and history in this next section.

What Exactly Is Honey?

Honey is a sweet substance made by bees using the nectar of flowering plants. While that’s kind of a “Duh!” answer, did you know that worker bees produce honey by collecting it from flowers, and then refining the floral nectar of the plants (and sometimes the sugar secretions of certain bugs as well)?! The bees do this by chewing the nectar, regurgitating it, and then repeating this process until the chemical properties alter to make good old sweet honey. The honey is then stored in the bee’s hive or nest in something called a honeycomb (I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen this hexagonal shaped object that is made of beeswax and a plant resin called propolis).

A Brief History of Honey

Honey has been collected by humans for centuries. According to Wikipedia, honey foragers are shown painted on the walls of a cave in present-day Spain dating back 8,000 years! Other reports suggest honey is a much older practice dating back more than 10,000 years. That’s an immense amount of sticky sweetness!

Ancient Egyptians were some of the first humans to produce honey on a large scale around 2400 BCE. They used honey not only for culinary purposes, but for medicinal and ceremonial uses.

Local Honey Is the Bee’s Knees!

For this infused honey recipe, I purchased honey from our local beekeepers here in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. To make your own, I highly suggest using honey that is as local to you as possible. This is for many reasons that will benefit yourself, your community and your environment.

Local honey benefits your immune system (and helps fights allergens) because the honey helps to desensitize your body to the local pollen in your area. Local honey contains trace amounts of the same pollen that sets off one’s allergies, so consuming those same trace amounts can build up your tolerance over time.

Furthermore, this sweet sticky goodness is packed with antioxidants that can help fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. Paired with potent medicinal herbs, infused honey may be able to help you, and your family remain healthy and unstoppable during the roughest months of flu season!

Getting Started with Your Herbal Infused Honey

overhead view of open glass jar of infused honey.

The first thing you will need to make your own Infused Honey with Medicinal Herbs is…honey! There is a myriad of ways to collect honey- whether it’s honey from your own hives (OMG I’m jealous!), buying honey from your local beekeeper, or just using honey from the store or your cabinet.

Next you will need to gather your medicinal herbs. The herbs should be dried to ensure that the honey does not become moldy due to moisture. I like to use what is a) in season and b) in my backyard or local area, but I understand not everyone has access to open spaces, and not everyone wants to forage for their herbs. That is totally okay! Do what works for you, and work with flavors that interest you. It’s okay to buy your medicinal herbs in the store, if you are unable to forage for them.

Some popular herbs to use in Infused Honey are holy basil, lavender, rose, linden, calendula, elderberry, elderflowers, mullein, rosemary, and beyond! I live in the mountains of Baja California in Mexico (on the Kumiai Tribe’s land), and I have access to sage and elderflowers. So that’s just what we will use for this recipe!

NOTE: This recipe uses dried herbs, although you can make honey with fresh herbs, I personally prefer to use dried herbs.

Now, let’s make delicious herbal infused honey!

overhead shot of infused honey.

Elderflower and Sage Infused Honey Recipe

This sweet sticky goodness is packed with antioxidants that can help fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. Paired with potent medicinal herbs, infused honey may be able to help you and your family remain healthy and unstoppable during the roughest months of flu season!

Equipment

  • 1 Glass Jar 1 Liter

Ingredients

  • 1 Liter Honey - We use liters in Mexico, but a liter is about equivalent to a quart.
  • Dried Elderflower and Sage - Or any dried herbs you have on hand.

Instructions

  • Put the herbs in the bottom of the glass jar. You will want to fill the jar about 1/3 full to 1/2 full depending on your preference.
  • Pour the honey over the herbs to the near top of the jar.
  • Use a tall stick (a chopstick or the stick of the dried plant works well) to mix up the herbs and honey together. try to diffuse as much bubbles as possible. We do not want water or air in the product.
  • Let the product sit a dark, room temperature area. At Tierra Libre Productos (our apothecary) we use a wooden entertainment center with doors to close off the products from any unwanted drafts or visitors. Mix the product every day or so, and make sure the honey is covering the herbs. (The herbs will float to the top, but just make sure they are submerged).
  • When ready, strain the product with a fine mesh stainless steel strainer into a jar or multiple jars. This part is messy and delicious, be prepared! You will want to put the honey directly into the jar you will be using. No need to use extra jars, because you donโ€™t want any more sticky jars or bowls to wash than you already have.

Notes

  • Make sure your jar is big enough to hold both the herbs and the honey.
  • Give the product a month or more to deeply infuse the plant medicine into the honey. Donโ€™t freak out if you forget it โ€“ honey doesnโ€™t expire!
Course: Drinks
Keyword: herbs, honey, medicinal herbs, Medicinal honey

There you are! Your very own herbal infused honey! Now you can be prepared for cold season – this honey is perfect to add to tea, or to take a spoonful when feeling sick (or even preventatively). Just remember to thank the bees and plants for your delicious product!
 

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