Uses:If you tend to have colds that go right to your chest, Elecampane is a great ally — its expectorant and toning qualities are ideally suited to clearing and strengthening your lungs. Sally King, Director of RavenCroft Garden, and her family use this simple Elecampane syrup as a preventive tonic approaching the winter season. They also take it as a general tonic for improving overall lung function and a specific remedy for colds or flu that involve congested lungs.

• 1 ounce of dried Elecampane root, cut and sifted
• 2 cups water
• 3 teaspoons honey

To find dried Elecampane root:
You can find dried Elecampane root in cut-and-sifted form at your local herbalist or through an online search — try search words "dried Elecampane root."

To make:
Elecampane syrup is made in a two-stage process: a decoction, then a syrup. The instructions appear to be long, but they are very simple to follow.

• Decoction: Place 1 ounce of dried root in a medium pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring the root and water mixture to a boil, then simmer until you reduce the water in the pot by half (leaving you with 1 cup of liquid). Check the liquid level after 10 minutes of simmering by pouring the liquid into a measuring cup through a strainer (to allow you to measure without the root material). Continue simmering and checking until your liquid level reaches 1 cup. Then strain off the root. Dilute your decocted liquid by adding an additional cup of water, leaving you with a final amount of 2 cups of decocted liquid.
  
  Intensifying option: To strengthen your decoction, instead of using a second cup of plain water, you can decoct your herb twice. Set aside the first cup of decocted liquid. Then, using the same root material, follow the decoction instructions a second time. This will create a second cup of decocted liquid. Combine the two decocted cups to make your 2-cup final amount. This allows you to continue to extract healing properties from the Elecampane root and combine them to make a more intense base for your syrup.
  
  
• Syrup: Reheat your 2 cups of decocted liquid in a medium pot and add honey to taste. Sally recommends beginning with 2 teaspoons of honey and, if desired, adding from there. We found that a total of 3 teaspoons of honey made a reasonably sweet syrup, masking the bitterness of the Elecampane root to a level our kids would enjoy. Let the syrup cool and then store it in a jar in the refrigerator.

To Take:
You can take Elecampane syrup a spoonful at a time or add it to a beverage such as hot tea.
Adding additional healing herbs to your syrup:
When you aren't feeling well, sometimes one more thing to remember — one more bottle to carry — is just one too many. And I know that our kids, who willingly open their mouths for any one remedy, will sometimes inexplicably and emphatically refuse the second. Combining them may save the day. If your respiratory or digestive ailments generally respond well to a specific herb such as Echinacea, you can easily set yourself up to take it at the same time by creating a combination of Elecampane syrup and another herbal tincture. Divide your syrup into smaller jars and add a tincture to one or more of them. (Be sure to leave a few jars filled with only Elecampane syrup, ready to add a tincture later, so you can address any unexpected conditions that may arise.) Label accordingly and store in the refrigerator.

Directions courtesy of Sally King, Director of RavenCroft Garden: 360-794-2938 or www.ravencroftgarden.com.

See also: Elfin Elecampane, Issue #13 / Fall 2006.

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