Simple and natural, this homemade cough syrup only requires a handful of simple ingredients that you probably have lying around in your pantry and it’s effective!

It’s cold season and there’s been a bug going around it seems just about everywhere. I have friends in Florida, around here in Indiana, and even out in Montana that have been succumbing to this cold or whatever it is.

And it’s miserable. We’ve been utilizing our immune-boosting fire cider and making homemade cough drops like nobody’s business, but we needed something to help control this awful cough and itchy throat that seems to want to stick around.

While we can definitely go to the store and buy a $20 bottle of artificially flavored, colored, sweetened, and preserved stuffy head, sleep better over the counter cough medicines… I prefer to use food to heal whenever I can.

That’s not to say I don’t believe conventional medicine has its place, it does, but I try to utilize natural remedies to control symptoms whenever I can. Thankfully, this homemade cough syrup does just that. It will help control cold symptoms more naturally without all the artificial stuff. Win-win in my book.

Homemade Cough Syrup Recipe

This recipe is simple, only requiring five ingredients that most of us have sitting in our pantries. It tastes infinitely better than the bottle of blue, red, or yellow stuff I’ve seen at the store lately, and it’s cheaper… even though it requires a couple of expensive ingredients.

I’ve never enjoyed taking cough medicine, it just tastes… well, awful and of course it’s only there to help control symptoms so you can function, it doesn’t actually do anything to the cold you’re trying to fight off. So, I began to question if I wanted to continue to subject myself to the vapo-rub smelling concoction colored an unnaturally blue color.

This is simple to make, it does the trick, and I don’t have to wonder what’s in it.

Ingredients in Homemade Cough Syrup

Apple Cider Vinegar. ACV contains “the mother” a combination of yeast and bacteria that work together as probiotics that have immune-boosting properties.

Raw Honey. Raw, local honey is best and this ingredient can help soothe a sore throat and calm a cough by coating your throat. It also may have cold-fighting properties according to a few studies. Do not give honey to any infant under one year of age.

Bourbon. This will help get you to sleep so you can rest through the night. You can use cognac, rum, or whiskey in place of bourbon if you like. Note that most, though not all, over-the-counter cough syrups contain alcohol… especially the night versions, and even the kid versions. You can also adjust the amount of alcohol to your tastes and preferences or omit it, but it really does help you rest.

Cayenne Pepper. Organic is best since peppers are on the dirty dozen list. This ingredient contains capsaicin which is known to have anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and cough-producing properties.

Ginger. Research suggests that ginger combined with honey creates a strong antimicrobial effect.

How to Make Homemade Cough Syrup

In a jar combine apple cider vinegar, honey, bourbon, cayenne pepper, and ground ginger.

Shake the contents well to combine.

Take the mixture 1-2 teaspoonfuls at a time every two to three hours as needed to help control cough and soothe a sore throat.

Note that you should shake the mixture before using each time.

This homemade cough syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long.