Hawthorn syrup is an amazing and delicious late-winter herbal medicine! Not only does it support circulation, blood pressure, overall heart health, digestion, and the immune system; it also helps dispel some of those late-winter blues with its sweet nervine powers. But it doesn’t need to be reserved for this time of year—it is a gentle tonic herb that can in most cases be safely taken frequently, year-round.
Whether you take a couple spoonfuls a day, mix it into water or tea, or use it as a mocktail or cocktail ingredient (who says medicine can’t be fun?!), hawthorn syrup will bolster your body as well as your emotional wellbeing. And the flavor is so, so nice—from dried berries it produces a tangy, slightly earthy berry flavor. Reminds me a little of fig, or port wine.
All you need is three ingredients to make this syrup. Here is the recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
1 cup dried hawthorn berries
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat water and sugar over low-medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
Add the hawthorn berries and allow to come to a light simmer, stirring often. Continue to simmer and stir for about 10 minutes. (We are being careful to keep this a syrup and not a caramel!)
Remove from heat and allow the hawthorn berries to steep in the syrup for another 20-30 minutes as it cools. Strain through a mesh strainer, and store in a clean jar or bottle in the fridge. Use within about 3-4 weeks.
Instead of discarding all the used syrup berries, brew a cup of tea with some of them!
A note about dried hawthorn berries: if you see a white substance on the outside of them, this is not mold and they’re not bad! It is the natural sugar in the berries that sort of collected on the surface as they dried.
Hawthorn is the Plant Wonder Collective plant of the month!
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For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.
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The Herbology Faerie 