How to Make a Thyme Oxymel to Ease a Sore Throat and Cough (with Video)

Fall is the season to stock our home apothecaries with preparations for the coming winter months. Thankfully, we don’t need 50 different herbs to do it! In the Herbal Harvest DIY Apothecary Intensive in The Herbarium, we start with just eight easy-to-grow herbs: calendula (Calendula officinalis), catnip  (Nepeta cataria), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea, E. pallida), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), thyme(Thymus vulgaris), and tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum). Getting to know a handful of plants deeply lets us craft teas, tinctures, oxymels, syrups, and more so our apothecary is well-stocked to support wellness needs year-round—from nervous and digestive support to helping you ease a sore throat and building the immune system.

An oxymel is one of those easy-to-make preparations, and thyme is a common herb we often grow in abundance (and if not, it’s readily available at farmers’ markets or grocery stores). Before we share the recipe, let’s quickly discuss this preparation and why it’s useful. 

What is an Oxymel?

An oxymel is a traditional herbal preparation made with vinegar and honey. Oxymels are simple to make, store well, and can be enjoyed by the spoonful, stirred into warm water, or used in culinary recipes such as salad dressings or marinades. They’re a lovely way to enjoy stronger-tasting herbs and a convenient way to keep herbs on hand, making them easier to include in daily routines or support acute situations.

Why Include Thyme in an Oxymel?

Thyme is a great example of an herb that supports multiple body systems and can be included in a variety of preparations the whole family can enjoy. A familiar kitchen herb, thyme has a long history of use in European and Chinese herbal traditions, and it is especially valued for respiratory health as well as immune and digestive support. Its volatile oils, including thymol, give it antimicrobial actions (antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal) that make it a favorite through the colder months. It’s also diaphoretic and expectorant, which means it works on several fronts at once, supporting the body against pathogens, encouraging perspiration to help clear a fever, and loosening congestion in the respiratory tract. As a warming carminative, thyme is also used to help ease gas and sluggish digestion. 

One of the tastiest ways to use thyme is in an oxymel. Join Herbal Academy team member Heather Skasick in this video demonstration from Session 2 of the Herbal Harvest DIY Apothecary Intensive as she shows you how to make a thyme oxymel, a sweet-and-sour preparation that’s perfect for cold and flu season. This same process works well with many other herbs, so feel free to adapt and include your favorite herbal allies for support.

The Herbal Harvest DIY Apothecary Intensive includes four sessions, 30+ recipes, and nine new videos, focused on sharing how to create a well-stocked home apothecary with eight foundational herbs. 

Want to grow them yourself? You’ll find all eight in our Garden Herbs Seed Set. 

Inside the Intensive, you will find:

Session 1 | Doing More With Less

In this Session, you’ll meet the eight garden herbs that form the foundation of this Intensive and learn how they overlap in supporting three important body systems: the nervous system, the digestive system, and the immune system. We will explore the unique actions and energetics of each herb and learn multifaceted uses for each, both individually and synergistically with other herbs.  

Session 2 | Immune System Support

This Session explores how herbs support the body during the cold and flu season. You will learn how these plants can strengthen immune health both by building resilience over time and also supporting acute situations. We will learn how to craft immuno-supportive preparations like tinctures, oxymels, syrups, and herbal infusions with our eight key herbs.

Session 3 | Nervous System Support 

Stress and tension have a way of showing up during the busy fall and winter seasons. Here you’ll discover practical (and delicious) preparations that help bolster and calm the nervous system, from teas to tinctures, and glycerites to elixirs.

Session 4 | Digestive System Support

Healthy digestion is foundational to our wellbeing. In this Session, you will learn how to prepare your herbal harvest to help settle the stomach, ease occasional digestive discomfort, and support the body’s digestive processes, with recipes and tutorials for creating digestive teas, bitters, herbal honeys, vinegars, and more.

The Herbal Harvest DIY Apothecary Intensive joins our many other popular intensives—on topics from fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause to botanical nootropics, kitchen herbalism, and holistic support for grief—as trustworthy resources in The Herbarium. 

Would you like to learn more about using easy-to-grow garden herbs to create preparations to support digestion and the immune and nervous systems? Get access to the Herbal Harvest DIY Apothecary Intensive today with quarterly or annual membership!

The Herbarium is an ever-expanding, illuminating virtual collection of over 200 (and counting!) searchable herbal monographs, topic-specific intensives, masterclasses, and numerous articles, videos, ebooks, and helpful downloadable resources. Members also gain instant access to several other intensives on popular topics, such as the Maker’s Holiday Herb and Spice DIY Intensive,  Regenerative Herbalism Intensive, and Herbal Safety Intensive (and many, many more!). The Herbarium is crafted to help you learn and grow in your herbal journey!

Learn more and sign up for The Herbarium here.