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Herbal Recipes
for Preventing and
Addressing Upper
Respiratory Infections
by Rosalee de la Forêt
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Text by Rosalee de la Forêt.

Illustrations by Tatiana Rusakova

©2020 Rosalee de la Forêt, LLC. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of
the author.

The herbal and plant information in this ebook is for educational purposes only. The information within the ebook is
not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other medical professional. If you have or
suspect that you have a serious health problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Always consult with a
health care practitioner before using any herbal remedy or food, especially if pregnant, nursing, or have a medical
condition.

Published by Rosalee de la Forȇt, LLC, Methow Valley, WA

First digital edition, March 2020. Published in the U.S.A


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Astragalus Immune-Building Chai 4

Strong Elderberry Tea 5
Parsley & Garlic Gremolata 6
Garlic-Infused Honey 7
Kid’s Immune Support Tea 8
Elderflower and Yarrow Tea 9
Strong Chamomile Tea10
Cayenne Tea 11
Healthy Lungs Tea 12
Looking for herbs? 13
About Rosalee 14

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Astragalus Immune-Building Chai

I drink a version of this throughout the winter months and attribute it to my good health. It’s
spicy, sweet, delicious and is best when taken daily for an extended period of time.

Ingredients

30 grams dried Astragalus root (A. propinquus)

30 grams dried codonopsis root (Codonopsis pilosula)
6 slices dried reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
2 grams cinnamon
1 gram dried ginger
3 cloves
20 ounces water

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30-60
minutes. (You can also put this in a crockpot overnight).

Strain. Drink throughout the day. This makes two servings; both servings can be drunk in a
day.
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Delicious Astragalus Immune-Support Tea

This beverage is a tasty way to provide deep nourishment, soothe your nervous system and
broadly support your immune system. Kids especially love this recipe. For best results, enjoy
regularly.

Yield: 4 cups

15 grams dried astragalus (or small handful of sliced roots) (Astragalus propinquus)
10 grams dried oatstraw (1/3 cup finely sifted) (Avena sativa)
10 grams dried de-seeded rosehips (1 tablespoon) (Rosa spp.)
10 grams dried roasted dandelion root (1 tablespoon) (Taraxacum officinale)
3 grams dried cinnamon chips or one stick broken into pieces (Cinnamomum spp.)
4 cups water
1 cup apple juice

Place the herbs and water into a medium-sized sauce pan.

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

Turn off the heat and add the apple juice. Let stand five minutes.

Strain.

Drink warm or cold as desired. (I prefer warm!) Drink within 48 hours.

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Sweet Elderberry Tea

Well known for their ability to ward off a cold or flu at the onset, elderberries can also be used
as a way to prevent getting sick. Building and nourishing herbs that can modulate or broadly
support the immune system are often classified as sweet herbs. These herbs don’t taste sweet
like sugar or honey, but they do have a hint of sweetness to them, often indicating that they
contain polysaccharides, which are known to benefit the immune system.

This recipe features a favorite sweet herb known for its ability to keep people healthy during
the cold and flu season: Astragalus (Astragalus propinquus). Astragalus comes in many shapes
and sizes, from long thin roots to chopped rounded roots. As a result, it is most accurate to
measure astragalus by weight for the tea. On the other hand, it’s hard to take too much
astragalus as it is a high dosage herb, so measuring by the handful is also acceptable. The
demulcent marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) also has a sweet taste and gives the tea a
thicker consistency, perfect if you live in a dry and arid climate or spend a lot of time in
heated buildings in the winter.

If not available, you can omit the Astragalus from this recipe.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried elderberries (30 grams)

20 grams dried astragalus root (small handful)
1 tablespoon dried marshmallow root (4 grams)
14 ounces water
honey or other sweetener as desired

Place the herbs and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a
simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain. Add honey or other sweetener as desired.

Drink throughout the day.

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Parsley & Garlic Gremolata

Gremolata is an Italian preparation that is very similar to pesto. However, instead of putting
the ingredients in a blender to puree until smooth, you finely mince everything in a coarse
texture. The result is an explosion of flavor that is delicious on meats and vegetables alike.
This is a wonderful way to enjoy lots of raw garlic daily! It’s super simple to make and
absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt (I prefer Maldon or another flaky salt for this)

Finely mince the parsley leaves (I use some stems if they are young and flexible) and add
them to a small bowl.

Finely mince the garlic cloves and add them to the parsley.

Zest the lemons and add it to the parsley and garlic. Mix well and taste. Does it need more
lemon? Garlic?

Add salt and taste again. Adjust to your preference. Enjoy within the day.

Garlic-Infused Honey
Honey is a tasty and powerful medicine all on its own. In fact, researchers have shown a
spoonful of honey to be better at stopping a cough than standard OTC medicines. 1 When we
add the wonders of honey with medicinal herbs, we have quite the pairing!

Practically any fresh herb can be infused in honey. Honey is hydrophilic, which means that it
pulls the water out from the fresh herbs. What you’ll notice is that in a day or two the infused
honey mixture transforms into a thinner liquid, more like a syrup.

I especially love garlic-infused honey. The sharp and pungent taste of garlic enlivens the
sweetness of the syrup. I reach for this mixture for a congested cough as well as a sore throat.

Look for local raw honey for this recipe. If your honey has crystallized, then heat it very gently
in a warm water bath in order to get it to a liquid state.

Note: Honey should not be consumed by children under the age of two or used in excess if
you have a metabolic disorder such as insulin resistance or diabetes.

Ingredients

about 5 garlic cloves

raw honey

Roughly chop the garlic cloves and let them stand for 15 minutes.

Place them in an 4-ounce glass jar; ideally the jar is 3/4 full with the garlic.

Next, fill the jar with honey. Stir well. Add more honey if necessary.

The honey will taste like garlic in as little as 2-3 days. You can strain the garlic if desired, or
keep it in the honey and eat it along with it.

This will keep indefinitely; however, the honey may crystallize over time. If this happens, you
can reheat the honey in a double boiler.

1 Goldman, Ran D. “Honey for Treatment of Cough in Children.” Canadian Family Physician 60, no. 12 (December 2014): 1107–10.
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Kid’s Immune-Support Tea

This is a delicious blend of immune-supporting herbs to keep your whole family healthy. It
can be enjoyed as a way to prevent illness or served freely at the first signs of a cold. This
recipe makes 1-4 servings, depending on the age/size/sensitivity of the child. Serve in small
amounts and let them decide how much is enough. Children under the age of two should not
consume honey. 

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried elderflowers (Sambucus nigra, S. cerulea)

1 teaspoon dried elderberries (Sambucus nigra, S. cerulea)
1/2 teaspoon dried lemon balm (Melissa officinale)
1/8 teaspoon dried ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Steep the herbs in 10 ounces of water, covered, for 10 minutes.

Strain. Add honey or other sweetener if desired.

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Elderflower and Yarrow Tea

This recipe comes from my book, co-authored with Emily Han, Wild Remedies.

This is our version of a very old Western herbal formula for colds and flu. It’s effective for
relieving general discomfort, but gentle enough for most people and even children. Both
elderflowers and yarrow are relaxing diaphoretics, making this blend especially well suited
for people with fevers who feel hot and restless. For best results, sip this frequently over the
course of an hour or so, rather than all at once. Putting it in a small thermos will keep it warm.

Peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, or even bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) are wonderful
mints to use in this blend. This is a strong-tasting tea. If you have a sensitive palate, you might
want to start with less yarrow or steep it for less time.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried yarrow leaves and flowers

1/4 cup dried elderflowers
2 tablespoons dried rose hips, cut and sifted, or 1/4 cup dried whole rose hips
Big pinch of dried mint, any type
2 cups water
Honey, to taste (optional)

Place all of the herbs in a pint jar.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Pour the water over the herbs, cover, and let steep for 30
minutes.

Strain. Add honey to taste, if desired.

Sip while warm.

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Strong Chamomile Tea

This variation of chamomile tea is much stronger in action than a simple chamomile tea
made with tea bags. I use this recipe when someone is experiencing a lot of spasmodic pain
such as back pain or menstrual cramps. I often recommend this when there is a fever
accompanied by aches, pains and a headache. You’ll notice that this tea has a strong bitter
taste, but you’ll also notice that you can really feel its relaxing and pain-relieving properties.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (10 grams) dried chamomile flowers (Matricaria chamomilla)

16 ounces of water

Steep the chamomile flowers in 16 ounces of hot water. Steep, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Strain and drink slowly while warm



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Cayenne Tea

Get ready to sweat! Cayenne is an incredibly diffusive herb that almost immediately pushes
fluids out of the skin, hence sweating! Taking a hot cayenne tea (or hot ginger tea) is one of
the first things I do when I feel a cold or flu coming on. Not only does this speed the healing
process and shorten the duration of a cold or flu, it also feels really good on the throat
(ironically).

The first time I made cayenne tea... well, it wasn’t pretty. Don’t do what I did and try to make
this with a tablespoon of cayenne powder. Holy smokes! If you have really potent cayenne
powder, then start with just an 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon. If you can handle that well, then slowly
increase the amount. The hotter the better, but you will get nauseous if you drink something
that is too strong for your tummy. My last advice is to sip this slowly. Again, it can upset the
belly if it is drunk too fast.

Ingredients

1/4 tsp cayenne powder (or more or less)

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp of honey (or to taste)
8 ounces of hot water

Place the cayenne powder in a cup. Pour the just-boiled water over it. Stir.

Add the lemon juice and honey. Stir. Sip slowly once it has cooled. The hotter you drink this
the better.
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Healthy Lungs Tea

This recipe comes from my book, co-authored with Emily Han, Wild Remedies.

This blend offers soothing relief for the respiratory system and is perfect for when you have
dry, irritated lungs that may be accompanied with spasmodic coughing. We like this blend
when we are recovering from a cold or flu or when we’ve been exposed to air pathogens like
wildfire smoke. For best results, drink throughout the day.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (10 grams) finely crumbled dried mullein leaves (Verbascum thapsus)
2 tablespoons (4 grams) finely crumbled dried plantain leaves (Plantago spp.)
2 tablespoons (4 grams) finely crumbled dried mallow leaves (Malva neglecta)
2 tablespoons cut and sifted dried rose hips, or 1/4 cup whole dried rose hips
2 teaspoons dried mint or tulsi leaves
3 cups water

Place all of the herbs in a quart jar (or quart-sized tea press).

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Pour the water over the herbs, stir well, and cover. Infuse for 30
minutes or as long as overnight.

Strain well, using a coffee filter or a couple of layers of cheesecloth to avoid the
small, irritating hairs of the mullein leaf.

Drink within 24 hours.

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Looking for herbs?

Here’s some ways to find high quality herbs.

1. Search for herbal apothecaries near you. Grocery stores will carry common spices like fresh
garlic and ginger.

2. Visit my listing of herb farms and wildcrafters within the US and Canada to find fresh herbs
near you.

3. Visit Mountain Rose Herbs, an online apothecary that sells high quality organic herbs. They
are my first choice for herbs I’m not able to find near me.
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About Rosalee

Rosalee de la Forêt is passionate about helping you explore the world of herbalism and
nature connection. She is the Education Director at LearningHerbs and a registered herbalist
with the American Herbalist Guild. Rosalee is the author of the bestselling book Alchemy of
Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal as well as Wild
Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine (co-authored with
Emily Han).

You can learn more with Rosalee through her online courses The Taste of Herbs, Herbal Cold
Care, and Apothecary: The Alchemy of Herbs Video Companion. 

Get more herbal recipes and

exclusive herbal trainings at

HerbsWithRosalee.com