A Sweet Taste of Herbalism

Sara Schuster

One of the questions I get most frequently when offering someone an herbal remedy is, “Does it taste good?” With herbal glycerites, I can easily answer with a resounding YES! Herbal glycerites have a syrup-like consistency and are made by infusing fresh herbs into vegetable glycerin. These are a great option for convincing children to try one of your herbal concoctions, or even the skeptical adults in your life. They’re also a wonderful option for anyone who chooses to abstain from alcohol, making them a good alternative to traditional herbal tinctures.

Making herbal glycerites doesn’t take much in the way of supplies or tools. You’ll need: jars with lids, fresh herbs, vegetable glycerin, and a butter knife or chopstick. A note on sourcing vegetable glycerin: this is very easy to find online and fairly inexpensive. You can find glycerins sourced from different plants such as palm, coconut, or soy; choose whichever you prefer. They will be odorless and slightly sweet. I always look for vegetable glycerins that are organic and designated as food grade, since I will be ingesting the finished product.

I find the herbs that work best as glycerites are usually either flowering plants or plants high in volatile oils, such as members of the mint family. Some of my favorite choices are elderflower, rose, lemon balm, sage, honeysuckle, chamomile, peppermint, ginger, and dandelion. Whatever herbs you select, make sure you are positive of your plant identification and that they were grown without being sprayed with any pesticides.

Once you’ve assembled everything for this project, you’ll start by filling your jar between two-thirds and three-quarters full. You’ll want your herb material to be loosely packed so that the vegetable glycerin can really permeate everything. Now you can go ahead and pour the glycerin over your herbs, stopping once you’ve covered them.

Using a butter knife or chopstick, give the mixture a good stir for a minute or two, fully mixing everything together as well as removing any air bubbles. Getting the air pockets out will lower the volume of the liquid in your jar. After stirring everything, you can now top off your jar by adding more vegetable glycerin, stopping about an inch below the lip of the jar.

And that’s it! You’ve made your first herbal glycerite. Put the lid on and make sure to label it with the contents and the date. Keep your jar somewhere you’ll see it regularly, but out of direct sunlight. Try to shake it up once a day, or at least every other day. After 4-6 weeks, you can strain out and discard the herbal material from the glycerin. Your herbal glycerite is now complete and ready to use! These are shelf stable and will keep for 1-2 years.

Because they’re naturally sweet, you can take them as is a spoonful at a time. They also make a delicious addition to hot teas in lieu of other sweeteners. In the summer, they make a refreshing combo by mixing an ounce or so with the seltzer water of your choice.