(Based on a Rosemary Gladstar recipe)
This recipe takes a herbal and wholefoods approach to supporting iron and mineral levels in the body.
Nothing in the body works in isolation and rather than relying on isolated vitamins and minerals, this syrup incorporates iron and mineral-rich foods that also contain many bioavailable cofactors that are necessary for optimum iron absorption, such as copper, vitamin C and magnesium.
Ingredients
- 1 litre water
- 3 tablespoons yellow dock (Rumex Crispus) root
- 3 tablespoons nettle (Urtica Dioica)
- 2 tablespoons dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) root
- 2 tablespoons alfalfa (Medicago Sativa)
- 2 tablespoons dried apricots
- ½ – 1 cup raw honey
- ¼ cup Brandy (optional: preservative)
- ¼ cup Fruit concentrate (for flavour) (up to ½ cup if plain fruit juice) – sour cherry, pomegranate are delicious (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons Blackstrap molasses
- 2 teaspoons Nutritional yeast
- Spirulina powder (optional)
Optional: 3 tablespoons dandelion leaf, 3 tablespoons raspberry (rubus idaeus) leaf, 1 tablespoons horsetail (Equisetum) (short term herb) 1 tablespoons rosehips (rosa sp.), 1 tablespoon seaweed, ½ tablespoons fennel (foeniculum vulgare), 1 teaspoon spirulina powder (if you include all these, maybe increase water to 5/ 6 cups and adjust other ratios as needed)
Directions:
- Add the herbs, dried apricots and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then lower heat, cover with lid and simmer for 1 hour. Over this time, even with lid on, the liquid should reduce a bit to make a more concentrated tea (to roughly 2.5 cups).
- Strain herbs (pressing gently with a spoon to extract most of the liquid) and pour liquid back into pot.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix (start with ½ cup honey and once combined, add more if needed).
- Pour into a bottle and label with ingredients and date made
Shelf life: iron syrup will last up to a month in the fridge (maybe longer). Discard if taste changes, goes fizzy, smells fermented or any signs of mould (I’ve never seen any of this, just mentioning)
Suggested use: adults – 2- 4 tablespoons. Reduce dose if get loose stools.
Can drink as is, or dilute with water.
Drink away from dairy as dairy inhibits iron absoroption.
(Rosemary Gladstar’s (recipe which this recipe is based off) had a suggested dose of 4 – 6 tablespoons)
