Monday morning, a day in December – sniffling noses and coughing mouths are waiting for me in the office. It’s getting colder outside, which means it’s high time to dedicate myself once again to our immune systems. Where better to get advice than from my grandmother! So often she has helped me with one or other little home remedy! And this time, too, she knows just what to do: the long-forgotten sour honey is sure to help us out!
Also known as oxymel, sour honey is a mixture of honey (“meli”) and vinegar (“oxos”) and has been known since ancient times. The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory substances of honey as well as its numerous healthy ingredients such as calcium, magnesium and many vitamins and the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and trace elements of vinegar combine and complement each other perfectly as oxymel. And on top of that, the production is “easy as pie”!
What I need:
1 part high quality apple cider vinegar
(unheated! – When buying, make sure that the vinegar has not been pasteurised so that the “good” bacteria are retained).
3 parts good honey
(according to taste, liquid honey is better than cream honey. If using cream honey, warm it up beforehand. Max. 38 degrees Celsius)
Possibly herbs, fruits or, as in my example, ginger.
Sterile screw-top jar
And 4 weeks of patience!
I mix 6 parts honey, 2 parts vinegar and ginger in a clean and sterile screw-top jar, let the mixture stand for 4 weeks and shake it carefully from time to time. Mixed with a wide variety of medicinal herbs, the effect of Oxymel can be applied to a wide variety of areas in the body and the sour honey can be used in a targeted way:
| Area | Healing plant |
| Good for children | Mint, lavender, camomile, fennel, marigold |
| Immune system | Nasturtium, ginger, sea buckthorn |
| Fever | Elderflower, lemon, basil, horseradish |
| Coughs & colds | Thyme, ribwort, sage, garlic, horseradish |
| Anti-inflammatory | Rosehip, ginger |
| Detoxifying | Wormwood branches |
| Calming | Camomile, lavender, rose petals, pine cones |
| Digestion | Gentian root, camomile, fennel, mint |
| Bone-strengthening | Spruce buds |
| Heart-strengthening | Hawthorn, Diptam |
| Blood purifying | Dandelion |
Another bonus, besides the simple production, is that Oxymel does not contain any alcohol and is therefore the perfect immune booster for our children! A spoonful of sour honey every day and the cold season can come!
Oxymel is rich in antioxidants, reduces fever, soothes, strengthens the immune system and detoxifies.
Honey and vinegar in combination also have a positive effect on digestion and muscles. Another tip for athletes: mix Oxymel with mineral water – this makes a tasty and healthy refreshing drink, sweetened by the honey, but guaranteed sugar-free and healthy!
After 4 weeks, I pour the honey-vinegar mixture through a sieve into a clean bottle, put a Christmas label on it and wish my colleagues at work a Merry Christmas – without coughs and colds and with lots of strength, power and immune defence – thanks to Grandma’s home recipe ;).
You can find out where to get your honey for the Oxymel in the Salzburger Sportwelt holiday region here.
With the Oxymel you are perfectly equipped for the coming winter days in the Salzburger Sportwelt holiday region. Find out here what you can experience with us in winter.
If you want to take a look behind the scenes of our holiday region Salzburger Sportwelt, then you can find more blog posts from our region on the subject of winter here.
photo credits: Eva-Maria Gruber
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