She say she got this from a book: Herbs for the kitchen by Irma Goodrich Mazza. She says she loves it and it is very powerful!

Simmer two cups horehound leaves and stems (packed down) in one cup water for a half hour. Cool. drain. (She also presses down the leaves with a fork to get out all the flavor).

For every two cups of horhound infusion, add three cups sugar. Boil up, and add a piece of butter the size of an egg. Continue boiling until the syrup, in cold water, makes a "hard ball". Pour into a buttered shallow pan, and when cool mark into squares.

Cathie gathers her horehound several times every summer, makes the infusion, and freezes it until some time in the winter when she makes a big batch of candy. Another note she shares is the fact that you can cut off the top third of the horehound plant the first year and cut it back more heavily in future years.

(Thanks, Cathie, for sharing!)

2 tsp. horehound leaves. ( Made into tea with 1 cup boiling water). We do this with a regular coffee pot.

2 cups sugar

3 tbls. Butter

1/2 c. molassses. We used black strap.

Let 1 cup horehound tea steep for about 3 minutes, or to taste.

In a saucepan with the sides buttered, add 1 cup horehound tea, 2 cups of sugar and 3 tablespoons butter + molasses.

Bring to a boil with medium heat and continue to boil until temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 260-270 degrees. (This is really important because if it goes higher than this, the rolling and twisting becomes unmanageable. Gets hard to fast.)

Pour into a buttered pan and let set until cool enough to handle.

Pull candy with buttered hands, twisting into ropes 4-5 inches long. Snip into pieces with kitchen shears.

When cut, place all the pieces in a plastic container with sugar and shake for coating.

NOTES: to prevent unnecessary crystalization, never stir the pot or scrape the pan.

The reader who sent this to me says "this is incredibly great!".

This was sent to me via e-mail, so thanks in advance to:

Infusion, cough syrup, & horehound drops.....from "stalking the heathful herbs" by Euell gibbons.

'To make a stong infusion, boil 1 cup of fresh leasves or 1/4 c. of dried herb with 2 c. h2o for 10 minutes, let it sit for about 5 minutes more, then strain. This is too strong to drink as tea, but 1 part infusion and 2 parts boiling h2o make a horehound tea that many injoy as a pleasant beverage, and is a common household remedy for coughs and colds. Given very hot to a patient who is in bed and warmly covered, it will induce sweating, which many believe to be beneficial during a cold. It will also help to allay coughs and ease tickling of the throat, enabling the patient to rest easier, and the fact that you are there administering potions, spreading blankets and fussing about shows the patient that you care about thier welfare. Don't tell me that home remedies are useless!

To make a pleasant tasting and effcacious cough syrup, mix 1 part horehound infusion with 2 parts honey and stir until it is smooth. This sounds like an awfull lot of honey, but if you use less, the cough syrup is likely to spoil. I use thyme honey in making this cough syrup, thus getting the medicinal benefits of 2 fine herbs, but ordinary clover honey will make a good syrup.

To make horehound drops use 1 cup horehound infusion, made as directed above, to 2 cups white sugar. Put the sugar in a small but deep saucepan and stir in 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter, then add the infusion. Stir until sugar has dissolved, then cook over low heat until it reaches just 290 degrees on a candy themometer, or until a drop in cold h2o will become a hard glassy ball. Pour on a buttered plate and score into cough drop sizes when it has half hardened. When cool, break apart and keep in a cool place until used."

THANKS, ROBERT AND NANCY FOR SHARING THESE GREAT IDEAS WITH US! PERHAPS THIS YEAR WILL BE THE YEAR TO FINALLY GET THAT HOREHOUND CUT!

'To make a stong infusion, boil 1 cup of fresh leasves or 1/4 c. of dried herb with 2 c. h2o for 10 minutes, let it sit for about 5 minutes more, then strain. This is too strong to drink as tea, but 1 part infusion and 2 parts boiling h2o make a horehound tea that many injoy as a pleasant beverage, and is a common household remedy for coughs and colds. Given very hot to a patient who is in bed and warmly covered, it will induce sweating, which many believe to be beneficial during a cold. It will also help to allay coughs and ease tickling of the throat, enabling the patient to rest easier, and the fact that you are there administering potions, spreading blankets and fussing about shows the patient that you care about thier welfare. Don't tell me that home remedies are useless!

To make a pleasant tasting and effcacious cough syrup, mix 1 part horehound infusion with 2 parts honey and stir until it is smooth. This sounds like an awfull lot of honey, but if you use less, the cough syrup is likely to spoil. I use thyme honey in making this cough syrup, thus getting the medicinal benefits of 2 fine herbs, but ordinary clover honey will make a good syrup.

To make horehound drops use 1 cup horehound infusion, made as directed above, to 2 cups white sugar. Put the sugar in a small but deep saucepan and stir in 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter, then add the infusion. Stir until sugar has dissolved, then cook over low heat until it reaches just 290 degrees on a candy themometer, or until a drop in cold h2o will become a hard glassy ball. Pour on a buttered plate and score into cough drop sizes when it has half hardened. When cool, break apart and keep in cool place until used.