September is National Honey Month. I have lectured on oxymels at the Charles Mraz Apitherapy Courses sponsored by the American Apitherapy Society ( www.apitherapy.org ) in the last few years. An oxymel is a specialized sweet and sour herbal honey; a sweet honey mixed with a little sour vinegar. This combination is used as a carrier for herbal infusions, decoctions, concentrates, tinctures and much more.

Oxymels can be used as a gargle or even as a vehicle for intense herbal aids. Some of the best oxymels can be made with garlic and other herbs

To prepare the oxymel base add one pound of honey to 1.2 pint vinegar
Place the mixture in a pot and simmer to make a consistency of a syrup
To this one normal adds a medicinal agent ( of your choice - infusion, decoction, tincture etc) to prepare it as a gargle