How to Make Herb-Infused Honey

If you have been using herbal remedies and natural medicine at all, then you already 
know the power of using honey for many of your health needs. Honey can be used in 
daily beauty routines, to reduce skin issues, and many other applications. What you 
may not know is that you can increase the potency of your honey and the medicinal 
properties it provides by infusing it with different herbs. The trick is, how to do this. It is 
actually a simple process and can be done at home based on the remedy and need. 

Start With Pure Honey

The key point to remember as a first step to making herbal infused honey is to start off 
with the right honey. You can not simply buy the little plastic bear from the store and 
hope it works. Most store bought and commercially processed honey is actually not 
honey but a mixture of sugar and syrups with only a small amount of honey or honey 
flavor. For medicinal uses you will need pure honey or raw honey. There are many ways 
you can determine if you are buying the right honey, but the most common methods are 
to look for locally made honey with the honeycomb still in the jar or to look for raw honey 
that has not been processed. The raw honey will have a cloudy appearance and be a 
little denser than your typical processed honey. Either of these options will work for 
herbal infused honey. 

Heating, Infusing, and Cooling Down

The first thing you may want to do is grab your honey, grab the herbs, then reach for a 
sauce pan. This is where you need to stop and backup from the kitchen. No actual 
stove heat is required for this herbal infusion. In fact, if you heat the honey and herbs 
you could end up breaking down the honey or the herb and greatly reducing their 
medicinal value for your needs. Instead, grab a mason jar and your herbs. You will only 
need to place the herbs in the jar, pour the honey over the herbs, and place the herbs in 
a window that gets direct sunlight for the vast majority of the day. The natural heat from 
the sun will heat the honey without damaging it. If you want, you can bruise the herbs 
slightly to release their potency into the honey. The honey mixture should be turned at 
least once per day to get an even amount of sun on the entire mason jar. 

Storage, Filtering, and Bottling

You will need to allow the herbs to infuse into the honey for at least one week. If the 
herbs swell over the honey, add more honey and increase the time by an additional 
week. Test the herbal infusion by tasting the mixture. If you can’t taste the herbs in the 
honey, add an additional week to the curing time. Keep tasting the honey each week 
until you reach the desired flavor. Once you have reached the desired flavor, strain the 
honey mixture to remove the herbs and place the honey into a marked mason jar. You 
can store the honey in your kitchen and use the herbal infusion in teas, directly, or in 
foods. 

These are the three basic steps to making your own herbal infused honey for pain or 
medicinal remedies. You can make this herbal infused honey as needed or in larger 
batches. Remember to store the infused honey in a dry cool place to keep the potency. 
