Before pharmacies existed, every village home had its own: a pantry. Tinctures for digestion, syrups for coughs, preserves for winter, and ointments for 'everything that hurts'. We have collected the recipes just as they were passed down by herbalists and grandmothers — step by step, without shortcuts. You can find the full versions of all the recipes in the app, in The Book of Knowledge → Grandma's Recipes.
St. John's wort tincture — 'the blood of St. John'
Pour 500 ml of 70% spirit over two cups of flowering St. John's wort tops (harvested on a sunny afternoon). Let it sit in the dark for three weeks, shaking every two days — the tincture will take on a ruby hue, formerly known as 'the blood of St. John'. Strain and let it mature for two weeks. Use 15–20 drops in water 'for sadness and for the stomach'. Caution: St. John's wort interacts with many medications and can cause photosensitivity.
Elderflower syrup
Layer 30–40 flower heads (harvested in the morning, not rinsed!) in a jar with slices of two lemons. Pour over cooled syrup made from 1 kg of sugar and 1 liter of water. After 48–72 hours, strain, bring to a boil with a teaspoon of citric acid, and pour into sterilized bottles. A tablespoon in hot water was said to work 'for fever and cough' — without risk. Remember: before picking the elderflowers, grandmothers would bow to the bush — 'spirits of our ancestors live under the elder'.
Plum preserves — a three-day ritual
5 kg of ripe plums, pitted, are cooked without sugar over low heat for 2–3 hours a day for three days, stirring with a wooden spoon — slowly, in one direction, 'so that good does not recede in the home'. On the third day, the mixture is almost black and so thick that a spoon stands upright in it. Pour the hot preserves into sterilized jars and pasteurize for 20 minutes.
Calendula ointment with lard
Heat two handfuls of calendula flower heads for 15 minutes in 250 g of melted lard (just barely bubbling, do not fry). Cover for 24 hours, reheat, strain into jars, and keep in the fridge. For chapped hands, rashes, and cracked heels. 'What calendula cannot heal, nothing can heal' — grandmothers used to say.
Comfrey ointment — 'the herb that heals broken bones'
Heat 100 g of grated comfrey root (dug up after the first frost) in lard for 20 minutes, set aside overnight, and strain. For external use only — for bruises, joints, and 'sprained' ankles. Comfrey should not be taken orally.
Four thieves vinegar, garlic honey, and onion syrup
Three classic pantry safeguards: four thieves vinegar (sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, mint, and garlic macerated for 2–4 weeks in apple cider vinegar — legendary protection 'in times of plague'), garlic honey (2 heads of garlic in 250 g of honey for a week — a teaspoon daily from October to March), and the oldest Polish 'syrup': onion with sugar, set aside overnight, taken by the teaspoon for cough.
Where to find the full recipes?
In the Ezostylia app, in The Book of Knowledge, there's a new tab 'Grandma's Recipes' — 12 complete recipes step by step (tinctures, syrups, preserves, rose jam, ointments, poultices) along with interesting tidbits from herbalists. Also, read our article about herbs of the herbalists with authentic photos.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (public domain / CC). Recipes: records of folk traditions from Podlasie and the Polish countryside.