Carrageen Seaweed Cough and Cold Syrup

Carrageen, Carrageenan, Irish Moss, Chondrus Crispus

I've always loved the taste of Carrageen seaweed, I find it so comforting and soothing, which is just what you need when you're feeling under the weather - a nourishing, easily digestible, tasty food or drink. Maybe it's the 14% Irish in me (see note below), or maybe it's just that carrageen is delicious and good for you.

Coughs and colds can be an inevitable part of the winter (or any time of year in fact), and it is a time to be gentle with yourself (as gentle as the cooked texture of carrageen even) and get a kick-ass remedy that helps you slip through the day more easily.

This has definitely helped me in those times of need.

It has stopped my tickling cough, and incessant cough, you know the type I mean?

Oh by the way, Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus or Mastocarpus stellatus) is another name for Carrageen and the tradition of using this seaweed in Ireland continues to this day, including for coughs, colds and sore throats. This syrup recipe isn't actually a syrup, you can sweeten it of course, though its thick, syrupy texture comes from the natural thickener created by cooking carrageen.

All you need to make this is a few simple ingredients and choose your preferred flavourings. For example, you could use;

Carrageen
Honey
Lemon

Though I like this kick-ass version with;

Carrageen
Tumeric
Black pepper corns
Root ginger
Honey

You could look up the benefits of some of these ingredients and make your own choice (or just look in your cupboard and see what you have to hand). Carrageen is one of the seaweeds I cover on my seaweed foraging courses and give you lots of info of how to identify it, seasons to pick and all the nutritional benefits.

I also talk through the process of drying seaweeds and include additional recipes for carrageen in my seaweeed foraging book and offer a fab Carrageen panna cotta recipe in my first book; Wild Food Foraging in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. All information that is available to you if you'd like to access it.

Back to the recipe...

Here it is, simple, nourishing and very soothing for a cough, cold or a sore throat.

Carrageen Cough and Cold Syrup

This recipe makes enough for about 4-8 cups worth (depending on the size of your mug or cup). It will keep for up to a week and you can heat a mug at a time to sip through the day. I have 1-2 mugs a day, depending on how severe my cough is and how much relief my body is craving.

Ingredients

1200 ml water
50 g dried carrageen (Mastocarpus stellatus or Chondrus crispus)
2 tsp tumeric powder
2.5 cm chunk of root ginger (chopped)
2 tsp black peppercorns
Honey to taste.

Place the carrageen seaweed in a suitably sized saucepan and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Add the other ingredients, except the honey, bring to the boil before lowering the heat and simmering for 15 minutes. The seaweed will break down into smaller pieces and the result for a be a thick, syrup like liquid. Sieve and put the syrup aside to cool. Heat as and when needed, adding honey to taste, keeping the remainder in the fridge for up to a week, covered.

Somethings are worth closing your eyes to drink; think of the sea, get cosy and sip slowly. This is in part because this drink wins in taste, though not for looks. Close your eyes, enjoy, get better and drink.