Yarrow Cold Remedy

     I brewed up the Yarrow Cold remedy from  before Christmas and sent some to a relative that had a cold.  Since I couldn’t get Yarrow in the winter I used Yarrow tea which was wildcrafted.  It didn’t say on the box whether there were flowers or leaves in the tea.  I took the 2 ounces of Yarrow and mixed it with 3 pints of water and 1 ounce of ginger root. I was tempted to increase the amount of ginger, but stuck to the original recipe. The mixture was simmered in a ceramic pot and it took quite a while before it boiled down to 2 pints.  After that I strained the herbs through a steel strainer that was lined with butter muslin (the type they line cheese with).  Two cups of honey were added and put into amber coloured bottles.  I then labelled them with the date and the nature of the remedy.  I found that the formula was very sweet, so I might cut down on the honey next time I make it.  Also, within a week the remedy went bad and developed mold in it, since I was unable to get vegetable glycerine to preserve it.  Ascorbic acid was added to preserve the yarrow mixture, but it did not

keep it from going bad.