My Mom’s honey cough mixture recipe (aka boere rad)

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I posted a pic on Instagram on the weekend showcasing all the medication that KK was taking. It’s a combo of his usual pre-Comrades panic mixed with a really runny nose. His fear is that it grows into a full blown chest infection. Eeek! Then on Sunday, I started to come down with an incredibly rusty throat & dry cough. Such bad timing. We both decided to bail on the RAC 10km race & suffered huge FOMO trawling through our Strava feeds. 

A couple of comments to the pic mentioned (over)dosing up on honey, especially some really passionate & convincing advise from @LaceyMcCarthy that honey was the only cure. 

Somewhere out of my memory bank I remembered that when I was younger, my mom gave us spoonfuls of a hectic concoction made with honey & a whole lot of other stuff. It was vile but it worked! 

Recipe in hand and chatting to my mom, I mixed up a bottle tonight. That smell brought back so many memories! It’s going to take a bit of convincing for KK to try it, but there was no hesitation from me! Honey cough mixtureI’ve got a strong feeling it’s going to work. It’s either because it’s so strong & deadly or possibly because it filled me with such happiness & pride that my mom’s honey mixture has been passed down to me. 

In case you’d like to try it, here’s the recipe: 
Lennons hoesmiddel

750gm honey 🍯 

1 bottle Lennons Turlington

1 bottle Borsdruppels

1 bottle Paregoric

1/2 bottle peppermint druppels

(Heat honey slightly if needed and add ingredients).

Let me know if this helped you! (And if perhaps my Mom should start her own business!) 

40 thoughts on “My Mom’s honey cough mixture recipe (aka boere rad)”

  1. Didn’t add the paragori but it definitely took the infection away slightly! Phlegms color changed, and the chest pains when I cough went away after one drink, I usually add 3 table spoons of the mixture to half a cup of hot water. Thank you!

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  2. I too totally believe in this mix, my mom too taught to me, being a person who has COPD with asthma/allergies, this mix works like a bomb….for a added little kick I add a pinch of ginger, pinch cinnamon, a tiny pinch of cloves to the mix

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  4. Thank you so much….my mom made the exact same recipe but not remembering the one med.(paragori) also the quantities, i browsed through dutch meds and came across your recipe…so happy i found it..thanks to mom

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    • Hello! No, no water. It will all miss together and be quite thick. You can use the honey or jam to make it thinner. All the best!

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  7. My Mom used to make something similar, I Just remember a bottle of Epecacuana Wine was also added.Have’t seen it for years.

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  8. Hi
    I’m really struggling to find Paragoric ??

    I use the same recipe a you passed down by my Ouma
    I just add a Tbsp of lemon

    This is my favourite ‘go-to most effective’ cough syrup but lately have had to make it sans the Paragoric
    Where do you find yours?

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    • Hello! Ooooh lemon. I’ll try adding in a few drops too next time, thanks. I managed to find all my ingredients at Dischem Nicolway Bryanston. If they don’t have, maybe ask your local pharmacy if they can source you some?

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  11. A few weeks back I started using your remedy using the Lenons recipy, but all that remains now is a very persistant nasel drip. I have been on a dr.s prescription for this…but none of the drops does not stop the nasal drip and weazing in my throat. What else can I try . By the way I did try comrades and now at 80 years I stil do my own short course run 3 times a week. I would like some response re my home remedy thatcould help… Thys…

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    • Hello Thys! Grrr, a post-nasal drip is the worst! I’ve been there too and it just doesn’t go away. It’s usually the cause of the cough too! My Dr says that I’m supposed to use the nose sprays consistently for 2 weeks before I see any results. The normal saline ones. I’ve tried that. Also tried Allergex at night, which is apparently non addictive. But shew, that’s all I can suggest. Sorry man, hang in there! And yes, don’t stop running! That’s fab!!

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  13. this works like a gem. i mix a different way. 750 grams honey, teaspoon paregoric, teaspoon turlington, half peppermint druppels and half the bottle of bors drupples. in 2 days cough is gone gone gone. for babies under five I rather use lemon, ginger and garlic, 2 fresh lemons, 2 sticks of ginger about the size of your pointy finger, about 4 nice size cloves of garlic. all sliced up and put in a nice jar honey poured over, put is in the fridge over night and then next day scoop out like 2 spoons in a cup or bottle and make a nice soothing tea for the baby.

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    • Oooh! The ginger and garlic are excellent ideas! All natural too! This* is what must surely make a huge difference and a great cuppa tea!

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  14. I mix just the honey and borsdruppels and peppermint drops my version of woods cough syrup. Turlington really tastes awful and the kids don’t like it . but the 3 ingredients I use works for the cough

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    • I remember also struggling to find. Eventually managed to get some from my local pharmacy and other stuff from Dischem but can’t recall which? It’s the Lennon yellow box so maybe phone around to check? Sorry

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