Sage & Ginger Oxymel
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
April 28th, 2023
Hello my darlings,
Today we are going to make a Sage & Ginger Oxymel, an herbal health tincture & preventative measure. My husband and I pride ourselves on being very healthy people. Even with our niece somehow ALWAYS bringing a cold around after daycare. She’s around germs all the time and her little immune system is being put through the paces. One way we take preventative measures (when I say we I mean mostly me) is through the power of herbs! I love tea, which is the easiest ways to get a quick herbal fix. When I need something stronger, I turn to a traditional health remedy called an oxymel.
An oxymel is a tart herbal healing tonic made with vinegar and honey. Traditionally, it is made with more honey than vinegar but this ends up being incredibly sweet so most modern oxymels are made with a 1:1 ratio of honey & vinegar.
Oxymels have been around and at least documented since the age of Hippocrates (often called the father of medicine) who said, “You will find the drink, called oxymel, often very useful… for it promotes expectoration and freedom of breathing” (Hippocrates, 400 B.C.E.
This tonic does not simply need to be made of honey and vinegar, we can add herbs to enhance the health benefits! In today’s recipe we are going to use sage & ginger.
Topical vs. Ingested
It is important to note that the nutritional benefits and constituents of herbs and other natural ingredients can change whether we are applying them topically or ingesting them. This particular recipe is for a consumable drink, however as your holistic esthetician I would also like to tell you this: you can topically apply this recipe! You can use as a liquid exfoliant, like a mild peel or spot treat with this tincture.
Apple Cider Vinegar & Your Skin
You see, apple cider vinegar should be treated like an exfoliant as it contains malic acid & acitic acid. Malic acid comes from apples and the acitic acid from the vinegar. These two acids will gently exfoliate the surface of your skin, improving hydration and brightening your complexion – even improving hyperpigmentation and acne!
Apple Cider Vinegar can also balance the pH levels on your skin, just be sure to add hydration after applying the Apple Cider Vinegar! It is good to note that due to the antibacterial properties in this ingredient (and possibly because of the probiotics) you may see improvement in acne breakouts.
Apple Cider Vinegar & Your Body
Apple cider vinegar is essentially fermented apples. The brand you buy should come with the mother (I always recommend Braggs). Because of this, Apple Cider Vinegar is an excellent source of probiotics. It is also a powerful antibacterial, even Hippocrates used vinegar to clean wounds in his day. This makes it an excellent additive for keeping germs from infecting our bodies and giving us illnesses (even effective against e-coli!)
Health Benefits of Sage & Your Skin
If you read my article Health Benefits of Saging & How to Start, you would know there are many different types of sage. Garden Sage is the most common sage you will find for cooking and the one I will be using in my recipe.
Sage is used topically because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Which, funny enough, is also why we are using it internally! Internally, this property will help prevent sickness & dis-ease. Topically, this property will aid in reducing acne and possibly rosacea if your rosacea is triggered by an over abundance of skin mites.
Health Benefits of Ginger in This Oxymel
Ginger is another immune boosting ingredient when ingested. Gingerol is the main event here, the main bio-active compound that is. Ginger can be a powerful solution to nausea and aid against the cold and flu because of gingerol.
Ginger aids in healing the gut, which we know plays an important function in the health and vitality of your skin. Plus, ginger is excellent at reducing inflammation, ie. acne, rosacea, eczema, & psorisis.
Facial Recovery Oil - Skincare with Sage
The Facial Recovery Oil from Eminence Organic Skincare has long held a special place in my heart. See this is the product that finally healed my acne several years ago. I am very proud of my skin now but once, I suffered from horrible cystic acne. I tried everything. Including Pro-Active and an antibiotic which is why I have many gut issues to this day (but that is a whole other topic). The power of the Facial Recovery Oil comes from the Clary Sage, Sage Leaf Extract and the Jojoba Oil & Ylang Ylang. These key ingredients in this biodynamic product (biodynamic being incredible for sensitive skin) work to balance the skin, hydrate while eliminating bacteria and calming inflammation. It is a rescue product that many of my clients swear by.
How to Prepare Your Oxymel
This recipe is quite easy to prepare. It should only take a few minutes to make! However, you must know, you will need to set your tonic in a dark place for one week to thirty days for best results.
First, you’ll want to prepare your ginger by washing and skinning.
It is important to note, when making herbal formulas, we measure by parts, in this way it doesn’t matter how large your container is, you can make the recipe according to its size without having to calculate the cups to oz and all that while still receiving the equivalent health benefits of the herbs and roots.
Fill about 1/4 of your jar with the root. Then add about another 1/4 jar of washed sage.
Here is the part where you can get creative with your honey & vinegar ratios.
More honey makes it sweeter, which is excellent when preparing this for kids. Yes this recipe is safe *FOR CHILDREN OLDER THAN 1 YEAR* and always seek the advice of a physician if you have concerns about your child. I am not a doctor and would never try to advise you as one.
I typically make mine with enough honey to cover the ginger and sage at the bottom of the jar, letting it seep into the cracks and filling the bottom half of the jar with honey.
Fill the rest of your jar with apple cider vinegar all the way to the brim, because you don’t want your herbs to oxidize.
Place parchment paper over the top of the glass before topping with a metal lid, as the vinegar will cause the metal to rust.
Shake and store someplace cool and dark for one week to 30 days. When you feel as though your tonic has infused to your liking, strain out the sage and ginger. This tonic will keep for about 6 months – refrigerate to preserve for longer.
Dosage would be 1-2 tablespoons for an adult 2-3 times a day to prevent sickness and maybe once in awhile as a preventative measure. To be taken plain or you can easily add to water or a chilled glass of lemonade to add an earthy & spicy element to your drink.
Sage Advice
Enjoy my darlings and stay healthy! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!
Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!
