Every Autumn, I watch families shift from the free-flowing days of summer into the structure of school schedules and busy routines. The mornings get cooler, the wind picks up and sweaters come out of storage. Adjusting to new schedules along with the waning light and fluctuating temperatures calls for a little extra herbal care! 

After more than 35 years of helping folks weave herbs into daily life, I’ve noticed this late-summer-to-fall transition is an important time to focus on three things: keeping hydration steady, soothing frazzled nervous systems, and making immune care simple enough that you’ll actually do it. 

This is the season to set your herbal table. A jar of tea-blend ready to grab. A bottle of tangy, vitamin-rich herbal syrup waiting in the fridge. A nightly cup of calming tea that helps the whole household wind down. It’s not about doing everything, it’s about a few steady practices that support you through the back-to-school swirl. We'll be offering three easy herbal recipes in three different posts to support your family’s health this autumn: 

·       Fever-Ease Tea for when colds or fevers begin 

·       Chamomile Tea for calming nerves and getting better sleep 

·       Rose Hip Syrup for a daily tonic that nourishes 

Rose Hip Syrup Recipe for Hydration & Immunity 

As the winds pick up and fireplaces or heaters start humming, you can feel dryness creep in. The skin gets tighter, the sinuses feel dryer, and it’s easier to catch any little bug that comes around. This is when I bring rose hips forward in my herbal pantry. 

Rose hips are the fruit that comes after the rose blossom — they are ready to pick when their color turns to a darker hue but are still a little firm. They’re packed with vitamin C and bioflavonoids, which help keep tissues strong and resilient. I love how they bring both nourishment and a sweet tart flavor that kids actually ask for. 

Ingredients: 

·       4 cups water 

·       2 cups dried rose hips

·       1 cup honey 

Directions:
Put dried rose hips in a pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and steep 45 minutes. Strain out the hips then return liquid to the pot, simmer until liquid decocts down to ½ the original volume. You’ll begin with 4 cups of water and end up with roughly 2 cups of rose hip decoction. Cool, stir in honey, bottle, and refrigerate. Shake before using and the shelf life is about 3 months kept in the refrigerator. 

How to use: 

·       A spoonful straight after school 

·       Stir into warm water and drink

·       Pour over pancakes, yogurt, or oatmeal 

·       Splash into sparkling water with lemon for afternoon drink

Rose hips are one of those herbs that are both food and medicine. Rose Hip Syrup hydrates, helps the body adjust to dry air, and brings a sweet tangy flavor that most people enjoy. Rose Hip Syrup is an autumn and winter staple in our house, it is so yummy!

Putting it all together: 

Here’s how you can make these three recipes part of your week without adding more stress: 

Sunday: Mix a jar of Fever-Ease Tea, make a batch of Rose Hip Syrup, set chamomile by the tea pot.

Weekdays: After school drink warm water with Rose Hip Syrup. In the evening, chamomile tea for everyone. 

When someone feels off: Start small sips of Fever-Ease Tea and let the body rest. 

What makes these recipes work is finding some consistency. Rhythm is what builds resilience over time. But even if you just do one of these, label your jars, invite your kids to scoop and stir, and let the herbs become part of your family’s daily rhythm. Here’s to a grounded, cozy start to fall.

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Kami McBride is the author of The Herbal Kitchen and has taught herbal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. Her 35 years of teaching herbal medicine is steeped in helping people feel confident in their herbal healing arts skills so they can energize home culture that embraces taking care of our bodies with herbal remedies, a deep connection with the earth and an herbal wellness-centered lifestyle that passes this knowledge on to the next generation. Kami can be reached at www.kamimcbride.com