By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Care2 Green Living

During fluctuations of weather, everyone seems to get sick. People that were healthy all winter now have sniffles and sore throats—for which we have the perfect little secret weapon. These homemade throat lozenges are soothing beyond belief, a snap to make and omit the artificial colorings, flavorings and sugar found in many store-bought versions.

The beauty of homemade is that you know exactly what you're getting. Even natural products bought from the store depend on larger-scale production and often rely on ingredients that you can avoid when you do it yourself. Case in point: Homemade throat lozenges.

Skip the refined sweeteners and coloring and make your own with this very simple recipe. I go for the flower petal version because they remind me of the violet pastilles that my grandmother used to get, but adding some mint is nice, too, if you are feeling sniffly. The trick here is to use 1/2 cup total of whatever combination you think sounds soothing to your ails.

SIMPLE SOLUTION:  One of the key ingredients is marshmallow root, which you can order online or purchase at health food stores. Marshmallow root has been used since antiquity to tame sore throats because it has a soothing effect on inflamed and irritated tissues.

1/2 cup total:

• Dried peppermint
  
• Dried spearmint
  
• Violet petals
  
• Rose petals
  
• Powdered ginger

Honey
1 teaspoon dried marshmallow root

1. With a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, crush dried herbs/petals to a fine powder. Mix with enough honey to form a ball, and add marshmallow root.

2. Shape into small balls or ovals and allow to dry on a baking sheet at room temperature for 24 hours. Wrap in wax paper, or store in a jar, refrigerated for up to 8 weeks.