Elderberry Syrup Recipe: Immune-Booster and Natural Cold and Flu Remedy

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It is definitely that time of year when all of us know at least one person, and most likely several, that is sick.  Is there anything we can do about it besides locking ourselves in our homes?

The answer is yes.  Next week I have a post about several of my favorite immune-boosters.  This week I wanted to focus on one of my favorites.  This is something I am never without, especially in the winter months.

It is Elderberry Syrup.

Black Elderberries or Sambucas Nigra are dried berries that have a long history across cultures and are one of the most-used medicinal plants worldwide.

Elderberry Syrup is a very easy way to get the benefits of these berries.  Elderberries have been shown to help break a fever, have immune-boosting properties, and help shorten the duration of the cold/flu.  

Use it when everyone around you is getting sick, or you’re going to be traveling and exposed to a lot of germs.  

Also, if you do get a cold or the flu, most of the conventional medicines only relieve symptoms and often have ingredients that work against your immune system.  Elderberry syrup actually works with your body so that you get better faster.  I would recommend this for everyone’s medicine cabinet.

According to this study, the use of elderberry shortened influenza-like symptoms by 4 days.  Wow!

Here’s another study that was done on airplane passengers, and it was found that elderberry supplementation reduced cold duration and symptoms in air-travelers.

If you don’t want to make your own, you can purchase elderberry in several different forms at your local health food store or Amazon,  It comes in liquid, lozenges, and gummies.  

However, it is very easy and less expensive to make your own.  

Print

Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients

• 4 Cups water
• 2 Cups dried elderberries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger root
• 1 Cup raw local honey

Instructions

1. Combine the water, berries, and herbs in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and mash the berries in the liquid.
4. Strain the pulp through cheesecloth or a strainer and keep the liquid.
5. Discard pulp.
6. Add the honey to the liquid and stir until combined.
7. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
8. Freeze anything you can't use up.

Here are the elderberries that we use.

Here’s how we take it:

Prophylactically: 1 tsp the night before we travel, 1 tsp the morning of, and 1 tsp the day we come home.  We also take 1 tsp a day for adults and half that for kids, during cold/flu season or anytime we want to boost our immune systems.  

If we want to shorten the duration of a cold/flu, then we take double that dosage and take it every few hours.  

Here’s to your health!

With love + gratitude,

Red