Elderberry Syrup is all the rage these days, and with good reason! It's an incredible herb for immune support and one of my favorite remedies to have ready when cold and flu season rolls around. 

So what makes elderberries worthy of “big guns” status in the home of an herbalist? One obvious reason is all that immune-loving goodness, but my favorite reason of all is that it's yummy medicine!

For those of you with kiddos around (or if you have taste buds 😂), you know how hard it can be to get your little ones, or yourself, to take their medicine...

So what makes elderberries so special to be used as the “big guns” in the home of an herbalist? One of the obvious reasons I already stated is that it’s a great immune booster, but my favorite reason of all though is that its yummy medicine! 

For those of you with kiddos around, (or if you have taste buds), you know how hard it can be to get your little ones (or yourself) to take their medicine.  Mary Poppins was really onto something when she said “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”; only I like to replace refined sugar with a healthier alternative like honey. Not only does the honey replace the sugar well as a sweetener, but it also helps to preserve the syrup.

So let's nerd out for a minute on elderberry and why I love having it around during cold and flu season.

• Scientific studies have shown elderberries to be highly effective for deterring 10 different flu viruses.
• Studies of people with the flu showed those that used elderberries had their symptoms gone in 2-3 days; whereas the placebo group took 6-8 days.
• Elder helps to excrete waste products through urination and sweating, a reason why it is effective against colds and flu and some general respiratory problems.
• Elderberry juice contains high amounts of flavonoids called anthocyanins, which are very strong anti-oxidants!
• The anthocyanins produce cytokines. Cytokines are little protein messengers that help boost the immune system by alerting the immune cells that a pathogen, or invader, is on the prowl in your body, and it’s time to build the army and fight it off.
• Elderberries are high in Vitamin C which increases the antioxidant effect
• They appear to strengthen cell membranes to prevent viruses from penetrating into the cell wall.
• Great expectorant and very helpful with coughs; really nice after this fire season!

I’m sure you’d love to keep sickness out of your house as much as possible too, so with that, I’ll quit with the scientific herb nerd stuff, and get on to the goods. Here’s my basic elderberry syrup recipe for you. Scroll to the bottom for a list of other potential herbs to add in if you feel like getting a bit more creative.  I usually do! 

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups freshly-picked Elderberries (or substitute 3/4 cup dried organic berries)
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups honey - raw, local honey if available
• 1-3  inch cinnamon stick
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 1 Tbsp dried ginger (or substitute 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger)

Instructions

1. Combine everything but the honey and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and slowly simmer for about 20 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Using a potato masher, or another crushing device, crush the berries and set aside to cool for a while.
4. Strain the concoction, compost solids, and set the liquid aside.
5. Add the honey and mix to dissolve.
6. Viola!  You have made your own Elderberry syrup!
7. This makes approximately 4 cups of syrup and can be stored in the refrigerator for about 8 weeks.  This can also be frozen in ice cube trays for longer storage and taken out as needed.

Recommended Dosing

The standard dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. It can be taken daily during flu season, as a preventative.  You can also take it for a week, then take a few days off, and repeat that process.  If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

There are many ways to adapt this recipe and make your own personally blended elderberry syrup.  Below is a list of other possible herbs to enhance your syrup and make it ideal for your needs.  Keep in mind that the more dense herbs (roots, barks and berries) need to be simmered for longer, whereas the more delicate herbs (flowers and leaves) should be added at the end when beginning to cool it down. Have fun with it, get creative, and save money while doing it!

Rosehips: are high in nutrients and a great source of vitamin C, important for immune system function. Put it in as a powder, once the syrup has cooled, to preserve the vitamin C.          

Cinnamon: aromatic and pungent herb that is highly antimicrobial, anti-viral, anti-bacterial. It is included in this recipe to “warm-up” the recipe. It also tastes great!                  

Licorice:  Licorice is another powerful antiviral herb and is a wonderful synergistic herb that can be added in small amounts to formulas.  Licorice should not be used for people with hypertension or during pregnancy.                                                

Black Pepper: Pepper is a wonderful activator herb that helps other herbs be more effective. When you add small amounts of pepper to other herbs it makes them more bioavailable (easier for the body to take in) and thus more potent.

Ginger: Warming, expectorant, good flavor, beneficial for colds, flu, and congested sinuses, immune stimulant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-nausea

More Great Herbs to Consider Playing With

Immune stimulants: Echinacea, Astragalus, Reishi, Chaga, Ginger     

Soothing Lung Herbs:  Mullein, Licorice, Elecampane, Hyssop, Lungwort

Warming Herbs: Cardamom, Osha, Cinnamon, Ginger, Orange Peel, Cayenne

Relaxing Expectorant Herbs: Wild Cherry Bark, Elecampane Root, Anise Seed, Fennel, Yerba Santa, Mullein, Althea, Hyssop, Lungwort, Lobelia 

I hope this helps you to feel empowered to take your health and your family’s health into your own hands. Nature truly is amazing, and she provides for us in so many ways. Herbal medicine is just one of them! 

Shoot me a DM, and let me know how your syrup turned out.

Elderberry Syrup Is Awesome. But What Do You Reach For When It's NOT Elderberry? 

Knowing how to make a great herbal remedy is one thing.

But then your kid wakes up coughing.

Or somebody's got a stuffy nose, a sore throat, a fever, or some other lovely bit of crud making its way through the house... and suddenly you're standing in front of all those herbs and remedies wondering:

Okay... what the heck do I use for THIS?

That's exactly why I created Kick The Sickness With A Quickness, you can get it here.

It's my practical, self-paced herbal course designed to help you understand what to look for, what herbal actions make sense, and how to choose the right herbs for what's actually happening.

Because there's a big difference between knowing that an herb is “good for coughs” and knowing which kind of cough you're looking at and what your body actually needs.

We'll get into coughs, stuffy and runny noses, sore throats, fevers, allergies, immune support, and plenty of practical herbal remedies you can actually make and use at home.

So if you're ready to go beyond collecting herbal recipes and start feeling more confident using the herbs you already love...

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