Elderberry Syrup Recipe

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with love and joy and ~family~!  There were also a few germs that joined the party.  We knew we were going to be hit with some flu and virus and cold germs, so I made a big batch of this goodness to help our festivities keep going. 

Have you heard of elderberry syrup?  No, not elderberry wine!  Although, that would be tasty and full of vitamins too!  Elderberries are these amazing little berries that pack a nutritional punch and have been used for centuries in healing all sorts of ailments. Check this out from http://www.blackelderberry.info/elderberry-history/:

At sites in Switzerland and Italy, researchers have uncovered evidence that the black elderberry may have been cultivated by prehistoric man, and there are recipes for elderberry-based medications in the records dating as far back as Ancient Egypt. Historians, however, generally trace the tradition of the elderberry’s healing power back to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek known as the “father of medicine,” who described this plant as his “medicine chest” for the wide variety of ailments it seemed to cure.
Over the centuries, elderberry has been used to treat colds, flu, fever, burns, cuts, and more than 70 other maladies, from toothache to the plague. In the 17th century, John Evelyn, a British researcher, declared, “If the medicinal properties of its leaves, bark, and berries were fully known, I cannot tell what our countryman could ail for which he might not fetch a remedy [from the elderberry], either for sickness or wounds.”

I had heard about this elderberry syrup in my natural mama groups for awhile, but I had never tried it for myself.  WHY?  What was stopping me?  It's amazing!  And it's inexpenisve and ~cozy~ to make at home.  I think it can get pricey when you buy it from a health food store like Whole Paycheck though  (Uh...I mean Whole Foods).

It is used as a cold and flu preventative and when if you do get sick, it can help speed up your healing.  It's literally nature's medicine.  And I swear I could drizzle it over pancakes.  Gluten free pancakes, of course.  :)

Here is the recipe I used from wellnessmama.com:

How to Make Elderberry Syrup for Flu Prevention

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

A simple natural remedy with a big nutritional punch. We keep this on hand during cold and flu season to ward off illness.

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Remedy

Serves: 8+

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup black elderberries
• 3.5 cups of water
• 2 T fresh or dried ginger root
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp cloves or clove powder
• 1 cup raw honey (we get from our farmer's market)

Instructions

1. Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey!)
2. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl.
3. Discard the elderberries (or compost them!) and let the liquid cool to lukewarm. When it is no longer hot, add 1 cup of honey and stir well.
4. When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.
5. Ta Da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity.
6. Standard dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

Have I mentioned that it tastes AMAZING?!  Try it!  It stimulates the immune system and makes you feel like you've had a wonderful dessert :)