We have a regular wellness routine – especially in the winter!  We use our arsenal of essential oils to maintain our immune system naturally and this year we have been learning all kinds of other home remedies that we hear are foolproof!!!!

Elderberry Syrup is one of them! According to Edible Wild Food,  Elderberries are “sometimes propagated as an ornamental shrub, the elderberry bush is a member of the honeysuckle family. It attracts birds and butterflies and can be pruned back every few years to keep it looking good in a landscaped garden. This deciduous shrub produces a fruit that, in recent years has become very popular. The white flowers transform into dark purple fruit late summer. Although the flowers and berries are edible all other parts of this bush are poisonous containing toxic calcium oxalate crystals. Sambucus canadensis is a very close cousin of Sambucus nigra (European Elderberry).”

WebMD says:

“Elderberry is used for “the flu” (influenza), H1N1 “swine” flu, HIV/AIDS, and boosting the immune system. It is also used for sinus pain, back and leg pain (sciatica), nerve pain (neuralgia), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) .

Some people use elderberry for hay fever (allergic rhinitis), cancer, as a laxative for constipation, to increase urine flow, and to cause sweating.”

As mentioned above, this syrup can be used to help ward off the flu and colds and also is great on ice cream, pancakes or anything that needs great tasting syrup added!

The recipe is really easy peasy…dried elderberries, a couple of herbs, and honey – preferably local honey – make a yummy syrup to boost your immunity, ease allergies, can help to lower blood sugar levels, and has been looked at for its cancer fighting abilities.

Here is what you will need to make about 12 ounces…

• 1 3/4 cups of water
• 1/3 cup dried Elderberries – get them here
• 1/2 tsp. (or 1/2 stick) of organic Cinnamon Powder
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger root – 2 tsp. dried is ok too!
• 1/4 tsp. cloves or clove powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw/local honey (to your liking)

Here’s what you do…

Put the water, elderberries, cinnamon, ginger root, and clove in a 3 quart saucepan – don’t add that honey just yet though!!!!

Let all of this come to a boil and let it simmer for at least 30-45 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about half of the starting amount.

Remove it from the heat and when it’s cool enough to work with, pour the liquid through a strainer into a glass bowl or directly into a quart size Ball Canning Jar. Then squeeze the berries that are still in the strainer to get out all the remaining juice– I use a spoon to squeeze them in the strainer but you can use cheesecloth instead if you want.

Toss the elderberries and let the liquid cool off to a little warmer than room temperature and add the honey and stir well until the honey is melted. Pour into a jar if you used a bowl to mix it.

You are done! Wasn’t that easy?  And fun!  Elderberry syrup needs to live in your fridge, and you can take some each day!  The normal adult does is ½ – 1 Tbsp for adults and       ½ -1 tsp for kids – use your judgement according to age.

If you do get the flu – take the normal dose every few hours until you start feeling better, but let’s pray that you don’t!

Love and Blessings ~

Heather