Immune Boosting Elderberry Syrup Recipe! One of our family’s favorite way to boost our immune systems and heal faster with herbs!
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We have used elderberry syrup for years now.
It was one of my gateway drugs into the world of holistic health and herbalism.
Now I’m far down the rabbit hole, you may never find me again. But I’ve always stuck with my tried and true original successes like this syrup.
Since then I have added a few more things to this recipe like astragulus and rosehips to just increase the immune boosting power even more so. It has become even more effective with each herbal addition.
Elderberry syrup is such an easy thing to start with that actually makes a big difference.
One of my passions is learning how to heal and support our family myself without having to use western medicine. I’ll be the first person to admit that there is a time and a place for conventional medicine, and I’m so grateful that it’s there. But there isn’t much they can do for a cold or flu because it’s just something your body needs to go through, with some extra support if possible.
Not only that, but going to western medicine right away can actually cause more issues in the long run. For example jumping right to antibiotics for an infection instead of trying activated charcoal first. Your gut is stripped of beneficial bacteria and it takes years to fully recover. There are just hundreds of examples of how western medicine should not be our first choice. Even though it’s amazing that it’s there for true emergencies.
So using elderberry syrup is just one of the ways we support ourselves through a sickness. I’ve been continually amazed at how well it works.
Elderberries can not only help you get better faster from a sickness, but it can even prevent the sickness in the first place if you are taking it preventatively.
Benefits of elderberry
Elderberries have the most amazing nutrients and vitamins that give our bodies what they need to effectively fight a sickness. They stimulate the immune system and are packed with antioxidants, vitamins C, B, and A, as well as iron and potassium.
Elderberries are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins. Antioxidants are especially important because they fight free radicals, which can cause damage to your cells if left unchecked. Antioxidants also fight inflammation and strengthen your immune system.
“Dr Madeleine Mumcuoglu, or Hadassah-Hebrew University in Israel found that elderberry disarms the enzyme viruses use to penetrate healthy cells in the lining of the nose and throat, Taken beofre infection, it prevents infection. Taken after infection, it prevents spread of the virus through the respiratory tract. In a clinical trial, 20% of study subjects reported significant improvement within 24 hours, 70% by 48 hours, and 90% claimed complete cure in three days. In contrast, subjects receiving the placebo required 6 days to recover.”
Immune Boosting Elderberry Syrup Recipe
- 2 cups dried elderberries
- 4 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp dried clove
- 1/4 cup dried rose hips
- 1/4 cup dried astragalus root
- 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- Raw honey
Measure out the elderberries, water, cinnamon stick, clove, rose hips, astragalus, and ginger into a large pot. Set on the stove and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the burner to low and simmer lightly for 30 minutes.
After it has finished simmering, turn the burner off, leave the lid on and let it steep for 1 hour.
Strain off the liquid from all the spices and berries. I like to lay a muslin cloth over my strainer so that I can pull the edges together and use my hands to really squeeze more of the liquid out.
Give the spices and berries to your chickens or compost it.
Now it’s time to add the raw honey, don’t do this when the liquid is too hot or it can damage some of the beneficial properties of the honey. Measure the elderberry liquid by ounces and add 50% of that amount of your raw honey. So if you have 16oz of elderberry then add 8oz of honey.
Stir it up well and store in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator.
Dosage:
- 1 tablespoon daily for adults
- 1 teaspoon daily for kids (for children under a year omit the honey in the recipe and do 1/2 teaspoon)
Shayna
Hi and thank you for the recipe. We have a large number of elderberry trees on our property and I would love to give the recipe a try. Is it possible to make with fresh elderberries instead of dry? If so, would you have any recommendation how to alter the amount of water in the recipe?
Thanks!