Elderberry Syrup

I love Elderberry Syrup. In the fall and winter I take it daily to boost my immune system and ward off the sniffles and flu. It’s an old elixir and as an added bonus, it happens to be delicious.

The first time I heard about Elderberry Syrup was several years back when I had a never ending cough. My friend Jenny who owns Zensations by Jen suggested I try it. Although I believe in the power of herbal and traditional medicines Elderberry Syrup caused a “WOW!” moment for me. It made an almost immediate difference and it felt soothing to take it.

By the way, Science agrees. Elderberry has been studied. There are resources listed below if you want to read more about it in the medical literature.

Recently I started playing with making my own medicinal tinctures and syrups. I now make Elderberry Syrup for myself. It’s a simple recipe and requires minimal effort. Plus, when you are done it is yum.

2 ounces of Dried Elderberry – Sambucus Nigra
1 quart of water
1 cup local honey (LOCAL!)
Additional herbs: Whole Cardamom and Cinnamon Sticks
Healing Prayer

Bring the quart of water to a boil. Add 2 ounces of Dried Elderberry and reduce heat to a simmer. Add additional herbs. Reduce liquid by half. Strain. Return liquid to pan and stir in honey, as you stir, say a healing prayer over the syrup.

Store in a sterilized jar. Refrigerate. It should stay good for about 9 months as long as it is stored properly.

*I take 2 teaspoons once a day. Its my night time ritual and a yummy way to end my evening.

Where can you get Dried Elderberries?

I buy mine for $7.99 per 2 ounces from: The Good Life Gardens | PO Box 23, Union, Maine 04862

To read more about the efficacy of Elderberry syrup visit the below links.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11399518

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19682714

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395631

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. None of the information in this post should be misconstrued as medical advice.