Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Nature's Flu Shot. Hahaha! I crack myself up.

My nursing background has shown me that we can protect ourselves from many kinds of respiratory infections by doing a few simple things:

• Wash your hands
• Avoid touching your face 
• Eat a well balanced diet
• Take a high quality multi-vitamin

But what nursing school never mentioned was:

• Drink Elderberry Syrup

Not only is this shown in research, but even The Walking Dead talked about it as a way to boost the immune systems of the characters while they were all sick! See- it was on TV. It's totally legit. {wink}

Seriously! It works! Elderberries have been used in other countries with a lot of success,

But it also has a lot more uses than just helping to boost the immune system. It can also help discomfort, support healthy vision, and promote a healthy cardiovascular system (plus a lot more). 

You can buy Elderberry Syrup at stores for about $15-30/bottle. A small bottle that will last nearly one month for one person. And since I'm cheap, I decided to make my own!

Cost Comparison
For 3 cups you will pay less than $10 compared to 5 oz for $15. That is what I call SAVINGS, thank you very much! 

WARNING LABEL:

If you have an immune system problem like MS or RA, then you will probably want to avoid elderberry because it can make the nervous system go into high gear and make the symptoms you experience worse. Do not take if you are taking IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS (like steroids) or DIURETICS without talking to your primary health care provider! 

Talk to your doctor before starting Elderberry if you are diabetic as it does have some effect on lowering blood sugar. 

What You Need:

• 1 c DRIED elderberries (never eat raw elderberries!) I used Elder Berries (Organic)
• 4 c Water
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 2 Cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2-1 c of Raw Honey (depending on how sweet you want it)

1. Over medium-high heat, add the elderberries to a pot of lightly boiling water. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Be careful not to boil the berries-- only simmer-- as boiling can degrade some of the medicinal properties of the elderberry. 
2. Strain the berries from the juice. Make sure to smash the berries a bit as you strain the product to make sure you get all the health benefits possible from them! 
3. Add the juice back to the pot and put over medium heat. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger to the pot. You can also add cloves, rose hips, elder flower, dried echinacea or other immune boosting natural supplements as well. Go wild! 
4. Let the mixture reduce by about 1/3 which should take about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let seep for at least 20 minutes. 
5. Strain the contents from the pan and into a glass jar. Add the honey and stir (or shake carefully). 

You're all done! Now take 1-2 TBSP/day to boost your immune health through the flu season or you can take 2 TBSP on the onset of a respiratory infection or flu.

So how does it taste?

That's always the question on everybody's minds! Honestly, it doesn't taste bad, but I wouldn't want to drink a gallon of this stuff either. It tastes like berry flavored cough syrup or like tolerable juice. Either way, for the benefits, I'll drink 1-2 TBSP of the stuff without complaint. You can always add more honey if you need to make it sweeter.

Does It Work?
I know that this has helped me tremendously with my sinus health and I am healthy as a horse!

Have you tried Elderberry syrup before?

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