Elderberry Health Syrup

Forever is how long I have been involved in health foods, somehow knowing instinctively early on that real food was better food (with one serious caveat: I'll take french fries any way I can get them).  My daughter grew up going grocery shopping with me in a slew of natural health food stores.  Ask her about the time she took organic chicken salad with organic curry to school (curry turns things green! kids will laugh!) and her great love for Peanut Butter Bumpers.

I've always reached for natural stuff first whenever anything ails me but especially before anything ails me.  Frankly, as someone who has probably the worst case of white coat syndrome/latrophobia on the planet, I need natural remedies to work for me.


I discovered the miracles of elderberries years ago.  I make this syrup every winter to keep me healthy and I would usually take it whenever I remembered to. But this year with all the terrifying news about the flu, I took it religiously...sometimes 3 or 4 times a day.  I'd walk by the fridge, reach in and grab the jar and take a swig.  Yum.

I've talked about how my lungs collapsed (pneumothorax) nine years ago and  how my lungs have not been the same since - causing me lots of pain, especially in temperature extremes like cold winter and humid summer.  This winter has been different.  I have had almost no lung pain which is the most ridiculous thing after complaining constantly for the past 8 years and hiding inside for most of summers and winters.  This year JP was unable to exert himself physically so I was even outside shoveling on frigid days which is simply mind-blowing.  The difference between this year and the past 8?  My elderberry syrup consumption, no question.

Here's some crazy information I want you to know about elderberries:

Elderberries have been a folk remedy for centuries in North America, Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, hence the medicinal benefits of elderberries are being investigated and rediscovered. Elderberry is used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, to improve vision, to boost the immune system, to improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. Bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice destroy the ability of cold and flu viruses to infect a cell. People with the flu who took elderberry juice reported less severe symptoms and felt better much faster than those who did not. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1951.
Elderberries were listed in the CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs as early as 1985, and are listed in the 2000 Mosby's Nursing Drug reference for colds, flu, yeast infections, nasal and chest congestion, and hay fever. In Israel, Hasassah's Oncology Lab has determined that elderberry stimulates the body's immune system and they are treating cancer and AIDS patients with it. The wide range of medical benefits (from flu and colds to debilitating asthma, diabetes, and weight loss) is probably due to the enhancement of each individual's immune system. (From the site The Book Of Taste, read more here.)

All that, from these tiny little berries.

Elderberry syrup is really easy to make and will take only about an hour.  (Please note that although it's called syrup, it's not thick like pancake syrup.)

Here's what you need:

I get my dried elderberries via BulkHerbStore.com.  They're organic and perfect.

Our local honey comes from JP's friend, owner of the wonderful Harvey's Honey here in southern NJ.
To get the real benefits elderberry syrup can provide for allergies and such, I cannot encourage you enough to use local honey.  Store bought honey will add sweetness and that's about all it will do. Local honey is astronomically better.  Its benefits are too numerous to list here but you can go to this site to learn more: Reasons To Buy Raw Local Honey  Local honey is usually really easy to find but if you don't know of a source, just Google "local honey near me".

And then there's the Apple Cider Vinegar.  We only use Bragg because it's the best and  comes "with the mother".  It's a staple in our house.  If you look closely at the picture above, you'll see a bunch of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. That's "the mother".  In other words, all the good stuff.  Go to this link to learn more about this brand and how it can lower your cholesterol, lower your blood sugar, increase metabolism, etc.  Always remember to shake the bottle before using to distribute "the mother".

The picture above shows how I strain the elderberries and then mash them right in the strainer.  I use that small glass jar because it's the right shape and size to do the mashing work.

I throw the mashed up berry pulp outside as a treat for the birds.  🐦

Here's my recipe* and here is the link to download it.

You can also add cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, if you're so inclined.

Na zdrowie!



*See Recipes Disclaimer here.