Elderberry syrup has been used for centuries as a country home remedy to treat and prevent colds and flu. Elderberries must be cooked before consuming and are a rich source of vitamins A, C, and bioflavonoids that boost and strengthen the immune system. Elderberries hold antibiotic compounds that help to treat many types of illnesses. I use dried organic European Elderberries that I order online from Frontier. The berries are high quality and have a wonderful fresh aroma and I prefer them when making my homemade elderberry syrup for my family. There are many recipes for elderberry syrup but this is the one that I have used for years. The syrup is expensive to buy, but far less expensive if you make it yourself. Here’s how I make it:
Start by placing 2/3 cup of dried black organic elderberries in a 2 qt. pot that has a lid. Add 3 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of whole cloves or clove powder, 3 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger or dried ginger root, and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Do not add honey at this point.
Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid is reduced by almost half. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle and being very careful, mash the berries with a potato masher or a flat spoon. Next, strain the liquid through a strainer into a large glass bowl or container. The strained berries can go into the compost pile, do not reuse.
When the liquid has cooled to warm, then add 1 cup of organic raw honey and stir well to incorporate. If you add the raw honey to hot liquid it will destroy some of the health benefits of the raw honey.
Once the honey and elderberry syrup are well mixed, pour the syrup into a 16 oz. quart sized mason jar or other glass container with a lid. Store syrup in the frig for up to two weeks.
The dosage is 1 tablespoon per day for adults and 1/2 teaspoon for kids daily during the week, and none on the weekends to help boost immune system. If you have a cold or the flu, you can take the standard dose every 2-3 hours until symptoms improve. If you have more syrup than you can use up in two weeks, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, put the cubes in a zip lock bag, and take out what you need for a few days at a time. Enjoy and cheers to good health!
Prep Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 45 min. – 1 hr.
Difficulty: Easy Yield: 1 Qt.
Ingredients: Need: 2 qt. pot w/lid 1 qt. Mason jar w/lid
2/3 cup of organic dried black elderberries
3 1/2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of whole cloves or ground cloves
2 Tablespoons of freshly grated ginger or dried ginger root
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 cup of raw organic honey (Do not add to hot liquid)