Simple Elderberry Syrup Recipe (Potent Cold & Flu Remedy)

What Is Elderberry?

Identifying Elderberry

If you want to identify an elderberry plant in your area, look for clusters of small white flowers mid-summer, then drooping purple fruit come late summer, alongside hard, woody bark. Never eat the elderberry plant's seeds, stems, leaves, or roots, as they are poisonous in high doses. Removing the berries from the stems, cooking the berries, and then sieving out the seeds makes these berries safe to consume. 

Follow my recipe below to learn how to prepare these berries for viral prevention and add them to your medicine cabinet for long-term storage.

How Does Elderberry Inhibit Viral Infection?

Anthocyanins, a subgroup of flavonoids found in elderberries, may have immunomodulating and probably anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins can bind to viral glycoproteins that allow viruses to enter host cells, rendering them useless and perhaps inhibiting viral infection[1]. 

Essentially, these berries have benefit-able compounds that prevent viruses from entering the cells where they cause infection, thus potentially avoiding viral infections before symptoms take hold and lessening symptoms if and when they do.

How may Elderberry help to fight against the Coronavirus?

Covid-19 penetrates cells through the cell's ACE2 receptor sites[2]. When researching related coronavirus, they notice that elderberry prevents the virus from attaching to ACE2 [3]. Preventing them from entering the cell (where they would eventually reproduce and spread) will make the virus unable to survive.

Furthermore, The lipid coating on viruses is broken down by elderberry. Elderberry is antiviral and stimulates the release of inflammatory cytokines that promote immunity[4]. Elderberry berries and blooms are high in antioxidants and vitamins, which may help to enhance your immune system.

Other Health Benefits of Elderberries



Elderberries are used in the treatment of:

• Joint and muscle pain
• Constipation
• Fever
• Epilepsy
• Respiratory Infections 
• Kidney problems
• Minor skin conditions
• Headaches
• Stress
• HIV and AIDS

Bottom-line:

One strategy to take additional antioxidant components to boost the immune system is to include elderberry extract in your daily routine. It may also aid in the relief of cold and flu symptoms. 

Elderberry appears to have significant additional benefits, although its effectiveness is unknown. It should be considered a dietary supplement rather than a treatment.

Why make your own elderberry medicine syrup?

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a wonderful, deep-acting immune tonic used throughout history to prevent and remedy colds and flu. The berries are rich in nutrients and powerful antioxidants, are antiviral, modulate the immune response, and have an anti-inflammatory effect. 

This recipe is a winter staple that can be used in small doses for prevention and, if needed, more frequently daily with the onset of viral symptoms. 

Simple Elderberry Syrup Recipe (Potent Cold & Flu Remedy)

All you need is fresh or dried elderberries, water, sugar with optional spices, and you're ready to have fresh elderberry syrup to enjoy.

Try this healthy recipe to help keep your family healthy for this year!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups fresh elderberries or 2 cups dried elderberries, stems and any green berries removed
• 6 cups filtered water or more to cover berries
• 1 cup organic sugar, more to taste

FLAVOURINGS TO CUSTOMISE

I used cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamom pods for a spicy flavour though these are some other options:

• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• 1-2 whole vanilla beans, split down the middle
• Zest of lemon or lime
• 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
• 8-10 cloves
• 10-15 cardamom pods
• 3-4 pieces of star anise
• 2-4 inches of fresh ginger or turmeric root, sliced
• 2 tbsp of fresh herbs such as bay leaf, olive leaf, thyme, sage, or rosemary etc

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine fresh or dried elderberries in a large pot and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, and stir; reduce to a medium-low simmer for 30 mins without a lid, stirring occasionally.
3. Allow to cool. Use a potato masher, mash berries into the bottom of the pot to extract their juices.
4. Strain this through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, it does stain so be careful.
5. Add the juice back to the pot, along with sugar and spices of choice.
6. Boil again to reduce and concentrate the mixture. I did this for a further 30 minutes on a medium simmer.
7. Sieve out the spices and divide into small sterilised jars whilst its still warm as this will seal the jars for long storage, fill them right to the top before placing the lids. If using jars with metal lids they should pop in and be sealed once the syrup is cool.

Alternatively, you can refrigerate open jars for 2-3 months if stored correctly, or freeze the syrup for up to 6 months pour into ice cube trays for easy dosing.

Sealed jars can be stored long-term for several years.

Extra Notes

Any jars that the lids do not pop in, you can reseal them once cool, also for other common beginner mistakes click here.

How to sterlise jars click here

Dosage: For prevention, 1 teaspoon 1-2 times per day. For illness, 1-2 tablespoons, using smaller dose (1-2 teaspoons only, up to 3 times) for kids and the larger (tablespoon) dose up to 3 times daily for adults.

Serving suggestions: Sparkling water, soda water, tonic water, ginger ale, fruit juices, on top of ice-cream.

This syrup is diuretic which simulates urine flow, so be sure to consume plenty of fresh water alongside to prevent dehydration.

Recipe by Rose Wyles - The Vegan Nutritionist

For Professional Assistance

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References: 

[1] Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J. Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza a and B virus infections. J Int Med Res. 2004;32(2):132–40. https://doi.org/+44 7908290629.

[2] Watkins, John. "Preventing a covid-19 pandemic." +44 7908290629.

[3] Weng JR, Lin CS, Lai HC, Lin YP, Wang CY, Tsai YC, Wu KC, Huang SH, Lin CW. Antiviral activity of Sambucus FormosanaNakai ethanol extract and related phenolic acid constituents against human coronavirus NL63. Virus Res. 2019 Nov;273:+44 7908290629. doi: +44 7908290629/j.virusres.2019.+44 7908290629. Epub 2019 Sep 24. PMID: +44 7908290629; PMCID: PMC+44 7908290629.

[4] Barak V, Halperin T, Kalickman I. The effect of Sambucol, a black elderberry-based, natural product, on the production of human cytokines: I. Inflammatory cytokines. Eur Cytokine Netw. 2001 Apr-Jun;12(2):290-6. PMID: +44 7908290629.