Over the years, even before my multiple diagnoses of CIRS and Lyme Disease, the Lord has continually steered my heart towards natural remedies made from the plants He has provided. One recipe that includes so much of His goodness is Elderberry Syrup! My family uses Elderberry Syrup during cold and flu season and I use it any time I start to feel the slightest cold or sickness coming on.
Recently, my family had the opportunity to do our own non-scientific trial of sorts, completely by accident. I’m going to share our results and my recipe. Maybe Elderberry Syrup will work for your family the next time anyone is feeling under the weather!
We currently have three adults at home and my daughter came down with a terrible cold about a month ago. She was sick for over three weeks and part of that time, she was “in the bed” sick. She had a sore throat, congestion, sniffling, sneezing, body aches, mucus – all the typical cold symptoms. She treated with over the counter remedies like NyQuil and took no immune boosting supplements. She eventually got better but she felt really awful for a while.
My husband started getting the sniffles and a sore throat about two weeks after my daughter got sick. He started taking the Elderberry Syrup immediately. He does take some immune boosting supplements like Vitamin C and probiotics daily. He kept the sniffles for about a week and did have a stuffy nose and some mucus. He was never sick enough to really slow him down, although he did rest on his days off work.
I don’t work outside the home so I was around my daughter and husband any time they were home. We also attended Christmas celebrations where there were sick kids and adults during this time. I was out and about doing a little Christmas shopping and I went to the grocery store more times than I wanted to, so I was exposed to a lot of sick folks! I started myself on the Elderberry Syrup as soon as the batch was finished. My first sip was still warm and soothing when it went down.
I am yet to even get a sniffle. Nada. Nothing. Because I do have several immune destroying illnesses, I try really hard to make choices that boost my immune system instead of weakening it. But, I am sooooo not perfect at it. I can’t tell you how many times I mess up and eat sugar, gluten or something that can really throw my immune system for a loop. I do TRY to make good decisions MOST of the time. I try not to add any toxins to my body or put anything toxic ON my body. I don’t want to add anything to my system that makes my already compromised organs have to work harder. This Elderberry Syrup has proven to be a excellent natural way to keep my immune system functioning at it’s best. This is the recipe I use. Please remember that honey is NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN UNDER A YEAR OLD so never give this syrup to children under a year old.
Elderberry Syrup
Gather your ingredients.
Grate your organic lemon until you collect about a tsp of lemon zest. You can use non-organic if you like, or lemon zest from the spice section of the grocery store. Organic lemons are expensive so I buy one and keep it in a bag in my freezer and just zest as needed.
Peel and chop about 2 inches of organic ginger root. I put my ginger through my garlic press but you can just chop it if you want.
Add all your ingredients EXCEPT the honey to the Instant Pot.
- Use the pressure cook or manual function to cook for 10 minutes on high pressure (if your pot allows for a pressure adjustment).
- Allow a 10 minute natural pressure release and then do a quick release to release the rest of the pressure.
- When you are sure all of the pressure is released, open and remove the lid.
- Stir, set the Instant Pot to Saute and allow the liquid to simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half.
Strain the solids out of the liquid by using cheesecloth or a small strainer. Really press down or squeeze the cheesecloth to get out as much healing liquid as possible!
Allow the liquid the cool until it’s just a little warmer than room temperature.
Add the cup of honey.
Stir in the honey until the liquid is smooth and the honey is fully incorporated.
Pour into your container of choice. I reuse my MCT oil bottles but you can use a mason jar or any glass container.
You’ve made yourself and your family Elderberry Syrup!
In our family, if we are taking it as a preventative, we take 2 tsp once or twice a day. If we are taking it because we feel a cold coming on, we take 2 tsp (or more) up to 5 or 6 times a day, or as needed until we feel better.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic elderberries (I use these)
- 4 cups filtered water (this is the system we use)
- 1 tbsp Baobab Powder (I use this one)
- 1 cup local honey
- 1 tsp organic lemon zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp cloves
- 1 tbsp organic ginger root – chopped/pressed (about 2 inches of peeled ginger)
Directions:
- Grate your lemon until you have approximately a tsp of lemon zest.
- Peel and chop a 2 inch slice of ginger root. I pressed mine with my garlic press but you can just chop it if you prefer.
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot, except the honey.
- Use the manual setting (or the “pressure cook” setting if you don’t have a manual button). Cook on high pressure (if your pot has a high/low pressure setting) for 10 minutes.
- Allow a 10 minute natural pressure release and then do a quick release to release the rest of the pressure.
- When pressure is completely released, remove the lid and stir.
- Allow the liquid to simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Strain the liquids from the solids, using cheesecloth or a small strainer. Really press down or squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
- Add your honey and mix until smooth and the honey is incorporated completely.
- Pour into your chosen container and store in the fridge. I reuse my MCT bottles but you can use a mason jar or any recycled jar you have available. I’ve found that it keeps well for at least a month. *** Note – You can make this in a regular sauce pan if you do not have an Instant Pot. Just add all ingredients except honey and boil for approximately 45 minutes to an hour until your liquid has reduced by half. The rest of the instructions are the same.
Dosage:
In our family, if we are taking it as a preventative, we take 2 tsp once or twice a day. If we are taking it because we feel a cold coming on, we take 2 tsp (or more) up to 5 or 6 times a day, or as needed until we feel better.
I really hope you enjoy the Elderberry Syrup! If you make it, please let me know what you think in the comments.
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