Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Homemade elderberry syrup is an immune-supportive recipe to help keep you and your family healthy all season long. This simple functional recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months! 

For more immune-supportive recipes and tips check out my entire roundup of Natural Cold and Flu Recipes.

Cold and flu season is upon us and it also feels like we've been in “sick” season for nearly 3 years straight!

As temperatures drop, and germs propagate, your kitchen can become your immune-supportive best friend and I am here to show you how!

This time of year I begin teaching my “Kitchen Farm-acy” class for organizations around the world, broadcasting live from my kitchen I share my top 6 immune supportive recipes that I rely on for cold and flu prevention and to shorten the duration and severity of illness. Elderberry syrup is always top on the list!

This simple homemade recipe should be a staple in your fall kitchen as well and wait till you see how simple elderberry syrup is to make. Be sure to read the whole post to learn the incredible healing benefits of this superfood berry!

Your Healing Kitchen is Now Open!

INGREDIENTS and SUBSTITUTIONS:

Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post, I order my dried herbs from here and here and here.

• Dried Elderberries – The superstar of this recipe dried elderberries are a potent immune tonic (see below for studies and details). They taste like a rich molasses earthy combination between a black berry and currant.
• Dried Rosehip – A wonderful source of vitamin C, dried rosehip lends a bright citrus tang to elderberry syrup.
• Cinnamon sticks – Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properites, but also lends a warm cozy vibe to this medicinal tonic.
• Whole Clove – Clove has been used anesthetically to soothe a sore throat, and is also an excellent expectorant.
• Fresh Ginger – A potent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent. Ginger is also excellent to quell nausuea and tummy upset.
• Honey

Find the printable recipe with detailed measurements belo

TOOLS YOU WILL USE:

• Small saucepot
• Fine mesh sieve
• Funnel
• Glass jar for storing

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP:

Can you go to a store and buy elderberry syrup? Yes. Is homemade elderberry syrup better? Also yes. Is storebought elderberry syrup ok? Also yes.

Here's the thing friends, this is one of those recipes that you may look at and think “That's a nice idea, but im never doing it” and then, on a whim, you do it and think “That was so easy, I don't understand why I resisted”.

Homemade elderberry syrup is cost effective, easy, and potent! Plus you get to decide how much honey you are using and there is no need for any additional shelf stabilizier ingredients.

HOW TO MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS:

1. Step 1: Add all dried spices and fresh ginger to a small pot. Cover with water, I use 4 cups of water.
2. Step 2: Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and reduce. The goal here is to make a decoction, you are extracting all of the potent medicinal benefits from the herbs and spices by boiling them down. Reduce your liquid by half.
3. Step 3: Strain and smash. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve smashing the elderberries and spices with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much goodness as possible. Allow to cool, mix in honey, and VOILA! Homemade elderberry syrup.

Medicinal Benefits of Elderberry

Black elderberries (sambucus nigra L.) are well-known, and well-studied, agents against the common cold and influenza virus. Hippocrates referred to the elder tree (gifting us with both potent elderberries and elderflowers) as his medicine chest.

So ya know, if it's good for Hippocrates, it's probably good for you too.

Elderberries are a rich source of vitamin C and anthocyanins and possess strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria. This means it has been shown to be an effective agent against human pathogenic bacteria as well as influenza viruses. Elderberries have also been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the propagation of the influenza virus.

In other words, elderberries can both prevent the flu and reduce the duration of the flu by inhibiting the replication of the flu virus.

This stuff is potent.

If you are a nutrition nerd (like me!) I included 3 more elderberry studies below including a really cool one that showed a significant reduction of cold duration and severity in air travelers using elderberry extract. 

Krawitz, C., Mraheil, M. A., Stein, M., Imirzalioglu, C., Domann, E., Pleschka, S., & Hain, T. (2011). Inhibitory activity of a standardized elderberry liquid extract against clinically-relevant human respiratory bacterial pathogens and influenza A and B viruses. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 11(1), 16.

Tiralongo, E., Wee, S. S., & Lea, R. A. (2016). Elderberry supplementation reduces cold duration and symptoms in air-travellers: A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Nutrients, 8(4), 182.

Zakay-Rones, Z., Thom, E., Wollan, T., & Wadstein, J. (2004). Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. Journal of International Medical Research, 32(2), 132-140.

HOW TO USE ELDERBERRY SYRUP:

Drink 1-2 tablespoons per day during cold and flu season. You can add a bit to oatmeal for your kiddos as well. If you are feeling a bit wonky you can dose higher, up to 4 tbsp.

Your immune system can't wait for you to make some Homemade Elderberry Syrup! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo! 

If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!