by Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm
My friend Stacey is an herbal wizard. She is always coming up with interesting concoctions for healing and well being. I love the fact that she shares her marvelous tonics, lotions and salves with me. They always smell wonderful and in the case of her Elderberry syrup, it tastes good too.
Elderberries have been used for years to promote immune system function, to aid with respiratory health and ease influenza symptoms. LiveStrong.com Couple that with the healing powers of raw honey and you have a super syrup! I thought with flu season in full swing, this would be a great thing to have on hand. (Elderberries do pose the risk of certain side effects. Please ask your doctor and research if Elderberry syrup is right for you.)
You will need:
1 cup Dehydrated Elderberries
2 cups Honey (from your own hive is best, but any local honey will do)
4 cups water
mesh strainer
spoon
pot
whisk
On medium heat, pour water and elderberries into pot.
Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. We cooked them until they were plump, and the water had turned a deep burgundy. Remove from heat if you can smell a “cooked” berry flavor” This can make the elderberries bitter.
Strain the liquid and add the honey.
Whisk to incorporate. If the honey won’t dissolve return to the heat on low. Store in a clean jar with lid in the fridge. Take a tablespoon a day during times when your immune system is being tested, no more than 5 days in a row, or as your physician instructs.
7 Comments
I hadn’t tried elderberry syrup until about 3 years ago. Now I am a true believer! It helps to keep you from catching a cold, but if you do catch one, it keeps the symptoms from knocking you out. My daughter also recommended that I take monolaurin (from coconut) with the elderberry syrup, and to my amazement, the symptoms all went away. No headache, no runny nose, no sore throat, no sneezing or coughing. It only works for 4 to 6 hours, so you have to continue taking it while the cold runs its course, but I felt fine as long as I took it regularly. You know when your cold is gone when the syrup wears off and you don’t have any symptoms. Great stuff and lovely taste. I took Nature Valley Sambucus (so good I would eat it on ice cream) but I am going to use this recipe in the future. Thanks!
Do you have a conversion factor for using fresh elderberries instead of dried ones? Thank you very much!
We grow elderberry and every year I can some elderberry juice. Just follow the directions from Ball or Safe Canning recipes for canning berry juice.
You should always let the strained elderberry juice cool down to below 120deg. F. before adding the honey. Above that temp you destroy some of the enzymes and other nutrients that make honey so beneficial. The honey will mix completely, you just have to stir it well. Don’t reheat the syrup after adding honey.
Yes I’ve used this syrup since I was awfully sick a couple of years ago but I like your version better will make some this weekend
how do I use fresh elderberries? I have many plants on my property
I agree with Don about not heating the honey; however, what I have read is not to heat it above 104 degrees F. Raw honey has a very high concentration of active enzymes, which are amino acids that do not require any other elements to begin working in the body. I’m not sure which temperature is correct, but I think I’d go with the lower one to insure maximum effectiveness.