Easy Herbal Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Immunity

It’s not a secret recipe—but it is a really special one to have in your herbal tool kit. This herbal elderberry syrup recipe is effective and delicious.

We’re dedicated to providing the finest education to our students and the finest care for the clients, so it makes sense that we offer the purest, most effective medicine possible.

That’s why the Berkeley Herbal Center has always had an in-house medicine maker. They make sure that our shelves stay stocked with pure herbal elixirs and teach the students how to make their own.

For more than 20 years, medicine making has been an intimate part of the learning process at our school. When we release students into the world as herbalists, we want to be sure that we’ve armed them with the information and experience to make medicine that will heal their communities.

For a lot of new students, this can be intimidating, so this super easy elderberry recipe is a great way to start!

What is Herbal Elderberry Syrup Good For?

Elderberries grow on the elder tree, or sambucus nigra.

This berry has been used for over 2000 years as a cold and flu preventative. It helps to improve immune system function and is especially wonderful for any type of chest cold.

Elderberry Syrup is also fantastic addition to an anti-inflammatory treatment plan. In fact, if you replace the mullein in this immunity elderberry syrup recipe with a tablespoon of turmeric and a pinch of black pepper, you’ll have a lovely little treatment for joint pain.

A tablespoon of herbal elderberry syrup everyday throughout the fall and winter months prevents illness, helps people with a sensitivity to the lack of sunlight hold their vitality, and offers a healthy sweet to your diet in the season of sugar.

If you’re finding yourself with a cough, sniffle, or a sinus infection turn to this immunity elderberry syrup for a boost in your health.

Immune Boosting Herbal Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried elderberries
• 1/2 cup dried nettles
• 10 cloves
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2.5 tbsp yarrow
• 2 tbsp mullein
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cups water
• ? cup raw honey or to taste

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients except honey into slow cooker covered on high, let sit for a few hours
2. Turn to low and let sit overnight or throughout your day (this isn’t an exact science)
3. Strain.
4. Add honey to taste. (add honey while the syrup is warm)
5. Pour into airtight glass containers and store in your fridge.

If you don’t own a slow cooker, you can use a large pan and simmer this on low for a day, stir it every once in a while.

How Much Elderberry Syrup Should I take?

The question comes up a lot, and it’s going to depend on what you have going on.

If you’re using it for prevention, a tablespoon per day is perfect. Put it over a bit of yogurt with walnuts and you’re in for a healthy treat!

If you’re sick right now, take a tablespoon after meals. It doesn’t usually cause a stomach ache if you take it on its own, but your constitution can be affected when you’re ill.

Is Herbal Elderberry Syrup Safe During Pregnancy?

This is a tonic and it’s safe for kiddos, but if you’re pregnant you should definitely be a little careful with ingredients like clove and yarrow.

Since you’re not taking a lot of the herbal elderberry syrup each day, this recipe should feel great in your body, but if you find that you’re really concerned, remove the yarrow here and halve the clove.

Tips on Elderberry Collection, Storage, and Use.

Elderberries should be collected in the late summer. You can freeze them fresh to use them but make sure you cook them before you eat them or they’ll act as a pretty intense laxative.

They grow all over Europe and North America, so they’re pretty identifiable, but if you’re wildcrafting these, make sure that you’re choosing the black elderberry, not the red ones (red are poisonous).

Do you have a favorite use for Elderberry Syrup? Share it in the comments!

References:

The writer also shared her recipe with annmarie skin care