Cold and Flu Prevention - DIY Homemade Elderberry Syrup

What is Elderberry Syrup?

A delicious syrup! I’ve been told mine tastes like Christmas! This cough-syrup esque remedy packed with powerful plant extracts to support your bodies natural immunity.

Why use Elderberry Syrup for Cold and Flu Prevention?

Your Health!

These delicious dark berries are packed with Vitamins, important flavonoids, and trace elements of minerals, which is why I use this plant in my traditional cold and flu remedy, elderberry syrup. They are also excellent at reducing inflamamation and oxidative stress. What does that mean? Well oxidative stress is the disturbance of the balance of free radicals ain our bodies, as well as a disturbance in our bodies ability to fight against them. Immunomodulation - our bodies balance system for immunity, regulates our ability to fight off illness.

When viruses, like the cold and flu, or what we know as Covid-19 enters the body, they trigger the bodies response which is to fight off and get rid of the baddies. Elderberry syrup helps the body reduce inflammation caused by viruses, and get rid of the baddies before they enter other areas of the body. It’s especially good at that!

So, the reason we take elderberry syrup from the moment you feel that tickle in your throat, and then keep taking it throughout the day, is to help contain the virus, limiting the spread of the virus to other organs / areas of the body. Every spoonful gives the body another boost of cellular warriors to go in and defend the body's healthy cells and it’s innate ability to do this on it’s own.

In (a) study conducted in early 2019, the total effect size for flu symptoms was 2.074. This means that roughly 98% of people who take elderberry for the flu will improve faster than the average person with the flu who does not take elderberry. Similarly, 41% of people who take elderberry for the common cold will improve faster than the average person who does not take elderberry.
— Franklin Health Research Foundation

DIY Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Dried Elderberries

• Cloves

• Star Anise

• Cinnamon

• Ginger

• Black Pepper

• Cardamom

• Honey

• Brandy

Recipe

In a large pot combine your dried berries with 2 cups of water.

Add

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder OR 2 whole cinnamon sticks

• ½ teaspoon of cloves (ground or whole)

• 2 heaping tablespoons of freshly grated raw ginger

• 2-3 whole star anise

• 2-3 whole cardamom pods

• handful of black peppercorns

Simmer and reduce down to 1/2 of the original volume. Go low and slow so you can extract all of that yummy plant goodness. I like to squish the berries with the back of the spoon as they rehydrate and cook down. Once you’ve achieved 1/2 of the original volume, turn off the heat. Once the berries are cool enough, strain them into a vessel. If you have a press, or using your hands, squeeze and press as much as you can out of the berries and herbs. A nutbag or cheesecloth would work well. You may have to squish the berries with a spoon. Careful! The stunning colour of the elderberries can stain your hands.

Add the strained liquid to a pot. Note the volume. Add equal amounts of honey, or, if you don’t like things too sweet, add half and stir to combine. Honey makes the liquid into a syrup and also acts as a preservative. I like to go low and slow with this part of the process too. I prefer my syrup to be on the thicker side so I reduce and test it as I go. Once you’ve reached your desired thickness you can add some generous glugs of brandy. Brandy works as a sedative which is nice when you need rest, but also as a preservative. Time to bottle up! Use the herbs again for tea or return to the earth via compost.

Don’t forget to store in the fridge.

Experiment by adding other herbs and natural spices that tickle your fancy.

How to Use Elderberry Syrup - Directions

Preventatively, take once a day during the cold and flu season. Or, as soon as you feel a tickle in your throat, take a teaspoon at a time and continue to take a teaspoon throughout the day until you feel better.

Try it on your pancakes or with soda water!

Additional Resources

Zakay-Rones, Z., Varsano, N., Zlotnik, M., Manor, O., Regev, L., Schlesinger, M., & Mumcuoglu, M. (1995). Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1(4), 361-369. doi: 10.1089/acm.1995.1.361

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.

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. doi: doi.org/10.3390/nu8040182

Kong, F. K. (2009). Pilot clinical study on a proprietary elderberry extract: efficacy in addressing influenza symptoms. Online Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics, 5, 32-43.

Hawkins, J., Baker, C., Cherry, L., & Dunne, E. (2019). Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) supplementation effectively treats upper respiratory symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials. Complementary therapies in medicine, 42, 361-365.

Vlachojannis, J. E., Cameron, M., & Chrubasik, S. (2010). A systematic review on the sambuci fructus effect and efficacy profiles. Phytotherapy Research: An International Journal Devoted to Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation of Natural Product Derivatives, 24(1), 1-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2729

Senica, M., Stampar, F., Veberic, R., & Mikulic‐Petkovsek, M. (2017). The higher the better? Differences in phenolics and cyanogenic glycosides in Sambucus nigra leaves, flowers and berries from different altitudes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 97(8), 2623-2632. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8085

Centers for Disease Control (CDC. (1984). Poisoning from elderberry juice--California. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 33(13), 173.

Knudsen, B. F., & Kaack, K. V. (2013, June). A review of human health and disease claims for elderberry (sambucus nigra) fruit. In I International Symposium on Elderberry 1061 (pp. 121-131). doi: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1061.12

Pogorzelski, E. (1982). Formation of cyanide as a product of decomposition of cyanogenic glucosides in the treatment of elderberry fruit (Sambucus nigra). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 33(5), 496-498.