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I am happy to be writing today on how to make elderberry syrup. Elderberry syrup is a delicious way to fight off cold and flu season. Elderberries more antioxidants than any small fruit and is naturally anti-viral and promotes overall health and well being.

Why elderberries?

Elderberry fruits are a great source of anthocyanins (antioxidants), vitamins A and C and a good source of calcium, iron and vitamin B6. Elderberries have the highest amount of antioxidants of any small fruit, and they are a helpful fighter in neutralizing free radicals. Their antioxidant count is even higher than cranberries and blueberries!! They also have been known to help with stomach aches, diarrhea, common cold and flu, and for overall health and well-being.

And they taste amazing. This elderberry syrup is simply amazing.

How to use elderberry syrup?

We take a tablespoon every morning, along with our echinacea tincture, and our Thieves essential oil on our feet. This is to keep our immune systems up, to battle the colds and germs and nastiness that the winter brings.

My children love elderberry syrup. They beg for it every morning. And while we forget sometimes, they are always there to remind me!!

You can also put it on pancakes or fruit, anything your heart desires!

What is elderberry syrup?

Our full recipe is below. But making elderberry syrup is actually a decoction, similar to a tea.

A leafy tea is an infusion, which only takes 5-20 minutes to get the medicinal or holistic properties from a leafy plant.

Berries, bark, roots, and seeds need more time, a decoction, to get the properties out of them, so they steep for much longer. AFter the steeping, for the elderberry syrup, you discard the berries, and mix the water with a preservative, honey.

(A tincture is fresh or dried plant material (leaf, plant, or root) put together with a mensturm, a preservative such as alcohol for our echinacea tinture.)

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How to make elderberry syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries

3 cups water

1 cup honey

Directions:

Heat the elderberries and water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
Mash berries and strain.
Add honey to the strained water.
Bottle your elderberry syrup and keep in the refrigerator. We put ours in a large mason jar, and then pour it into smaller bottles for easy use.
Your elderberry syrup will keep for 3 months or longer.