Falling leaves, chilled mornings, people started to sneeze and cough. These are all signs that it is time to make yummy Elderberry syrup! It is easy to do it on your own and it works for treating cough and flu. One Norwegian study of 60 patients administered 15ml elderberry or placebo syrup during the flu season and those using elderberry saw their flu symptoms ease four days earlier. Another study conducted at the University of Sydney found similar results. Also, elderberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may help to boost your immune system, address inflammation and help protect your heart, too. It is also much cheaper to make it at home plus some commercial products use artificial sweeteners you might want to avoid.
This Elderberry syrup recipe is quite simple:
You start with:
· ½ cups dry elderberry (sometimes it is challenging to find dry elderberries-try health stores like Healthy Planet.)
· ½ cup of various healing roots and herbs. Be creative-you can add ginger, cloves, cinnamon, chaga, astragalus, ashwagandha, Siberian ginseng, thyme, echinacea.
· 4 cups water
· Mix elderberry, herbs, and shimmer everything until liquid reduces in half. I like to do it in the evening and leave over night for water to soak in all the goodness from elderberries and roots. Next day using cheesecloth squeeze out all the liquid. At the end you should have about 1 cup of healing mixture.
· Add ½ cup honey, taste it and if it is not sweet enough add more. (Do not give honey to kids under 12 months old)
· For adult version of syrup, I add ½ brandy which also extends shelf life of the syrup.
With brandy the syrup will stay in the fridge for about 2,5 months, without brandy the shelf life of your elixir is about 4 -6 weeks.
Within 48 hours of the first cold and flu signs start taking 15 ml of syrup every 3-4 hours. You might be tempted to take it even when no illness signs are present - it is that good.
Few things to consider:
First and foremost, always check with your doctor to ensure that you are not taking any medications that may be impacted by the consumption of elderberry. Secondly, do not consumer fresh elderberries as they can cause stomach issues when consumed raw. Like all supplements, elderberry syrup should complement a whole foods diet, sound sleep, physical activity, and self-care.
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