Have you tried making elderberry syrup on your own? I have been making it for several years now. It is really simple to make, so I will share with you what I do.
Natural Remedies While Growing Up
I first heard about elderberry syrup several years ago when I first began changing my diet. My mom brought us up with more natural remedies like eating garlic to prevent a cold or to get over it faster. However, I do not think she had heard of elderberry syrup.
Let me give you a little background first. My mom tried so hard to keep us off antibiotics and other drugs, but she did not know of all the alternatives. She even tried homeopathy with me as a kid, but the people she sent me to did not explain how it worked to her. They also charged her for every interaction with them. As a result, she got frustrated and came to the conclusion that it did not work. This, of course, is not the case. I can see how anyone would get frustrated with homeopathy if they did not get results right away, were charged for everything and the science was not explained to them.
Since certain natural remedies my mother tried with my siblings, herself or me did not work, she often had to put us on drugs or antibiotics. I do not blame her for this. She was doing the best she could with the knowledge she had to keep us well.
Study Abroad
Once I was in college, I studied abroad for a semester in Beijing, China. Within days of arriving there, I caught a cold. Whenever my mom or I caught a cold, it would almost always turn into a sinus infection. We had never been able to get well naturally from a sinus infection. It always led to us being put on antibiotics to get better.
I attended mass that first Sunday in Beijing and chatted with the priest there. He offered me a couple Chinese herbs to treat them. They were gan mao, which literally means to catch a cold in Chinese and another one I cannot remember the name. I started taking them right away and began to feel better.
Speaking to my mom soon after, I told her about my cold and how I started taking Chinese herbs to help. She was very skeptical and said I would most likely need an antibiotic because nothing worked in her experience. As I continued to get better, her skepticism disappeared. She told me to bring home as many of those cold remedies as possible!
My point in telling you this story is this was the starting point to my family and me being open to all kinds of natural remedies to heal and avoiding prescription drugs as much as possible. At some point a few years later, I was introduced to elderberry syrup. It was then I started regularly taking it to avoid or treat cold and flu.
Elderberry Syrup
That brings me to my next point. Elderberry syrup is an excellent remedy to prevent or fight cold and flu. It has been studied on its efficacy against the flu. In one study, symptoms were relieved an average of 4 days earlier than the placebo group. Elderberry syrup has been shown to be even more effective than taking Tamiflu.
Warnings
Be sure to always discuss what you do with your doctor first. Also, be careful to never eat raw elderberries. They are poisonous and can cause diarrhea or vomiting if consumed. Always cook them thoroughly before consuming. Make elderberry syrup with my recipe below or elderberry tea with honey.
I hope you enjoy my recipe and use it as a staple in your home. Let me know in the comments if you do anything different when making elderberry syrup.
This is a homemade recipe for elderberry syrup using European black elderberries. *Organic cinnamon and clove powders also work - use it to taste, but the sticks ensure there is no powder in the end product. *Use less water if you want the syrup to be more concentrated.Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
