Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

For centuries, black elderberries (Sambucas Nigra L.) have been traditionally used as a winter remedy for immune support. In recent years, an increasing amount of research has been done on the benefits of elderberries - specifically in relation to viral illness and the potential for them to shorten the duration and reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms.

One study found that elderberries are useful for treating influenza A and B virus infections. It found that taking 15 ml of the commercial preparation Sambucol (elderberry syrup) four times a day helped to reduce symptoms of flu in a 5-day period. A significant improvement in symptoms was experienced by 93.3% of the elderberry group within 2 days.

Some studies have found that the elderberry helped to reduce the duration of flu by 3 or 4 days.

Researchers also found that taking elderberry juice can help prevent viral infections such as the flu.

We have a lot of Elder trees growing in the forest beside our home, and we harvest them in the early autumn each year to make this syrup. Once they run out, I use dried elderberries. I have included amounts for both below. If using frozen fresh berries, the recipe is the same as using fresh berries.

Ingredients

1 cup dried black elderberries - I buy them here (or 4 cups fresh elderberries)

4 cups filtered water (or 1/2 cup if using fresh elderberries)

4cm thumb of fresh ginger, chopped into rings about 1/2 a centimeter thick

1 dried cinnamon root (one teaspoon cinnamon powder will also work)

1/2 teaspoon dried cloves (about 6 cloves)

4 dried star anise

Optional: 4cm fresh turmeric root, chopped (adds a spicier flavour, but the other herbs and honey mask it well)

1 cup raw honey (I buy local raw honey for everything else at home, but for this recipe I tend to buy extra large jars from here as I use so much).

Instructions

Place all ingredients (apart from the honey) into a medium saucepan.

Bring to a gentle boil.

Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 1.5-2 hours (until the liquid has reduced by half). Check frequently during cooking as this may happen sooner.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool - just enough to be handled.

Crush the berries gently, so they release all their juice - I find a metal potato masher best for this. Don’t be too rough. You don’t want any of the seeds or skin to end up in your final, sieved juice.

Place a fine mesh (metal) sieve over a glass bowl. Strain the mixture into the bowl so you are just left with the liquid. Press the elderberries in the sieve, to release the last of their juice.

Leave the liquid to cool until lukewarm (so you don’t damage the raw honey but it will still melt into the liquid).

Pour honey into the liquid and stir/whisk to combine.

Using a jug and a small funnel (or with a steady hand!), pour the syrup into a glass container. I save or buy dark glass bottles. My favourite bottle to re-use is this one (from an olive oil available in supermarkets), as it’s the perfect size and has a rubber pouring attachment as a removable stopper, as well as a lid. Alternately, you can buy glass bottles online. They don’t have to be dark glass, as it will be stored in the fridge. Not many come with pouring attachments, though. For the bottle in the photograph above, I repurposed the pouring lid of a maple syrup bottle. You can also just use a normal bottle - it will just pour more quickly and you may have less control over the amount that comes out.

Store your syrup in the fridge. I use it as it is, poured into herbal teas or as syrup on things like coconut yoghurt or pancakes. It’s also lovely just added to water as a cold drink. I also use it to make Elderberry Gummies - recipe here.

As the syrup is homemade, it’s near impossible to work out an exact dosage. You can buy commercial preparations that state dosage. Personally, if using the homemade syrup, I use as follows (this isn’t intended as medical advice):

Dosage suggestions

Adults: 1 tablespoon daily for general maintenance. More frequently at the onset of symptoms and during illness (every 3-4 hours up to 6 times per day).

Children 1-6 years: 1 teaspoon daily for general maintenance. More frequently at the onset of symptoms and during illness (every 3-4 hours up to 6 times per day).

It’s not recommended to dose more than 6 times per day, as elderberries can act as a mild diuretic and may cause unintended side effects.

It’s sweet, syrupy and yummy - we don’t have any issues encouraging the kids to take it. The gummies are particularly popular, though! I don’t use it every day. Some sources claim it’s preferable to take a few days off per week, and some state that it shouldn’t be used regularly by those with auto-immune issues. As ever, don’t take my word for any of this - as with everything, do your own research. Again, none of this is medical advice.

IMPORATNT Never, ever eat the berries raw and make sure the sieve you use is fine enough to filter out all the skin and seeds, as they have toxic properties. As long as you are gentle when crushing them and use a fine metal sieve, you will leave the solid parts behind.