If someone were to ask me what herb or plant I wouldn’t want to be without, especially during cold and flu season, I would have to say Elderberry. It is a weedy shrub that grows abundantly in our area and although not all elderberry varieties are used the same, the flowers from our native species can be dried for tea and tinctured for use in fever reduction. The berries of the Sambucus nigra is the species I grow and use to create my tinctures and syrups. It is the red berries from the Samucus racemosa you want to leave for the birds.
I bought two Sambucus nigra plants from Strictly Medicinal, LLC a few years ago and then a friend gave me some starts from her plants. Since it is easy to start new shrubs from cuttings, I began growing more to plant around the farm....some for our apothecary needs and some for the birds. Actually, the birds eat a lot so I’m planting more this Fall.
Elderberry is a great anti-viral herb that fortifies the cell walls, helping to prevent viruses from entering and hijacking our cells and replicating. If the virus can’t replicate, we have a greater chance of staying well. Viruses don’t have their own nucleus to replicate so they need to steal ours.... it’s a bit more scientific than that but that’s the idea.
The berries are nutritious, rich in flavonoids, and high in vitamin C, Vitamin A, bioflavonoids, betacarotene, iron and potassium. (Gladstar, 2012); and, they taste good when made into a syrup. They have been used for centuries with writings found dating back to the 1650’s for it’s use. It has been referred to as the “medicine of the common people”.
When the weather begins to shift in the Fall I make my first batch of syrup and begin taking a tablespoon each morning as a preventative. If I feel a little “off” like a virus is coming on, I up my dosage to 2 tablespoons every hour or so until the symptoms subside. This dosage would be different for children. So far, my hubby and I have been cold and flu free for many years. This past year has been a bit different and earlier in the Spring when COVID appeared, Elderberry was the topic of some negative press surrounding it’s action to create cytokines since later stages of COVID were associated with cytokine storms. While elderberry does create more cytokines to fight a virus, once you have a cold or flu, you would discontinue taking elderberry and turn to more specific herbs to fight the specific virus or bacterial infection. So, I feel that Elderberry got some bad press last Spring.
All in all, elderberry is a very safe food for most people, including children over two years of age and because it tastes good as a syrup, taking your medicine is pleasant. It can also be added to sparkling water for a yummy beverage or can be used as a pancake/waffle syrup. Food really can be medicine.
Of course, staying healthy is more than just taking a syrup everyday. Having a clean, healthy diet of colorful fruits and vegetables, hydration from clean drinking water, moving your body, getting enough rest, reducing stress and removing toxic chemicals from your skincare and household cleaning items are all part of a healthy immune system.
Our Elderberry Syrup Kit is available on our website with easy to follow instructions to make your own. It comes with all the dry ingredients to make a pint of syrup. You just add it to your saucepan with water, simmer, reduce and add your own raw honey. It will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks....but it probably won’t last that long :)
Gladstar, Rosemary. (2012). Medicinal Herbs A Beginners Guide. North Adams, MA, Story Publishing