Herbal Cold Remedies: Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup is one of the most popular herbal cold remedies. Elder (Sambucus nigra) has been used for centuries and is one of the most well-documented herbal cold remedies. It’s also great for lots of other stuff, but we’ll keep it simple for now.

You can give elderberry syrup by the teaspoon (kids love it) every 2-3 hours while sick, or even use it regularly in your food, such as on pancakes! Elder is VERY high in bioflavonoids and is a great antioxidant.

Note: Do not feed honey to children younger than 12 months.

I even pour it on my pancakes. It tastes great. Who knew you could add one of the best herbal cold remedies on your breakfast! ?

Elderberry Syrup

I want to show you how to make one of our favorite herbal cold remedies, elderberry syrup. My daughter Hailey is taking photos with her OWN camera for this recipe. She’s my new apprentice.

What you’ll need…

• 1 cup fresh elderberries (Sambucus nigra) or 1/2 cup dried berries
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup honey
• Need herbs? Visit Mountain Rose Herbs.

Place the berries in a saucepan and cover them with the 3 cups of water. Then, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a half hour.

SMASH up the berries. Then, strain the mixture through a mesh strainer.

Add the honey.

Bottle and store the elderberry syrup in the fridge, where it will last a few months.

Elder is one of those magical herbs you can do SO much with. You can use the flowers in the Spring as well. There are many, many herbal cold remedies you can make. We’ll be exploring this herb in more detail on HerbMentor for sure.

Enjoy!

Written by John Gallagher

John Gallagher, L.Ac., CCH is co-founder and co-CEO of LearningHerbs. He created and designed HerbMentor and has produced all of the products and learning experiences that we offer. Besides being a dad to two grown kids, John is a five-element acupuncturist and a musician. He also co-founded a wilderness skills school and a theater company.