Make Your Own Elderberry Syrup

While everyone is getting the flu because they can’t figure out how to wash their hands, use sanitizer, cover their coughs, or refuse to stay indoors while they’re harboring germs, I’m over here in a hazmat suit guzzling my home made elderberry syrup.

While everyone is getting the flu because they can’t figure out how to wash their hands, use sanitizer, cover their coughs, or refuse to stay indoors while they’re harboring germs, I’m over here in a hazmat suit trying to decontaminate things and people as they come in or near my house. Whether you’ve gotten a flu shot or not, there are so many things going around out there, public spaces are a literal petrie dish of disgusting filth we are forced to encounter every single day, especially during cold and flu season.

School drop off?  In and out as fast as possible, while holding my breath, in sunglasses, mouth covered. Grocery shopping? Wipe those flippin’ carts down, for the love. Door handles? Gah.

I’m doing as much as I can to help prevent my people from bringing that filth home with them. Washing their hands 625 times a day. Hollering at them to cover coughs and blow noses in tissues (not the air). Slathering them in essential oil rollers. Going to bed early. Tons of fluids. Vitamins on overdrive. Elderberry syrup flowing freely.

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Do y’all know how expensive elderberry syrup is? I never really bothered to give my kids immune-boosting-anything (other than raw honey) on a regular basis before, because they’ve never gotten that sick. Seeing how bad the flu and Lord knows what else was progressing this year, I bought the last 2 bottles of elderberry syrup at my local market, and said a quick prayer they’d get us through. The kids started taking the syrup every day, along with some immune boosting vitamins (like these), and essential oils rolled on each night and morning, and so far, they haven’t gotten the flu… but they have all had a few days worth of cough and sniffles. I’m willing to bed the elderberry syrup 3-4x a day during the first sight of symptoms has helped cut their symptoms pretty short.

Then I ran out of syrup.

In the interest of saving a bunch of money and time running form store to store to track some down, I decided to try and make my own elderberry syrup, since it was really working for us.

Why is elderberry syrup so fantastic for immune boosting?

I encourage you to do your own research on these tiny antiviral berries, and make the decision on your own to use these things in your cold and flu arsenal, but they have ancient beginnings, antiviral properties, and have been shown to boost and strengthen your immune system, and cut the symptoms by days. The extract from those tiny berries, mixed with antiviral and immune-boosting raw honey, cinnamon, ginger, and clove packs a wallop for those symptoms you already have, or are trying to prevent.

Make your own elderberry syrup

All you need for this syrup recipe, are whole organic dried elderberries, organic raw (local to you, if possible) honey, filtered water, organic cinnamon sticks, organic cloves, organic ginger, a glass jar, and a sieve or cheesecloth. The elderberries alone seem intimidating, but I promise you, it’s so simple.

Bring your water and berries to a gentle simmer, and keep it gently simmering for about 30 minutes.

Add your cinnamon, ginger, and clove to the pot, and let it simmer on for another 30 minutes.

Strain the extract into a glass jar (if you’re adding essential oils, if not, a plastic container is fine), and let it cool down to room-ish temp.

When it’s cooled enough – you don’t want to kill the honey – add the honey and essential oils, and shake it up. I store mine in the fridge, because my kids like it cold, but it’ll be shelf-stable for about 2 months.

If you’re not a fan of the clove flavor, leave it out. When I make our next batch, I will probably do that, because I forgot how much I dislike clove. If you’re not a fan of much cinnamon, use less (my kids asked for this update in the next batch). If you want more sweetness, add more honey. You can literally make it whatever you want.  Add some echinacea or some other oils you love… you can really make this syrup be exactly what you need.

While we will continue to wash our hands, you can bet this syrup has been dished out daily to help keep us all moving this season, and it’s already time for a new batch!

A note about essential oils…

I use Young Living Thieves Vitality oil in this recipe, and you can certainly leave it out if you don’t have any on hand. I simply added this EO for all of it’s germ-busting goodness. Please do not use any type of oil you find for $5 at the local store for this recipe, make sure you’re using an organic oil, and have done your own research about essential oils. I am an oily beginner, dabbling in oils to help keep my family healthy, and have ran my recipe by my oily leader girlfriends who are far more experienced than I. The only oils I will use are Young Living, so if you want more info on how the oils work, and how to use them, check out the following resources:

Essential Oils and Education with 1915 House
Young Living: How Oils Work
Young Living: Essential Oils Guide
Young Living: Essential Oils Safety

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor; I cannot diagnose, cure, or prevent what ails you, or make such claims. Young Living products are NOT intended for to cure, treat, or prevent disease.