Elderberry Syrup for Cold & Flu Season
This homemade elderberry syrup is made with fresh foraged elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and raw honey.
Elderberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and flavonoids, which can help support the immune system. I take it whenever I start to feel sick and during the duration of sickness.
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Foraging Elderberries
I love making folk medicine with herbs and plants, especially from plants foraged locally.
I spend a lot of time outdoors hiking and foraging, and I recently came across blue elderberries growing alongside the road I was driving on. Thankfully, My husband had a ladder in the back of the truck and was able to harvest a bunch of the berries. When I got home, I placed the berries in the freezer until I was ready to make elderberry syrup.
Freezing fresh elderberries makes it easier to remove them from the stems—simply shake the bag, and most of the berries will fall off.
If you don't have access to fresh elderberries, you can use dried ones instead, using half the amount specified for fresh berries.
Below, you'll find my recipe for elderberry syrup with ginger and cinnamon. This recipe is simple to make and results in a delicious, flavorful syrup.
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup of fresh elderberries or 1/2 cup dried
1 large piece of ginger, sliced thin
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cups of water
raw honey
Instructions:
Remove the stems from the elderberries (or do your best to remove most of them).
Pour the berries into a saucepan. Add the sliced ginger and cinnamon sticks and cover with water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer over low heat.
Simmer the berries for 30-45 minutes or until the berries are tender and well-cooked.
Remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon to smash the berries.
Strain the berries through a fine mesh strainer and pour them into a quart-size jar.
Top the elderberry syrup with raw honey for about one cup.
Secure the jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator.
Taking Elderberry Syrup: I like to take a few spoonfuls whenever I start to feel a cold or flu coming on and during the duration of sickness.
Downloadable recipe PDF & video tutorial below!
About The Herbal Crafter
My name is Tiffany, and I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and three kids. I have been blogging about food and natural living for over 14 years. I spend me free time studying herbalism and aromatherapy.
I'm currently enrolled in The Herbal Academy's Intermediate Herbal Course and hope to take the Advanced course in 2025.
I created this substack to share my herbal recipes, plant-based creations, and foraging finds.
Thanks for the recipe!
I have some dried I bought while back that I have to make.