How To: The Tastiest Way to Cut Days Off Your Cold
Good to the Last Drop
It seems outrageous that something so tasty can be good medicine.
And yet, I’m here to tell you that you need elderberry syrup in your medicine cabinet this cold and flu season.
Elderberry is the fruit of a plant called black elder. It has been used by generations of herbalists to fight viral infections like the common cold and influenza.
Beyond folk tradition, we also have some striking biomedical evidence to support the use of this plant. A small but good quality 2004 study out of Norway found that a 5-day course of a standardized extract of black elderberry reduced flu symptoms by 3-4 days—that is essentially cutting your sick time in half! In comparison, Tamiflu will reduce your symptoms by about one day. A test-tube experiment in 2001 showed that an elderberry extract stimulated the immune cells more strongly than a potent inflammatory molecule called LPS. Even better—elderberry is a food-like medicine, and it has a very low likelihood of causing harm. No side effects were reported in the human-based study.
This evidence supports the use of this herb in cold and flu season: take a little elderberry every day through the winter, and double it while you’re sick.
The studies were conducted with commercial extracts with a standardized content of bioflavonoids, which are the highest quality form this medicine—but also the most expensive. We are going to talk about making syrup from dried elderberries, which is fun, relatively economical, and will make your home smell like heaven.
Ingredients & Directions
I buy my dried ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs, my go-to bulk herb source. Follow this link.
Tip: Whenever you can, use whole spices; anything ground loses its potency in weeks.
Combine in a saucepan:
1 cup dried elderberries
2 tablespoon dried orange peel
2-3 cinnamon sticks
2-3 inches fresh ginger, sliced into coins
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5-6 whole cardamom pods (crush lightly to expose the fragrant seeds)
A dash of cayenne powder (or more, if you like it spicy)
These are only some of the ideas you can try; in the first picture, you’ll notice I added turmeric powder and astragalus root to that batch. Once you are comfortable with the recipe, feel free to play with it.
Add 3-4 cups of clean, cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes
Remove from heat and strain out the plant material.
Return the tea/juice to the saucepan. Bring it back to a simmer and reduce it to about a pint.
Add:
1 cup organic granulated sugar
Continue to simmer over medium-low heat until the syrup gets thick and gloopy. You want it to slightly coat the back of a spoon. If you don’t feel comfortable with this step, you can use a candy thermometer and take it to the jam stage (about 220°F).
Warning: if you over-cook the syrup, it will turn into elderberry candy. Still not a bad way to go, but not exactly what we’re going for!
Remove from heat. Add:
1 cup organic honey
This should leave you with a spicy, silky syrup that tastes amazing, coats the throat, and sets up nicely. The high sugar content means you don’t have to refrigerate this product, although you certainly can if you want.
My favorite way to enjoy this syrup?
I pour 1-2 teaspoons into a small cup and fill to the brim with hot water, then I sip it throughout my morning routine. My husband and kids ask for their cups every morning, too!
Sources:
Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J. Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. J Int Med Res. 2004 Mar-Apr;32(2):132-40.
Barak V, Halperin T, Kalickman I. The effect of Sambucol, a black elderberry-based, natural product, on the production of human cytokines: I. Inflammatory cytokines. Eur Cytokine Netw. 2001 Apr-Jun;12(2):290-6.