• Recipes
  • Urban Homesteading
  • Organic Gardening
  • Faith and Family
  • Homeschool
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

My Humble Kitchen

food • faith • family

  • New? Start Here!
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Salads
    • Egg Dishes
    • Meat and Fish
    • Pasta
    • Rice and Legumes
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
    • Sandwiches
    • Casserole Meals
    • Crockpot Recipes
    • Odd Bits Recipes
    • Spanish Food
    • Naturally Sweetened Sweets and Treats
    • Condiments
    • Homemade Jams and Preserves
    • Whole Grains
    • Ferments
  • Shopping Guide
  • eBooks
You are here: Home / Topics / Urban Homesteading / Canning and Preserving / How to Make Elderberry Syrup for Colds and Flu

Canning and Preserving Recipes Urban Homesteading

How to Make Elderberry Syrup for Colds and Flu

elderberries

It’s the season of elderberries.  Clusters of berries that grow heavily on bushes that can reach up to 10′ tall.

Many people grow these bushes at home while others forage for the berries in the wild.

If you do try your hand at foraging for these berries, make sure you harvest ripened black berries.  There is an imposter out there with red berries which are quite poisonous.

These berries are not as sweet as a raspberry or blueberry, however, they share a mild sort of sweetness similar to that of a wild mulberry or marionberry.

The elderberry can be used in many ways.  Baked in pies, crumbles and tarts or frozen and mixed in sorbets, ice-cream and slushies.  For the homesteader, elderberries are processed and made into jams and sweet syrups.

The use that I have found most intriguing is its cold and flu remedy.

elderberries_2

Elderberries have been used traditionally for centuries throughout Europe, North America and Western Asia for its medicinal properties.

It was used to treat infection, remedy colds and flu and as a diuretic when stomach ailments arose.

Today it’s been tested and used for it’s antioxidant activity, to boost the immune system, lower cholesterol, for heart health and to improve vision.

Over the past couple of years I’ve been reading about its uses to fight winter time coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections.

A syrup is made and taken by the spoonful to reduce the length in time of colds and flu.

What I especially love about this treatment is that the syrup made is sweet as candy and something the children will actually enjoy to take.

Elderberry Syrup for Colds and Flu

elderberry_syrup

This simple syrup can be made using fresh ripened elderberries or dried elderberries that you can find on Mountain Rose Herbs.

Ingredients:

berries_honey

  1. 1 cup fresh, ripened elderberries
  2. 2 cups water
  3. 1/2 – 1 cup raw honey

Method:

1. Remove berries from the stems making sure to keep as much of the branch and stems separated from the berries.  (Too large of a quantity can be poisonous)
picking_elderberries

2. In a sauce pan, add 1 cup berries and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Once the berries have simmered for a half hour, mash the berries with a potato masher.

3. Strain through a jelly bag to separate the juice from the berries skin and seeds.

4. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup raw honey, stir well and store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.

This should keep for 2-3 months.

Dosage:

As a preventative, a tablespoon a day can be given to adults or a teaspoon a day to children.

At the first sign of illness, a tablespoon full every 2-3 hours for adults or a teaspoonful every 2-3 hours for children.

Have you used elderberry syrup to prevent and treat colds and flu during the wintertime? Please share your testimonials and experiences with us in the comments below.


33 Comments

About Diana Bauman

Diana is a mother of three, proud wife, and humbled daughter of God. She finds the most joy meeting with Jesus in her organic gardens. She is completely blessed to be able to call herself a stay at home mom where she home educates her children, joyfully serves her husband, and cooks nourishing, real food, for her family. She loves connecting with people on facebook, google+, pinterest, and instagram.

« Simple Lives Thursday, #59
Garden Update, August 2011 »

Comments

  1. Belinda @zomppa says

    September 5, 2011 at 8:08 am

    Look pretty tasty too…now this is what Mary Poppins should have given out!

    Reply
  2. Laurie Neverman says

    September 5, 2011 at 8:20 am

    Sharing. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Irma says

    September 5, 2011 at 8:54 am

    I want to make elderberry syrup too. I’ll have to wait a few weeks though. Here in Scotland berries aren’t quite ripe yet. After the nasty flu of the past winter, I’m very keen to try something natural to prevent it.

    Reply
  4. Simple Mama says

    September 5, 2011 at 9:45 am

    We’ve used commercial elderberry syrup for several years now. I purchased a large quantity of dried elderberries from Frontier Natural Foods this year with the intent to make elderberry syrup. I was going to make mine with vodka, but I like this idea better, because my son will most likely take it.

    Reply
    • Foy says

      September 6, 2011 at 7:00 am

      I made some with vodka last year and it tastes terrible. We still have it. Perhaps I just need to add honey?

      Reply
  5. Amber says

    September 5, 2011 at 4:00 pm

    I love love love elderberry cordial! It’s the tastiest cure I’ve ever used for coughs and colds and flu…I look forward to using fresh one day, but dried berries (yes, from Mtn Rose Herbs!) are quite tasty as well. Great post!

    Reply
  6. Cindy says

    September 5, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    We get wild elderberries around here all the time and I make all sorts of things from them including Jam. We have found the best way to remove the berries is to run a fork through them kinda like a comb. They can be very time consuming when you are dealing with many many pounds of them.

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 6, 2011 at 8:04 pm

      Thanks for that tip Cindy! It took me quite awhile to pick the berries.

      Reply
  7. Tien says

    September 5, 2011 at 4:58 pm

    That’s so funny. I have been wanting to make elderberry something for a year now. I finally got the courage to harvest them. I double checked with some friend and found out that I collected American elderberry. I just got done picking off 2 lbs of elderberry and decided to make elderberry juice. It’s very much a labor of love. It’s taken about 4 or 5 hours to pick the berries even with help. The elderberry concentrate at the store is expensive at $24/bottle. -Tien 🙂

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 6, 2011 at 8:05 pm

      Tien, thanks for stopping by! I haven’t spoken to you in some time. I hope you’re doing well!!

      Reply
  8. Noelle says

    September 6, 2011 at 8:06 am

    What a beautiful recipe! I love natural remedies!

    Reply
  9. Cassandra says

    September 6, 2011 at 11:58 am

    When I was given this remedy my friend told me to put everything i a pot, so i do stems and all…it is much quicker than picking all of those tiny little berries off! I have been using it for years and swear by it.

    Reply
  10. Diana says

    September 6, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    Hi Diana,

    My goodness am I thrilled to find your blog! I too have Spanish parents (both) and was born and raised here in the US AND my name is Diana!

    I look forward to browsing your blog but just had to say HI!!

    Saludos,

    Diana

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 6, 2011 at 7:59 pm

      Diana, How cool! What a small world, huh?! I’m so glad you’ve stopped by and I’m looking forward to chatting with you! Please stop by my facebook fan page… we can chat 😀

      Reply
      • Diana says

        September 7, 2011 at 2:46 pm

        Will do! I have to set up my facebook account though… I’m part Gallega… a little anti-social (I prefer private)!!!! 😀

        Reply
  11. mothersweden says

    September 6, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    I have been making a version of this for years. It’s an old Swedish cure. I keep mine in the freezer and spoon it out in a bit of water – hot or cold – or in a shot of vodka depending on the “patient”.

    Reply
  12. Sue/the view from great island says

    September 6, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    This is so interesting, I love the idea of making my own natural medicines. I’ve been seeing all kinds of berries by the sides of the roads, but I’m not sure how to identify the elderberry.

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 6, 2011 at 9:51 pm

      Hi Sue, take a look at this link. It should be helpful in identifying the elderberry.

      http://www.bomengids.nl/uk/soorten/Gewone_vlier__Sambucus_nigra__Black_elderberry.html

      Reply
  13. France @ Beyond The Peel says

    September 7, 2011 at 12:43 am

    Sounds great, but you know what is amazing with elderberry syrup, 1 oz hendricks Gin, 1 oz elderberry syrup 5 slices of cucumber, shaken on ice with 2 oz of soda. Heavenly. But not for the kids. Medicinal after a crappy day at work!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      September 7, 2011 at 8:22 am

      Now that does sound heavenly! Thanks for the comment France!

      Reply
    • cate - yogahealer says

      November 13, 2011 at 7:08 pm

      sounds medicinal for a winter cough. alcohol is warming and penetrating. thanks for the share.

      Reply
  14. Paula says

    September 8, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    We started making elderberry syrup about a year ago for coughs, colds, and flus. It works wonders. For us it seems to halt a cough within a few doses and a cold in less than 2 days. Great stuff.

    Reply
  15. Corinne says

    September 12, 2011 at 12:42 am

    Do you use the same amount of dried berries as you do fresh, and then cook it the same?

    Reply
    • cate - yogahealer says

      November 13, 2011 at 7:09 pm

      I soaked my dried berries overnight… then blended, seeds and all. it worked.

      Reply
  16. Allison Huhmann says

    December 10, 2014 at 8:33 am

    I just bought a bottle of elderberry concentrate at an amish store. How would I make the syrup from the concentrate? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  17. Anne says

    October 21, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    I have used this recipe for years now and my family uses this year round for allergies and colds

    Reply
  18. Kathy DeLalla says

    February 15, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    Could you tell me if adding vodka is a good idea for the elderberry syrup? I don’t know how much to add to a 3-4 cup recipe. Could you help me?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      February 18, 2016 at 6:20 am

      Kathy, adding vodka would be good if you were making a tincture. You would fill a jar halfway with elderberries and then add the vodka. You’d want that to sit in a dark corner for 4-6 weeks. You’d strain it and then use about a teaspoon at a time when ill. Hope that helps.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to make Elderberry Syrup and Jellies says:
    July 23, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    […] recipe is a hybrid from Diana’s post over at A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, and a YouTube video by Mountain Rose Herbs.  You can use the Mountain Rose Herb video to adapt […]

    Reply
  2. The "Make Your Own" Zone Favorite Finds for October - The "Make Your Own" Zone says:
    July 28, 2012 at 11:29 am

    […] – Elderberry Syrup Elderberry Syrup for Colds and Flu […]

    Reply
  3. The Make Your Own Zone Favorite Finds for October - The Make Your Own Zone says:
    August 9, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    […] – Elderberry Syrup Elderberry Syrup for Colds and Flu […]

    Reply
  4. 20 Tried and True Natural Remedies for the Cold and Flu - A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa says:
    November 2, 2012 at 12:15 pm

    […] much as we try to prevent illness in our family by eating real food, cutting down on sugar, drinking elderberry syrup, and vitamin c, we always seem to get […]

    Reply
  5. Natural remedies | Useless Jibber Jabber says:
    April 11, 2014 at 10:07 am

    […] How to Make Elderberry Syrup for Colds and Flu from myhumblekitchen.com Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Cold and Flu Prevention from holisticsquid.com How to Make Elderberry Syrup from thehungrymouse.com […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

My family of 7

I’m Diana – mother of five, proud wife, and daughter to an amazing God. Here you’ll find an encouraging community seeking to nourish our families both physically and spiritually. You’ll find us in our kitchens, gardens, and homeschool rooms pursuing a simple life in food, faith, and family.

Read More…

Real Food, Faith, and Family Straight to Your Inbox!

PLUS, receive my eBook a Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours and a Real Food Menu Plan Printable FREE!

Living Foods

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch - Gluten-Free

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch

How To Make Milk Kefir - A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink | myhumblekitchen.com

How To Make Milk Kefir – A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner

Winter Recipes

Honey Sweetened, Christmas Granola - Candy Canes and Chocolate Chips | myhumblekitchen.com

Honey Sweetened Christmas Granola with Candy Canes and Chocolate Chips

A Simple Beef and Barley Stew | myhumblekitchen.com

A Simple Beef and Barley Stew

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Fudge Brownies | myhumblekitchen.com

Almond Flour Fudge Brownies

A Vegetable Curry

Quick Bake Einkorn Biscuits | myhumblekitchen.com

Quick Bake Einkorn Biscuits

View More Winter Recipes

#probioticseveryday

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch - Gluten-Free

Fermented Buckwheat Crunch

Naturally Pickled Leafy Greens and Stems with Onions

Homemade Yogurt | myhumblekitchen.com

Homemade Yogurt

How To Make Milk Kefir - A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink | myhumblekitchen.com

How To Make Milk Kefir – A Probiotic Yogurt-Type Drink

A Simple Recipe for Homemade Natural Fermented Pickles

View More Gut Healthy Recipes

Copyright © 2025 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2025 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...