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The kids are back in school, cooler weather is on the horizon, and pumpkin spice everything is starting to creep in. What does that mean? Flu season is almost upon us!
When my kids were younger they seemed to catch everything, EVERYTHING, that was going around. We would hunker down, grab our blankets, and settle in for what was an inevitable two weeks of whatever "it" was, making the rounds in our home. Finally we would see the light at the end of the tunnel, everyone would be on the rebound, and BAM. Someone would come down with something new! It was so stinkin' frustrating!
A few years ago I was desperatly trying to find something that we could do other than the standard, wash your hands, cough into your elbow, sanitize all the doorknobs and lightswitches, all that jazz. I did not love giving a bunch of medicine to my kids, but they were misearable and I wanted to help them feel better.
I happened upon a recipe and short article on Elderberry Syrup. It was all natural, given every day as a preventative, and would help you get over a cold if you were sick. I figured "why not" and quickly added dried elderberries to my Amazon shopping list. Within a couple days I was making my first batch of Elderberry syrup (thank you prime shipping).
Did it work? Yep! We were getting sick less often and when someone did come home feeling under the weather, they were generally feeling better much faster when we upped thier "dosage" of syrup to help them recover. Now this recipe does contain honey. So DONT give it to anyone under the age of one.
The great news is more and more I am seeing elderberry syrup in the cold and flu section of the grocery store. Bad news is it is EXPENSIVE! Lucky for you, I have a rediculously easy recipe for it, and yep, I'll even let you have it.
Elderberry syrup recipe:
5 cups water
1 cup dried elderberries (I got mine here)
1 T ground cinnamon
1.5 c raw honey
Place water elderberries and cinnamon in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer on low for 30-45 minutes. Strain out the liquid, really smashing the elderberries to release any juice. Let the juice cool off until it is warm. Add in the raw honey and stir until it is dissolved. Pour into your mason jar and store in the refridgerator.
Dosage:
if you are healthy one teaspoon a day
If you are starting to get sick or are already sick, up the dose to 1 Tablespoon 3-4 times a day until you feel better
A couple things to know about this recipe. IT STAINS!!! Like, really really badly. I usually give my kids their daily dose in a medicine cup or bulb syringe to cut down on spills.
Infants should NOT be given this syrup until they are a year old at least. Honey contains spores that can make them very very sick. Just dont do it. It isn't worth the risk.
Elderberry syrup can cause you to get the runs. If this happens either discontinue using it, reduce the dosage while upping slightly every day, or just learn to deal.
I use raw honey in my recipe becuase I think that raw honey has many added benefits. That is also why you add the honey in AFTER you are done cooking it. That way it retains more of the good antibacterial properties, etc.
Yep that it is! Easy right? Now enjoy the rewards of making it through the winter with less time battling the latest cold.
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