Super Powered Elderberry Syrup

Stop colds and flu and feel better faster.

Well, it’s here, the official peak of “flu season”... otherwise known as a perfect breeding ground in lifestyle and climate for germs. The CDC map shows that this week in the United States, only the District of Columbia is holding out from stopping the flu from being widespread (last week West Virginia was too). Of courses we can count Hawaii and the Virgin Islands where the sun wants to still shine - and two places I would gladly like to book a flight. Maybe that needs to be my “home away from home” remedy. 

Alas, I think having actual home remedies on hand is more practical. And since living in a bubble (or Hawaii) isn’t an actual option during the high flu and cold times of year, why not use tools available to you to help you body create it’s own immunity bubble.   

​Before modern medicine existed, people found support for ailments in nature. Modern medicine also uses nature, but often it is standardized and manipulated for measurability. I happen to believe that sometimes we manipulate it a little too much and then we lose sight of the resources God gave us. We also tend to fall for the “party line” when it comes to conventional products. I used to get the name brand peanut butter because that’s what I had growing up. Guess what?! The generic tastes great and has less sugar added. I also used to have advil in the home and grabbed two when i had a headache or cramps because that’s what I had always known. Then I gave myself an ulcer in my 20s when I was taking advil throughout the days at work. Huh. Hadn’t really known that was such an easy thing to do. I also used to give tylenol or ibuprophen at the first sign of a fever in my little ones. The most obvious downside was they would start bouncing around playing like normal- and the minute the medicine wore off the fever was back and they were back to being lethargic. When I kept this up, fevers could last for days and they often got congested in addition. These days we often can skip using OTC medicine to treat what I now know to be helpful responses of the body.  

A headache and a fever are protective mechanisms of the body. They are communication tools. If we silence these, we prevent our body from getting the help it needs. Headaches can come from a variety of causes. And due to the cause, we may need to address it in different ways. If you have chronic headaches it could be really important to understand the cause so that you don’t over use over-the-counter interventions and cause liver and kidney damage. If tension in life is a cause of headaches, learning how to manage that tension in various ways could be the “cure.” If your headaches are caused by poor sleep health, then learning ways to get better sleep could provide long term support. My philosophy is that taking OTC medicine without addressing the root cause doesn’t do your health justice. And it ignores your body’s way of trying to communicate with you.

A fever even is going one step further and not just communicating an infection and need in the body, it’s also the body’s way of treatingthat infection. The temperature makes the body less attractive to the infected cells and more attractive to immune cells. Remember in my last post about how I talked about the flu germs being transmitted in cooler situations better- same goes for the body. The germs multiplying can be minimized with ahotter internal temperature AND the immune system strengthens to also attack infected cells! 

When we want to intervene to help our health there are two philosophies that I try to adhere to in our family:

1. Avoid doing more harm. Know the risks and the benefits.

2. Be proactive instead of reactive.

Natural options can accomplish both of these. We integrate them into our daily life to focus on keeping us healthy. When we take our vitamins and supplements regularly, eat a balanced diet with plenty of whole foods, have healthy sleep patterns and minimize the pollution in our homes and bodies, we give our body more opportunity to keep a strong immune system. If any of these get out of balance,our bodies have to work harder to pick up the slack and then can’t maintain energy in the immune system. For example, a tired body getting exposed to germs has less of a chance than a well rested one! A poorly nourished body doesn’t have the vitamins and minerals to help organs and body systems to function and it can also bring on illness.  

A FAVORITE KITCHEN STAPLE

Most of our home remedies are found in the kitchen. And some of them are basic foods. Others are intentional foods. Elderberry syrup is one of these and is a tool we use to be proactive and reactive to needs. Elderberry is one of the most documented and widely used medicinal plants for infections. It grows as is a fruit on a tree- there are different varieties but the Black Elderberry is the most used. Elderberries have gained more notoriety due to their reported antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating, as well as antidepressant properties Those are a lot of fancy science words to say they are DYNAMIC!
​I make our Elderberry syrup from dried organic berries. Elderberries are not meant to be eaten as a whole fruit and can cause digestive upset if they are. When made into a simple syrup you can take somewhere between a teaspoon or a tablespoon a day or every other day. When you aren’t feeling healthy, you take the same serving size multiple times a day.

It's that simple. And scientific.

It’s proven by science and our bodies.

I love it when I can find scientific support for my home remedies. Personally, I don’t really need it when I can feel and see the effects of using them. But it’s always confirming to know that we aren’t getting a placebo effect. Though, can I also just acknowledge that a placebo effect working is not really that big of an issue when IT WORKS! Wouldn’t you rather trick your brain and feel better than mask your symptoms and possibly hurt your internal organs. Just me? I mean, even my kids like a quick kiss to the bumped knee over any other form of treatment (IE. Placebo effect).

So back to the science. There have been a few peer reviewed studies over this simple berry either in syrup, capsule or gummy form throughout the years.One study had 60 participants between 18 and 54 years who, when they got the flu,  took 15ml (one tablespoon) of Elderberry syrup 4 times a day for 5 days. Their symptoms cleared up 4 days earlier and with less “Rescue” meds than those who had the placebo. Another study of 312 economy class passengers traveling from Australia to an overseas looked at cold symptoms and durations. They took elderberry capsules 10 days prior to travel, during and after travel. There was a difference between the placebo and treatment group in how many colds were acquired, but it was not great enough for research significance (17 in elderberry, 21 in placebo). The greatest significance happened in the duration and intensity of symptoms. The ones taking the elderberry recovered in half the time as those taking placebo. In addition, they rated their symptoms at 50% less intensity. In other words, consuming elderberry made sure that people got over their colds faster and with less severity! Yes, please. When studies have been done in vitro (meaning in agar plates and not in humans or animals) results show elderberry liquid extract to decrease the activity and growth of bacteria and flu viruses!  

The conclusion of this study is that it’s worth better understanding of how to take elderberry and also exploring how combining elderberry liquid extract “with additional ingredients with the goal of increasing its effects might also be considered, just as it is possible that various natural ingredients could be used in combination with the extract for different kinds of therapeutic applications.”

So guess what?!?!​

That's exactly what I do when I make my Elderberry Syrup!

I probably should not call my creation elderberry syrup as I decided to maximize effects and tastiness with raw honey, wolfberries and essential oils- all additional items that have therapeutic benefits. Maybe I should use the name my friend coined to get her kids to try it: Miss Megan’s Magical Medicine. It is catchy!

When I make my syrup, my goal is to harness the potency of elderberries, remove the need for junk that you can find in store bought varieties, make something that has a multitude of properties AND it tastes GREAT!

When you buy elderberry syrup at the store, they will often have added preservatives and are sweetened with sugar. I have a problem with these sugar sources- that are often glucose syrup or other synthetic forms. These are not natural and aren’t processed by the body in the same way as whole foods. They can also be harmful to the body and cause the liver to have to work to remove toxins. In addition, they are often from GMO corn sources. Making your own elderberry syrup eliminates this altered sugar form. It also only includes whole foods. Simple DIY Elderberry recipes often include elderberries, Cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, honey, cloves, water and simmering. I prefer making anything I do have magical superpowers with minimal extra work so I here’s why I use what I use!

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Raw honey:
​Raw honey is first of all, a whole food. It’s easy to digest and break down the natural sugars. It’s also GREAT for the immune system. Raw and unfiltered honey and has a high antioxidant level and is known to be antibacterial and antimicrobial. Honey helps your brain, your immune system and the digestive system. When you are consuming a local honey, you’re also consuming local pollen and helping your body build immunity to allergens and reduce seasonal allergies. Also, little known fact- it’s helpful for getting to sleep at night! So taking the elderberry syrup right before bed maximizes it’s time in your system, and can help you sleep better on top of all it’s doing for your body.I LOVE the farm where we get our honey from. I have talked to the bee keepers and learned more about their practices. I trust them and also use their beeswax for all my DIYs!

Ningxia Red is great for all ages and delicious. Learn more here!

Wolfberries:
​Wolfberries are a cousin to the goji berry. They are often integrated in asian foods and are instrumental in asian medicine and as a food supplement. These cultures soak the berries in water and drink it like a tea as well as incorporate them as a whole food into many dishes. The elements within wolfberries have MANY health benefits including antioxidative and antiaging properties, immune function suppoprt and overall wellbeing. They are also researched to have anti-cancer properties and improvement on alzheimer's disease. I was SHOCKED by how many sources of research were referenced in this research of literature.

Our family drinks wolfberry puree every day. In fact, I’ll be honest, we are more consistent and regular about that then elderberry syrup. We get our wolfberry puree from our Ningxia Red from Young Living. I also get dried organic wolfberries from there! I use wolfberries in my elderberry syrup and soak and simmer them the exact same way that I do the elderberries.

Essential Oils:
In our home we use Young Living essential oils as supplements. We consume them internally as well as using them topically in lotions and in our aromatic diffusers. I have found that adding essential oils to my elderberry syrup can make the flavor amazing and it can also support our immune system. There are a few complementary choices when adding essential oils including Thieves Vitality, Cinnamon Vitality, Lemon Vitality and more. Two of our favorites are Clove Vitality and Orange Vitality. Clove Vitality essential oil can promote a healthy immune response and support general wellness. Orange Vitality has antioxident properties and cleanses the digestive system. All of these are amazing additions to elderberry- because we often are using it to help our immune system and our digestive system. ​

Order Orange Vitality

Order Clove Vitality

Using Elderberry Syrup in a lot of ways

Straight Syrup
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Taking elderberry syrup everyday doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be as easy as pouring your serving onto a spoon and taking it. When you’re not feeling well, you are best served by taking it multiple times throughout the day. I tend to opt for every 3-4 hours. When I give it to my kids they often take 1 teaspoon and I often take 1 tablespoon. You can dilute the syrup into tea, water, juice or even yogurt or other foods. It is sweet with all the honey in it. Some kids love that and others find it overwhelmingly sweet. We also add it to our Ningxia Red supplement often. But Ningxia is delicious on it’s own so I get my kids to take the “too sweet to them” syrup by having them drink elderberry and THEN they get to have their Ningxia Red “juice.” Why do kids have to be so complicated?!

Gummies
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​Another kid friendly way to take it is in gummy form. You can make simple gummies with juice, tea or even coconut milk and add elderberry syrup to these. You don’t want to make a straight elderberry gummy unless you can stop yourself at just one! Too much elderberry will cause an upset stomach and it isn’t needed either. One challenge of making straight elderberry syrup gummies is also storing them to take one a day. Gummies are refrigerated but they will get gross after two weeks. If you make gummies, you can freeze them and thaw in small amounts. My kids love homemade gummies so adding a small amount of elderberry syrup to a good antioxidant juice or fruit puree is a treat for them. I have directions for gummies you can adapt here.

Hot Toddy
​My personal favorite way to have my elderberry syrup is in tea. With whiskey. Yea. You heard me. I am all about the hot toddy. And this is a simple way to make it and add my own healthy twist. Hot toddies are a home remedy that is worth doing. I mean, says someone who loves whiskey. Whiskey is a decongestant. It will help dilate the blood vessels to help your body deal with infection. And it also can help you to fall to sleep better. Add in honey, a good echinacea tea like this one, some fresh lemon or Lemon Vitality oil and your elderberry syrup - which already has the clove and cinnamon taken care of - and you are sipping your way to feeling better! 

Home Remedies for everyone

 Hopefully Elderberry syrup can be one of your go to remedies this season and in years to come. If you would like my recipe and tips for making it, along with 10 other home remedies and techniques, text “Home Remedies” to 412-748-0406. It's not hard to make and I'd personally love to help you learn how to!

I love teaching about this topic in person and virtually so always feel free to reach out with any questions. Let’s all arm ourselves with tools that help us to feel empowered and ready to take on this seasons germs. It’s amazing as a mom to no longer have that helpless sinking stomach feeling that doesn’t come from getting the flu but from watching one of your kids come down sick. You can do more. Science and I both know so! Plus, with a superpowered elderberry-wolfberry-essential oil-honey infused hot toddy in hand you can do anything. Cheers to our health!

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