Elderberries
are considered to have anti-viral properties. Gather in late summer to make syrup, or freeze for later use. Herbalists recommend
taking some at any first sign of illness to ward off colds and flu
during the flu season.
Elderberry Concentrate from Fresh Elderberries
Put
fresh elderberries a tall container. Scantly cover with water. Blend
well with a stick blender into a slurry. Strain it through cheesecloth
or a jelly bag by letting it drain overnight. Put the liquid into a
crockpot and slow cook, uncovered, until it is reduced in volume to the
thickness you want for your concentrate. Refrigerate and use within
three days, or freeze and use within six months. Elderberry Concentrate from Dried ElderberriesPut dried
elderberries in a pot. Cover with water and let soak overnight. Turn on
heat and cook for an hour over medium heat. Strain out the juice and
add honey to taste.
Elderberry
Syrup for cough and colds
Ingredients:
1 cup elderberries
1 tablespoon of grated ginger [optional]
5 cloves [optional]
2 cups of water
1 cup of honey
Directions:
Put
everything except honey into an enamel saucepan. Turn on heat to
medium high and bring to a boil, stirring continually. After it has
boiled, reduce heat to low and let simmer 20 minutes or until the
liquid
has been reduced to half its original volume, or transfer to a slow
cooker or crock pot until liquid is reduced by half. If optional spices
were used, strain them out. Add honey and mix in thorougly. Cover and
store in fridge. Will keep for several weeks.
Dose:
Take 1 tablespoon a day as a preventative during the cold and flu
season, or 1 tablespoon every 2 hours if you are sick.
Echinacea
and/or star anise can be added at the beginning of the simmering, if
desired.
Raw
Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen elderberries
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of raw honey
Put the elderberries in the freezer
for a day or until hard frozen
Directions:
Take frozen berries out of freezer and allow to thaw.
When
berries are thawed, pour hot water over them; as much water as
there was frozen berries, i.e., a cup of water for every cup of
frozen berries.
Cover and let set overnight.
The
next day/morning, smush them with a thick wooden spoon to extract as
much juice as possible, then strain through a cloth bag, squeezing to
get out as much elderberry juice as possible.
Add raw honey and mix
thoroughly
Store in freezer and take out and thaw
as needed.
Dose:
Raw
elderberry syrup can be unsettling to the stomach, so take a quarter
teaspoon at first and then slowly increase it to the above dosage if it
is tolerated.
Echinacea
and/or star anise can be added to the water before it is poured on the
elderberries. Let it sit in a covered slow cooker overnight, then
strain out the spices and use the liquid, adding extra liquid as needed.
Take 1 tablespoon of syrup at a time.
Elderberry syrup can have a laxative effect if taken in large
quantities, such as over 1/3 cup at a time.
|
Fire
Your Doctor! How to Be Independently Healthy by Andrew W. Saul
The
Cure Is in the Cupboard
Using oil of oregano
for better health.
When
a Child Is Born Based on the
anthroposophical theories of Rudolf
Steiner. Covers diseases like polio and vaccination (he's against) and
a lot of common sense, herbal and homeopathic remedies.
Our
Earth Our Cure: A Handbook of Natural Medicine for Today by Raymond
Dextreit.
 |
Elderberry Syrup
