Elderberry Syrup for flu season!
Hey everyone!
Seeing as the seasons are changing lots of people I know are getting sick. So, I thought I'd post a syrup recipe on one of my favorite berries, elderberries! They're known to strengthen the immune system and in studies done elderberries have shown to reduce the duration of influenza*.
During the H1N1 scare, many people in school were getting ill and freaking out, I never got any flu shots or sick at all that year and I thank elderberries for that :)
I've yet to try the syrup recipe, I plan on buying some elderberries on Friday and will likely have it done on Saturday, but since I went to bed early and can't sleep now I thought I'd post it! This recipe is from Rosemary Gladstar's "Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health"(which is an amazing book that I highly recommend)
If you're not sure where to find Elderberries, I've found them fresh at the farmers market and dried at health food stores that sell bulk herbs. They shouldn't be too hard to track down.
You'll need...
1 cup of fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries
3 cups of water
1 cup of honey
Put the berries and water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Then mash the berries and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add 1 cup of honey or more to taste. Bottle and store in the fridge, it will last 2 to 3 months.
Caution: Use only blue elderberries. Never eat them uncooked(mind you, I have many times and was fine... but I didn't know it was a potential issue, so beware)
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