How to Make Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup has become the new hot commodity for fighting off colds and flus and boosting our immune systems.

Black elderberries have been used for centuries to help combat illnesses and fight infection.

This study was even done in Norway, and helped people fight the flu up to 4 days faster, than if they hadn’t taken the elderberry syrup. And this study was done in the US to show that using elderberry syrup reduced the longevity of colds.

I have purchased elderberry syrup from multiple places, but finally decided to make my own since each time I bought it, the price was going up due to the popularity of this phenomenal home remedy! I have literally spent $22 for an 8 ounce bottle. That adds up quick when so many in the house are taking it daily.

You would think that you could just add elderberries to your smoothies or munch on them, but that actually could harm you by inducing nausea or vomiting.

These powerful little guys aren’t so healthy for us in their raw or dried state.

The method of heating the berries and creating a syrup with a sugar allows the berries to release their “powers” and give you a boosted immune system.

Today, I’m going to share a simple recipe that we are so excited about using during this time of the year.

Let’s jump right on in, shall we?

You will need:

• 100g dried, organic elderberries
• 1″ chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 8 c. purified water
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups raw, local honey – depending on the sweetness you desire
• large saucepan or stock pot
• wire mesh strainer
• wooden spoon
• funnel
• glass bottles for storage

Now that you have your ingredients together, let’s get started!

First, you want to weigh the dried elderberries. Be sure to put the bowl on first and clear it to bring it to zero, before adding in the berries to weigh 

Next, peel and chop your ginger… it totally doesn’t have to be perfect y’all!

And oh my gosh… I looooove the smell of fresh ginger! You could even just cut it into strips if you want to be fast about it.

You can then pour your 8 cups of water into your stock pot, dried elderberries, and ginger, mixing gently.

During this process, I actually allowed my berries and ginger to sit in the water for about 1 hour to soak, only because I started it and then realized I had to run out of the house. Once I got back, I turned the stove back on to medium-high and began to boil the berries.

You’ll want to turn down the heat to medium-low once it starts boiling, and allow to simmer for 45 minutes, without a lid, stirring occasionally.

Aren’t they so beautiful?

Once they’ve simmered for 45 minutes, remove the pot from hot stove top, and allow it to cool to room temperature.

When they’re at room temp, use your strainer to set in a bowl to measure the amount of elderberry extract you have.

Using your wire mesh strainer, and a large glass bowl underneath to catch the juice, strain the concentrated extract, and smash the berries with the wooden spoon. You should have approximately 4 cups of liquid here.

You want to have 4 cups of elderberry extract at this point, so if it’s not quite 4 cups, you can press the berries to drain the juices in them or add a bit of purified water to reach four cups of extract.

Once you have 4 cups of extract, rinse or wash the stock pot, to remove any remaining berries, and then you can pour the 4 cups of extract back into the same pot.

You will now measure out 1 1/2 cups of raw, local honey and mix into the extract. Turn the heat on to medium to a bit higher, just to get it boiling again.

Why local honey?

Did you know that when you take a tablespoon of local honey every day for 2 weeks, your allergies will decrease?

That could be an old wives’ tale, but I did it with my girls, and they haven’t taken their allergy medicine nearly as often!

Ok, back to making the homemade Elderberry Syrup!

Stir the honey and elderberry extract more often, making sure the honey doesn’t stick and burn at the bottom of the pan.

At this point, I tasted a bit on my finger to gauge the sweetness, and decided to add a bit more honey, which is why I suggest 1 1/2 – 2 cups of local honey.

Feel free to do a little taste test to see if you want to add a bit more honey as well, or leave it at 1 1/2 cups.

You will want to boil the extract and honey together for 20-25 minutes, until it has thickened up some. It won’t be super syrupy, but it will be thicker than the extract alone.

Allow the elderberry syrup to cool to room temperature, and then pour into prepared bottles, using your funnel.

Ta da! We just made elderberry syrup together! Wasn’t that fun and exciting?

This needs to be stored in the refrigerator and is good for up to a month!

Taking a tablespoon of your homemade elderberry syrup every day should boost your immune system. If you find yourself getting sick, you can take it three times a day to kick the illness faster.

I hope this little herbal remedy recipe turns out great for you and your family this season!

Feel free to leave a comment below or visit me on Facebook after you’ve made this! I’d love to hear how it went for you!

Chat with you soon <3

NOTE: You should always talk with your doctor or health care professional before starting a new supplement. And NEVER give a child under 1 year’s old honey, so this recipe isn’t for the babies <3