Herbal syrups are really just super duper potent teas with sweetener added. Traditionally white sugar is used which is what gives syrups the thick viscous consistency that you find with ordinary cough and cold syrups. I prefer to keep as much sugar out of the picture as possible, as all forms of sugar invite inflammation and disease into the body and slow our immune function. SO our syrups will not be thick. For this recipe I offer raw honey as your sweeter because I feel it’s one of the most healing sweeteners available to us.
Here is an outline of the herbs you can decide to use in your syrup. Feel free to keep it simple and just use Elderberry or decide to use all six!
{Elderberry: Sambucus canadensis}
Known for it’s antiviral, immune enhancing properties, diaphoretic (encourages sweating) and expectorant (helps us to clear out our lungs) properties.
{Ginger Root: Zingiber officinale}
Known for it’s warming & circulatory functions, aids in detoxification, digestive support & it’s anti-spasmodic (calms spasms & cramps) property.
{Tulsi/Holy Basil:Ocimum tenuiflorum }
An adaptogen known for it’s digestive support, mood enhancing/balancing, warming properties & adrenal & immune support.
{**Lemon Balm: Melissa officinalis}
Known for its anti-microbial & anti-viral functions, anti-spasmodic, anxiety & stress support , digestive & liver supportive properties.
{Stinging Nettle: Urtica dioica}
Amazing for everything. Period. No really. Read more about this favorite herb of mine here.
{***Licorice Root: Glycyrrihiza glabra}
Adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, liver supporter, expectorant, mucilaginous (lubricates), adrenal & immune supporter.
**If you have hypothyroidism, please check with your primary healthcare provider first before taking Lemon Balm on a regular basis as it may be contraindicated.
***If you have high blood pressure please check with your primary healthcare provider before taking Licorice as it may be contraindicated
Elderberry & Friends Cold & Flu Syrup
Recipe makes approx 32oz of syurp.
What You’ll Need:
-Large soup pot
-food mill/coffee grinder
-fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth
– 64 oz filtered water
-raw honey* optional
-splash of booze (1/4 cup) (vodka, brandy… any will do) *optional
-32 oz mason jar for storage
-2 ounces dry Elderberries – if you want to start simple (Elderberry is perfect all by its lonesome!)
OR if you want to get a little crazy try:
-1 ounce Elderberries,
-1/2 ounce dry Licorice Root,
-1/2 ounce Mix of dry Nettle Leaf, dry Tulsi/Holy Basil, dry Lemon Balm
– 2 inches of fresh chopped Ginger root
As mentioned above if you’ve never made an herbal concoction before and want to keep it simple- just keep stick to the Elderberries. Elderberry is a phenomenal herb all on it’s own so you really don’t need to get all fancy. BUT if you want to get all crazy then go ahead and pick up the Nettle, Lemon Balm, Tulsi & Ginger to make it an even more well rounded and powerful blend. It’s totally up to you and all good either way.
GOT EVERYTHING READY?? LET’S DO THIS!
1. First thing’s first: you want grind up your herbs! I like to use a coffee mill but you can use any kind of grinder even a blender if your blades are sharp. If you’re choosing to use all the herbs just grind your Elderberry & Licorice root- leave the rest out (Lemon Balm, Tulsi & Nettle) and chop your fresh Ginger separately .
2.Pour the 64 ounce of cold pure filtered water into your soup pot. Add your ground Elderberries (and Licorice & chopped Ginger root ). Give the contents a little mix to make sure the herbs are submerged in the water.
3. Now measure your water level in the pot. I use a chop stick to measure by making a mark with a sharpie as to where the water mark lands. You can eye ball it too if you want. Now put your stove on high, cover your pot and bring to a boil.
This usually takes about 5 minutes.
4. After you’ve brought your brew to a boil, lower your stove top to med/low bringing the herbs to a simmer. Leave the cover on cracked slightly. Continue to simmer for about 40-60 minutes until the liquid has evaporated to 1/2 its original amount. Again check periodically with your marked chop stick or your eye ball method.
5. Now once you have half the amount of liquid in your pot than what you started with (approx 32 ounces) turn off the heat. If you opted in to use all of the herbs for this recipe then it’s now time to add your dried Nettle, Lemon Balm & Tulsi. Mix them in and fully submerge them into the liquid then cover the pot again and let sit for 15 more minutes.
6. If you kept it simple with just Elderberries you can now decide whether you’d like to sweeten your brew. So have a taste. Raw honey is my top choice as it also have a huge amount of anti-viral and anti-microbial properties in its raw form. But Elderberries are pretty delicious all by their lonesome so sweetening is up to you. If you do decide to sweeten, let your brew cool for another 15-20 minutes with the cover off, then add 1/8 -1/4 cup of raw honey to taste, mixing well until the honey is dissolved.
*For those of you who added the Licorice to the recipe, go ahead and taste a bit of the brew. You may find it is already quite sweet and doesn’t need any honey- your call.
7. Now it’s time to strain! Grab your strainer and a bowl to catch your syrup and pour away!
And don’t forget to press out all of the liquid from the herbal matter once you’ve strained! You don’t want to waste any of this brew!
8. To preserve or not to preserve…This syrup will last you about a week refrigerated if you added honey. Without honey it will last 3-4 days. So if you have a family of four, you’ll most likely whip through this 32 ounce batch pretty quickly and you many not need to add a preservative.
But if you’re like me & you just live with a partner or roommate, you may want to think about adding a splash of booze to help preserve your syrup. About a 1/4 cup of your alcohol of choice will suffice. This will keep your syrup good to go for up to 2 months refrigerated.
9. Now pour your syrup into a clean 32. oz jar of choice, cap tightly and voila! Congratulations! You have now made your own cold and flu remedy syrup!
Don’t forget, especially if you were wrapped up in following these directions for the first time-Add those special ingredients- Love- And good intentions to your health and well being! Hold your jar of syrup in your hand, thank yourself for taking the time to make it, thank the herbs for their medicine and send all of your loving & healing thoughts right into the jar infusing it with even more power and healing for yourself & loved ones that will enjoy it this season!
Cheers! Here’s to your health!
Adult Dosage: Prevention 1-2 Tbsp daily,
When Sick: 1-2 Tbsp up to 6x’s daily every 1-2hrs.
*Recovery time: 1-2 Tbsp daily
Children & Elderly Dosage: Prevention: 1-2 tsps daily
When Sick: 1-2 tsps up to 6x’s every 1-2 hrs
Recovery time: 1-2 tsps daily
*Typically we don’t treat ourselves long enough when we go through a cold/flu. When we start feeling like ourselves again, we let self care go to the way side. Be sure to continue to take your syrup at least 3-4 days AFTER you feel like your old self again… that way the cold/flu won’t creep back on you a week later:) You’ll thank me!
xo Amanda
*All Information shared on this site is for educational purposes only. Use herbs responsibly & under the guidance of your healthcare practitioner if you are pregnant, nursing, have a serious health condition or are taking pharmaceuticals.
Elderberry & Friends
