You're probably wondering "what the heck is an elderberry and why will it help me?"
Elderberry is a form of a Sambucus plant. It is classified as a flowering plant with roughly 150-200 species. It is beautiful to look at, and smell. The old-world stories of elderberry show that it was traditionally used to watch after other plants, as a guardian. It is quite a cool berry.
But apart from its really interesting history, elder can be very beneficial to you this cold and flu season- I promise!
Elder is really neat because it contains antibiotic compounds. The berry is even often present in syrups to help battle the flu.
Studies have even found elderberry to be very effective in reducing suffering time and minimizing symptoms of a cold or the flu.
Apart from these sicknesses, elder is also found to fight against some forgotten illnesses such as mumps and measles. Elderberry has even shown to battle activity against ebola! Crazy right?
So what symptoms will this wonder berry reduce for you? Well, I'm glad you asked. Elderberry will help with:
- Common Cold & Flu Symptoms
- Sinus Infections
- Lowering Blood Sugar
- Being a Natural Diuretic
- Being a Natural Laxative
- Promoting Healthy Skin
- Cancer Prevention
Included Below is a recipe we found for making homemade Elderberry Syrup:
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
- 3.5 cups cold water
- 2 cups organic dried elderberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried organic ginger root
- 1 teaspoon organic cinnamon powder or 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup raw honey
- Pour water into a saucepan and add elderberries, ginger and cinnamon.
- Bring mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 40–45 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about half.
- Remove from heat and mash the berries.
- Pour through a strainer or cheesecloth into a glass bowl. If you use a cheesecloth, make sure to squeeze out the juice.
- Add honey and stir until well-combined.
- Bottle final product in a sterilized glass container.