Building the Immune System with Elderberry

By Rustina

We were at this awesome little play place and I was watching my 5 year old playing so sweet with this adorable little girl. He has always been a shy guy so it was super exciting. His blue eyes were sparkling as he made her giggle at his jokes. Then, those adorable bouncing curls jumped in a big ole sneeze followed by coughing. Oh great, right?

Do you go into quarantine mode? Lysol mode? Grab and dash kind of thing?

LOL, I just said “bless you.”

I have been working hard at building their immune systems as the years have gone by. Not sure if it is because of the drama all around any kindness of sickness these days or what it is. I know the flu was around back when I was younger, but I really don’t remember anyone caring either. If you were sick, you stayed home and the world carried on until you caught back up to it!

One of my new favorite natural immune building foods is Elderberry Syrup. It has seemed to help a lot. I am sure you have heard about around the social watering hole that exists on the internet. It is easy to make after the fun job of removing the berries from the stem. The berries and the stem do contain some arsenic which is why we do not eat them raw. Boiling or drying the berries removes the arsenic.

Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh elderberries

3 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon or 1 stick

1 tsp clove (or 3 whole) (optional)

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (optional)

1/2 cup of raw honey

Instructions:

1) Place elderberries, water, cinnamon stick, cloves, and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

2) Use a fork or potato masher to smash berries (releases more juice).

3) Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or fine sieve, squeezing out as much juice as possible. Keep the juice and discard the pulp.

4) Once the juice has cooled, stir in honey until thoroughly combined and transfer to a lidded jar. Keeps in refrigerator 2 to 3 months and can be frozen for 6 months (small ice cube size in jar can be removed as needed to thaw).

That is the recipe that I have used in the past. This year, I have also bought elderberry remedies. I chose to purchase from an all natural source and company that I love. This is my affiliate link for Earthley’s Elderberry Elixir. Earthley also carries a pre-measured mix with more support options with DIY Kits.