photo credit: me’nthedogs
I just ordered some Elderberries from More Than Alive. I’ve been wanting to make my own elderberry syrup for a long time now but I just haven’t taken the time to search for a good source. I found this site and compared prices and quality and they are the winner! Click on the link to take you there to purchase your elderberries. I also ordered Peppermint tea bags because when taken with edlerberries, it gives an extra punch to boosting your immune system.
Elderberries are amazing for flu and cold fighting. Rich in antioxidants, elderberries are an immune system booster as well as an agent in lowering cholesterol, improving vision and heart health, and fighting off bacterial and viral infections. Elderberries have also been used to treat some chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and AIDS.
The way the elderberry extract works to fight against the flu, is that the viral cells invading the body are inhibited from penetrating the healthy cells with the neuraminidase enzyme, thereby preventing the spread of the virus.
Some of the most noteworthy properties of elderberries…
- antioxidant (inhibits oxidation which can be damaging to living organisms)
- diaphoretic (induces sweating)
- diuretic (causes increased urination)
- laxative (helps evacuate the bowels)
- immune-boosting
- anti-inflammatory
Key nutrients include:
- Vitamins A, B, C
- Tannin
- Rutin
- Amino Acids
- Carotenoids
- Flavonoids
Helpful precautions concerning elderberries:
- Don’t eat them raw because they contain toxins that can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
- Only eat the purple, black, and blue elderberries and avoid the red ones. The red ones are poisonous
These are the ones you DON’T eat. photo credit: hickoryrose
I wish I had known about this a long time ago. It seems now that I have kids, I pay more attention to everthing that can help prevent sickness or at least shorten the duration of it. Nathan and Lucy have been sick during this last week so I’ve been giving them some elderberry syrup I had on hand. Josh and I have decided that we are going to start taking it on a daily basis for maintenance, once I make my own.
We will take 1 Tbsp per day for maintenance and 1 Tbsp on the hour if we get the flu or a bad cold.
If you don’t feel like making your own elderberry syrup, you can buy Berry Well. It’s elderberry syrup ready for the taking!
When I get my elderberries in the mail, I will walk you through a step by step tutorial on making elderberry syrup. There are many recipes to follow out there but we are going to use one that uses honey instead of sugar. Check back to see which recipe I use. Any suggestions?
