Your Elderberry Syrup Guide: The Ultimate Whole Food Immune Booster

The word “superfood” isn’t one I like to throw around for just any nutrient-dense food. But for me, elderberries are an exception. These antioxidant-rich berries grow wild in most of the continental United States (with the exception of Utah, Nevada, and the Pacific Northwest). This makes them an easy-to-access local resource for most families.

Elderberry syrup is my go-to natural replacement for synthetic vitamin C supplements, cough syrup, and other common cold medications. We even find that it works better for our family than most over-the-counter remedies. Plus, it’s completely natural.

Since cold and flu season is on the way, I’m sharing everything I know about the benefits of elderberry syrup and how to make it at home.

Elderberry Syrup Benefits

Before cough syrup and cold medicine, there was elderberry syrup. The elderberry was used by Indigenous cultures for its medicinal benefits, which range from neuroprotective support to cholesterol management to blood sugar regulation.

Powerful Antioxidant Benefits

Let’s talk about the science. Elderberries have an extremely high content of anthocyanins, a bioactive compound that contributes to the fruit’s antioxidant content. In fact, the polyphenols in elderberries are made up of about eighty percent anthocyanins.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

Thanks to its high antioxidant content, elderberries are also a great resource to calm inflammation. In studies, they’ve been shown to protect the cells against oxidative stress and delay the onset of chronic illnesses.

Rich Vitamin Profile

Elderberries are well known for their vitamin C content. Just one cup of elderberries contains almost 60% of the daily value recommended. They’re the perfect natural remedy for a cold, flu, or virus. And unlike drugstore vitamin C supplements, they aren’t synthetically made.

But vitamin C is only one of many vitamin benefits you can expect from elderberries. They also contain vitamin A, many B vitamins, and antioxidants.

Immune System Support

The combination of vitamin C with potent antioxidants makes elderberry a powerful resource for immune system support. We use it daily during cold and flu season to protect against sickness. It’s also a great option for cough syrup and a quick immune boost. One study showed that elderberry supplements shortened a cold by two days and lessened the active symptoms.

Good for Your Skin

The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of elderberry may positively impact your skin health. Elderberry should encourage cellular regeneration, boost skin hydration, and even brighten your complexion. You can consume it (about a tablespoon daily) or even create a face mask or face serum from elderberries.

Chronic Illness Prevention

In studies, elderberries were shown to delay the onset of chronic illnesses (particularly in cases of type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease). I recommend elderberry syrup for anyone who has a weakened immune system or chronic illness. It’s a simple daily habit that adds an extra little boost of support.

How Much Elderberry Syrup Should You Take?

Elderberry syrup is safe for most children and adults. The recommended daily dose is about two teaspoons of elderberry syrup per day. When sick, adults can take up to four tablespoons throughout the day.

How to Forage Wild Elderberries

Elderberries are plentiful throughout the United States. They’re easy to forage and grow, and they’re ripe from August to October in many areas.

But before you start collecting your own elderberries, here’s a word of caution:

Raw (uncooked) elderberries are considered toxic, and eating them will lead to unpleasant side effects. Green (or unripe) elderberries are also toxic, and so are the stems and leaves of the plant.

To properly prepare elderberries, you’ll need to remove all stems and leaves. Then, make sure to boil your elderberries before consuming them. This will get rid of the toxins.

How to Grow Elderberries in Your Garden

If you plan to make a lot of elderberry syrup for your family, it’s helpful to grow them in your own garden. Elderberries naturally grow in woods and forests, but you’ll be able to harvest more berries if you plant them in direct sunlight. The soil should be slightly acidic with plenty of space for the elderberry plants to expand. The plants are quite hardy and can be planted in either spring or autumn in zones four through nine.

Live Wild + Be Well Elderberry Syrup Recipe

To make elderberry syrup at home, I use local dried elderberries (you can pick them up at your farmer’s market) or dried elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs. You can also grow or forage your own berries and dry them at home.

What You’ll Need:

• 1.5 cups of dried elderberries

• 6 cups of filtered water

• 1 tsp of ground Ceylon cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)

• 1 tbsp of ground ginger

• Optional: 1 tbsp of honey

How to Make Elderberry Syrup:

• Step 1: Combine elderberries, filtered water, cinnamon, and ginger in a saucepan.

• Step 2: Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.

• Step 3: Lower heat, cover with a lid, and let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes.

• Step 4: Once it’s done simmering, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.

• Step 5: Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the berries and spices.

• Step 6: (Optional) Add your raw honey to the syrup.

• Step 7: Pour the syrup into a mason jar and store it in the fridge.

Elderberry Syrup vs. Elderberry Supplements

Elderberries have grown in popularity over the years for their incredible immune-boosting properties. Many companies are now selling elderberry products — from throat lozenges to elderberry gummies and vitamins.

So, how can we know which brands and types of elderberries are safe?

Here are a few tips to help you choose elderberry products that meet a high standard for nature-made and minimally processed foods:

• Avoid dyes and fillers. Many vitamins contain dyes and fillers that cheapen the product. These are both unhealthy and unnecessary. Watch for ingredients like maltodextrin and citric acid (a synthetic form of vitamin C), and avoid products that contain them.

• Buy from a trusted company that does third-party testing. There’s limited monitoring in the supplement industry, which means supplements are easily contaminated. Make sure you find a trusted supplement provider who goes the extra mile for ingredient transparency.

• Look for no added sugar. Elderberries have a naturally sweet and tart taste, but you can flavor your syrup with honey if you want it to be sweeter. There’s no reason to add sugar, which can lower your immune system function.

• The fewer ingredients, the better. Elderberry syrup is extremely easy to make. You can make it in your kitchen or source it from your local farmer’s market. Added ingredients (especially unrecognizable ones) are unnecessary and likely to dilute the efficacy of the elderberry.

• Choose elderberry syrup over elderberry supplements. In general, I find there to be fewer additives in elderberry syrup. The berries are usually less processed, too.

• Remember that sourcing matters. Organic elderberries sourced from regenerative farms contain significantly more nutrients than non-organic elderberries from industrial farms.

Elderberry Syrup Is a Simple and Effective Way to Boost Your Immune System This Cold and Flu Season

As a holistic nutritionist and busy mom, I’m always looking for ways to simplify my health goals. For our family, elderberry syrup is simple, effective, nutrient-dense, inexpensive, and delicious. It’s one of the easiest ways we support our immune system throughout the fall and winter months. I hope it works just as well for you as it has for us.