If you’re interested in herbalism, you’ve probably heard of Elderberry. Maybe you’ve picked up Elderberry Syrup from Whole Foods, or a friend has gifted you a bottle during the winter. Elderberry is a potent, incredible herb for supporting the immune system, but it has so many more benefits than we ever hear about on Instagram or TikTok. Read on to discover the gifts this berry has to offer and how to utilize them in your everyday life. Plus, we’ve included recipes for a delicious winter mocktail using our Elderberry Syrup and an easy, cheap tea using our Small Batch Raw Honey to keep the germs at bay.
Elderberries come from (you guessed it) the Elder tree. Did you know that the flowers, bark, roots, and leaves are medicinal as well as the berries? Elderflower is often used for allergies and for sweating out a fever; we especially love it infused into raw honey. We recommend only using the flowers and berries internally - and don’t eat the raw berries!
Elderberry is often thought of as one of the go-to cold and flu remedies, and for good reason. Elderberry directly inhibits the influenza virus and disarms an enzyme used for viral reproduction. This means that elder attacks all strains of flus the same way, even if the viruses have “mutated” or changed. Woah, super powerful!
But that’s not all - Elder is also a “blood cleanser,” which means this herb helps the body detoxify through the liver, kidneys, skin, and digestive system. This makes it a great herb to include in a protocol for eczema, acne, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc, as all of these issues are signals that the body needs detoxification assistance.
Why is this important with colds and flus, though? After the Elderberry does its job of disarming the virus you’re fighting, it then helps the body get rid of the aftermath, aka dead viral bodies, bacteria, and toxins that may have hindered the immune system in the first place (toxins are very real, guys!).
Elderberries are also gentle laxatives, as keeping the bowels moving is key to proper detoxification. Going to the bathroom everyday is one of the keys to health!
As you can see, this herb is simply incredible, intelligent, and powerful. If you’re ready to harness the power of Elderberry this winter, we have some recipes for you using our very own Elderberry Syrup and raw Honey. If you can’t grow your own, don’t have an herb garden CSA nearby, or don’t have access to responsibly foraged herbs, we recommend placing an online order with Oshala Farm in Oregon.
Elderberry Winter Mocktail
2TB SCBC Elderberry Syrup
2 oz organic cranberry juice
2oz organic orange juice
Juice of ½ a lime
Ice
Sparkling Water
Add the syrup, cranberry juice, and orange juice to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice until ¾ full. Shake until the shaker is frosty, then pour into glasses filled with ice. Top up the glass with sparkling water, add the lime juice, and enjoy! You can garnish with half of an orange slice, a few cranberries, or a slice of lime.
Cold and Flu Fighting Tea
2TB dried elderberries
2TB dried rosehips
2TB dried hawthorn berries
SCBC Small Batch Raw Honey
Add your dried berries to a saucepan with 16oz of water.
Bring the tea to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes
Once the tea is cool enough to drink but still warm, add 1tsp-1tbsp of our raw honey to preserve the enzymes and nutrients.