All About Elderberry Syrup
, by Courtney Klemm, 3 min reading time
Syrups are a flavorful and powerful way to incorporate herbal medicine to your lifestyle. They can be made with most types of herbs and offer a tasty way to ingest them!
Herbal Syrups are made up of a strong infusion or decoction and some sort of sweet component. Honey, Sugar or Glycerine can be used and turn the medicine into a sweet and soothing treat. You can also add alcohol or an herbal tincture to prolong shelf stability and for additional herbal support. Elderberry syrup is one of my personal favorites year round and offers a fruity, immune boosting medicine.
Honey-based syrups not only add a delectable sweetness but also have their own medicinal benefits. It is rich in antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits, along with soothes a sore throat & nagging night-time coughs. An amazing remedy for young children (over 1 years), where traditional cough medicine does not do the trick.
Traditional syrup recipes are 1 part herbal infused honey, 1 part concentrated herbal infusion or decoction and 1 part herbal tincture. You can make an alcohol free recipe with equal parts honey and water extraction. If you omit the alcohol, shelf life will be shorter so keep refrigerated!
1) Herbal infused honey: ideally you wanted to use equal proportions of dried herb to honey 4 (ounces dried elderberries to 4 ounces raw honey). You can use a double boiler or crock pot to gently heat the honey for 6-8 hours. Make sure the honey does not exceed 110-115 F. Overheating or burning the honey will destroy al the medicinal qualities and just turn it into a sugar syrup; the taste will also change drastically. Strain while warm. You can use this as sweetener for teas, baked goods or by the spoonful!
2) Concentrated herb extraction: depending on your herbs use equal parts dried herbs to water 4 (ounces herb blend to 4ounces water) → decoction: bring herbs & water to a boil; then turn down & simmer for 20-30 minutes. Strain → infusion: bring water to a boil; turn off and add herbs. Let sit covered for 20-30 minutes. Strain.
3) Herbal tincture: Alcohol based extract, make 4 weeks ahead of time with your choice of herbs and alcohol. You can also use store bought tinctures or straight alcohol if you just want extended shelf life. You can also use a vinegar extract if desired.
Measure equal parts of your components and mix to blend. Store in a glass jar or amber bottle. Label with the date, herbs used, alcohol percentage & dose fi desired. The finished syrup will be somewhere between 10-30% alcohol. A syrup with ~25% alcohol will keep unrefrigerated up to 2 years. A syrup with no alcohol 1: ratio of honey to tea will keep ~2 weeks in the fridge.
General syrup dosage is 1-2 teaspoons up to 3 times a day for an adult. Dosage for a child uses this calculation.
Child's weight divided by 150 X =
Then multiple Xby the recommended adult dose.
You can also pour a tad of boiling water over the syrup and let sit to evaporate 50-60% of the alcohol
SMALL BATCH ELDEBERRY HERBAL SYRUP ~
16 ounce glass jar & metal lid, 8 ounces of raw local honey and 8-12 ounces water;
2 TBSP dried Elderberries, 1 TBSP Ginger Root, 1 TBSP Echinacea Root, 1 TBSP Nettle Leaf, 1 TBSP Calendula Flower, 1 TBSP Hibiscus Flower, 1 TBSP Rosehips, 1 TBSP Elderflowers