Our little one was sick and many of our friends have sick kids. Parents, we get how hard it is to see your kids suffer through a cold. So, we went to work and made this holistic cold remedy.

Elderberries are high in antioxidants, contains vitamins A, B, and C, is antiviral and stimulates the immune system. Make once and it lasts all season. It takes 5 minutes to prep and ~1 hour to cook. You can buy it too, but it’s inexpensive and easy to make and many store-bought syrups contain sugar and junk!

Kid approved! Bye-bye colds. It’s POWERFUL.

Ingredients:
*use organic

Makes ~1 quart

* ⅔ cup dried black organic elderberries (we used organic “Frontier” brand, via Amazon)
* 3.5 cups of purified water
* 1 teaspoon cardamon
* 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
* 1 teaspoon clove powder
* 2 tablespoons fresh (~1.5 inches) or dried ginger root
* 2 tablespoons fresh (~1.5 inches) or dried turmeric

* 1 cup raw honey (for extra immune boosting try “Manuka Honey”)

*1 teaspoon of ACV

Directions:

Boil all, except the honey and ACV, in a saucepan for a few minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Let cool.

In another large bowl, pour elderberries/liquid into a strainer and let the liquid collect in the bowl. Using a spoon press/smash the elderberries in the strainer over the bowl to extract more of their juices. Try to get as much juice out of them as possible. Watch out for splattering of the juices. We learned the hard way as it got all over me and my daughter :).

Discard or compost the smashed elderberries.

Combine the honey and ACV with the juice/liquid from your bowl and voila you made elderberry syrup!! Store in a large Mason jar, or something that can keep it airtight in the fridge. It can last ~ 1 month in the fridge. If it’s an airtight seal, it could last longer. We freeze ours if we have extra.

Take ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and adults, 1 tbsp daily when you feel a cold coming. If the symptoms are intense, we take the same dose every 3 hours during the day-time. We don’t recommend it for children under 2 due to the raw honey. Consult with your health care professional prior to use and for their recommended dosage.

Gratitude and love,
Christine & Stephanie