Homemade Elderberry, Astragalus and Turmeric Syrup

August always brings with it a plethora of emotions for me. Excitement for the upcoming school year, sadness that a lazy summer in the sun has come to an end and, since becoming the mother of a preschooler, sheer dread at the illnesses looming around the corner. The first year of preschool was hard from a sickness standpoint. L was sick nearly every other week with some different virus. We recently found out about elderberry syrup and the magic that comes along with it! While I was astonished by the science behind the immune-boosting syrup, I wasn’t as wild about the price. Making your own syrup offers an insane price cut. One oz. of store-bought elderberry syrup costs me $25. For $30, I am able to buy all of the ingredients listed below and I make…. drum roll please… EIGHTEEN OZ of syrup. I wanted to share our homemade recipe in hopes that it will keep you healthy throughout the year and be a bit kinder towards your pocketbook.

Elderberries are jam-packed with goodness. As a superfood, these tiny dark berries can be used to make anything from wine to tea to syrup! They have antiviral effects and are full of antioxidants - both of these properties are why the berry is touted as an immune booster and a natural way to kick a cold/flu quickly. Studies like this one show that elderberries are a promising way to treat any colds/flus that may come home from the germ factory school! **It’s important to note that raw elderberries cannot be consumed! They’re mildly toxic in raw form, so don’t eat them until they have been cooked!**

Another immune booster that I included in this recipe is astragalus root. Astragalus is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and acts like a natural antibiotic (and one that doesn’t mess with your gut health like western medicine antibiotics do!). The root has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is said to strengthen the immune system and help it fight off all kinds of viruses, including the common cold!

The last pieces of our immune-boosting puzzle are turmeric + black pepper. Those close to me know how much I love turmeric - it is truly the wonder spice that can help with anything from a raging sunburn to treating/preventing Alzheimer’s. Turmeric’s superhero ingredient is called curcumin. Curcumin is the compound with all of the medicinal goodness, however, it is not easily absorbed into our bloodstream. That, my friends, is where the black pepper comes into play!

Black pepper has something in it called piperine - a natural compound that allows our body to fully absorb and take advantage of curcumin’s superpowers. There is such a small amount of pepper in this recipe - it does not alter the taste one bit!

The Necessities:

• 3/4 cup organic, dried elderberries. (I purchased mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, so I know they are good quality berries that were ethically harvested)

• 2 TBSP. organic astragalus root (also purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs)

• 3 cups water

• 1 tsp. organic turmeric

• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 1 TBSP sugar

• 1 cup raw, organic honey

• Large pot with lid

• Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

• Bowl for straining process

• Glass bottle or jar (I used this one)

The How-To:

• Bring the water, elderberries and astragalus to a boil in the large pot.

• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. I used a chop stick to measure the beginning amount of liquid and continued using that to see when it had reduced by half.

• Once the liquid has reduced to half of its original volume, remove from heat and let the mixture cool.

• Add turmeric and pepper - mix. You want to wait until the liquid has cooled to add the turmeric and pepper so that the medicinal properties in the turmeric aren’t partially cooked away!

• Add 1 TBSP of white cane sugar - this acts more as a preservative than a sweetener. This syrup will be PLENTY sweet with the addition of the raw honey, trust me!

• Strain your liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Here is how I did it - I placed my pasta strainer above a medium-sized bowl, then added cheese cloth on top. I strained as much of the liquid as possible using a wooden spoon to press down on the berries (gimme allllll of that medicinal goodness!). I then picked up the cheesecloth, twirled the top closed and squeezed the living daylight out of it to get every last drop of syrup possible.

• Add 1 cup raw honey and whisk together.

If you’re like me, you might not know the difference between raw honey and organic honey! And boy, is there a HUGE difference when it comes to the medicinal value of both products. Organic honey is produced from the pollen of organically-grown plants. If honey has a USDA Organic label on it, you can be sure that the bees have not come into contact with any chemicals or pesticides during their pollinating journey! Organic honey, however, is pasteurized and filtered. Unfortunately, the heat during the pasteurization process melts away nearly all of the medicinal value of the honey! And the wild part is that the pasteurization process is LITERALLY only done for cosmetic purposes - to keep the honey looking better and feeling smoother longer. The filtration process is no better, sneaking away powerhouse benefits like bee pollen, enzymes and antioxidants.

Raw honey, on the other hand…..

Raw honey is essentially honey straight from the comb. It does get strained to remove any beeswax/worker bee parts (poor little guys - it’s a tough life being a bee!) but it is then bottled and distributed. Skipping the pasteurization/filtration processes means that raw honey gets to hold on to alllll of it’s amazing superpowers! Raw honey has tons of health benefits - it’s an antioxidant powerhouse, can deliver a massive punch of vitamins/minerals and can even help ease seasonal allergies if you buy it from a local beekeeper!

• Pour your newly-made, immune boosting syrup into a glass container and refrigerate! It will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator. I used a 32 oz. mason jar like this one. I felt an intense sense of pride after making this syrup - not only did I save a TON of money but I also am taking natural, tried and true steps to increasing my girls’ immune systems. Feels pretty darn good. I hope you enjoy this recipe and that the Fall brings only happy memories (not colds!) into your lives.

I give my girls 1 tsp per day during cold/flu season. If they get sick, I up the dose to 3 tsp spread out throughout the day! Enjoy!!