Elderberry has been used in traditional European and Amish medicine for generations. Many Amish families in Elkhart County, Indiana, grow elderberry bushes along fence lines and harvest the dark clusters every late August. A 2019 meta-analysis in Complementary Medicine and Therapies reviewed fifteen randomized trials and found elderberry reduced the duration and severity of upper respiratory illness.
Ingredients (makes about 2 cups)
- 1 cup dried organic elderberries (or 2 cups fresh or frozen)
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
- 1 cup raw, unfiltered honey, added after cooling
Method
- Combine elderberries, water, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer uncovered 45 to 60 minutes until reduced by about half.
- Remove from heat and cool until comfortably warm, below 104°F.
- Strain through fine mesh, pressing berries firmly, then stir in honey.
- Pour into glass jars, seal, and refrigerate.
Adults: 1 tablespoon daily for maintenance, or 3 to 4 times daily at first sign of illness. Children over one year: 1 teaspoon daily. Honey is added after cooling because heat above 104°F destroys its native antimicrobial enzymes.
This recipe is one of twenty in The Forgotten Apothecary — our full digital cookbook of pharmacy-counter tonics, switchels, oxymels, and healing syrups.