Elderberry Syrup for Cold & Flu Season

Hey friends! With sniffle season upon us I just wanted to share a super simple recipe that has kept my family incredibly healthy since we started taking it during cold/flu season years ago. Here is our secret....

ELDERBERRY SYRUP RECIPE:
*3 1/2 cups of water
*2/3 cup black elderberries (dried, or 1/3 cups fresh or frozen)
*2 TBSP Ginger (grated)
*1 TSP Cinnamon
*1 TSP Ground Cloves (I will sometimes add 2 drops of DoTERRA's clove oil instead once the entire recipe is done and cooled if I do not have ground clove on hand)
*1 CUP of Raw Honey (try to source as local to you as possible for the health benefits)
*2 Drops of DoTERRA's OnGuard Essential Oil (optional..but a game changer)

1. Pour water into a medium saucepan & add the elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves
2. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for 45m-60m until the liquid is reduced to almost half
3. Remove from heat & let cool until it is cool enough to be handled
4. Mash the berries carefully using a spoon or other flat utensil
5. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl
6. Discard the elderberries and let the liquid cool to lukewarm
7. When it is no longer hot, add the honey and stir well
8. When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a mason jar or 16oz glass bottle of some kind. I use a mason jar.
9. Ta-da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for it's immune boosting properties. Some sources suggest taking only during the week and not the weekends to boost immunity.

INSTANT POT OPTION:
Put all ingredients except honey in pot, seal lid, and set manually for 9 mins on high pressure. Vent pressure and strain. When cooled to room temp, stir in the honey.

STANDARD DOSE is 1/2-1 teaspoon for kids and 1 TBSP for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

Save or print this post for later and give it a try yourself!

For more information about DoTERRA essential oils feel free to DM me or check out my website www.MamaCloth.ca or LINK TREE