Today I'm sharing with you one of my favorite tools for healthy living — Homemade Elderberry Syrup — and I've made it low-carb so even those on low carb diets can enjoy it.
When I was young, I got sick a lot. And I do mean, a lot.
It was during that time that antibiotics were all the rage, and I was sadly the victim of that kind of thinking.
Every time I got sick, my mother would take me to the doctor and would ask for antibiotics. It set me up for a ton of health issues including candida, gut problems, adrenal fatigue, and thyroid disease, and set the stage for my son's autism as well.
Everything is connected. And when you mess with your gut, you mess with everything particularly since it is the core of your health.
Since I found out the horrible effect that antibiotics can have on gut health, in addition to learning how they can lead to antibiotic resistance, I have tried my best to keep my family healthy without leaning on antibiotics for things like ear infections, goopy eye, and the sort.
I also think it's important to avoid over the counter meds as much as possible due to them having unwanted side effects. For example, for years I took Benadryl for allergy issues, only now to find out that it is an anti-cholergenic drug that can lead to Alzheimer's and brain shrinkage.
YIKES!
All the more reason to lean on healthy natural remedies whenever possible.
Brain Shrinkage and Alzheimer's?
No thanks!
I have a whole post on DIY Cold and Flu Remedies which includes this fabulous recipe for Elderberry Jam, but I started making Elderberry Syrup this year when my youngest got a very bad virus, as in a terrible terrible sore throat, a fever, and was feeling completely out of it.
We thought he had strep since his throat was so sore and we even ended up going to Urgent Care due to some odd symptoms, but we were sent home with no special treatment recommendations.
So I went to work nursing my son back to health.
I gave him Echinacea Tea, a mixture of garlic, cayenne, and honey, and this fabulous Elderberry Syrup.
The Homemade Elderberry Syrup was his favorite part of the regimen. I think he would have eaten it all day if I had let him :).
He sat and watched Lone Ranger reruns all day long, and I actually sacked out and watched them with him. I never really got sick, but my body sure was working overtime fighting the germs off. At one point I even slept through a bunch of the The Long Ranger's shooting, “Hi Ho, Silver!”calling, and more.
Elderberry Syrup Benefits
Simply getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet is always a good thing, but when you are adding in produce that is dark colored, the benefits typically run deeper. The dark color is an indication of more nutrition and more detox capabilities as the antioxidants in the foods scoop up all of the junk that is best removed from your body.
For centuries, elderberries were a standard folk remedy in Europe, North America, Western Asia and North Africa, so now their health benefits are being examined and studies.
Elderberries (Sambucus Nigra) are full of antioxidants which have many health benefits. They also have tannin, flavanoids (including quercetin, which is often used for helping mitigate allergy symptoms and anthocyanins), carotenoids, amino acids, vitamins, and more.
They have been shown to lower cholesterol (Source), and boost the immune system (Source), including giving relief of Influenza Symptoms (Source) and the duration of colds (Source)
The benefits of Elderberry Syrup for Kids is the same and kids LOVE the yummy flavor too!
Dried Elderberry Caution
Just so you know, when you buy Dried Elderberries for making your Homemade Elderberry Syrup, don't go a snackin' on them, MK?
Elderberries are not to be eaten raw as they are toxic in that form.
Actually it isn't the berries themselves that are toxic — the seeds, stems, leaves, and roots of the plant are toxic, and of course, the berries have seeds in them.
I knew about this, but found out just how bad it could be.
Those parts of the plant contain a cyanide-inducing glycoside. Eating a sufficient quantity of these cyanide-inducing glycosides can cause a toxic buildup of cyanide in the body and make you quite ill. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even coma. Most people recover quickly, although hospitalization may be required. The fruit of the elderberry is a tiny berry, about 1/8 to ¼ inch in diameter, and about 50% of the berry is seed. Cooking the berries destroys the glycosides present in the seeds, making the berries with their seeds safe to eat. As such, the fruit of the Black Elderberry should always be cooked before consumption. Interestingly, research indicates that exposing elderberry to heat actually concentrates the polyphenols and anthocyanin’s.
See, I had dried elderberries around for the purpose of making Homemade Elderberry Syrup and one day was craving berries. I figured that the elderberries had most likely been dried at a high enough temperature so as not to be raw, and I sat and snacked on some.
And some more.
Bad idea.
I ended up awake almost all night with, let's just say, serious digestive upset. Upset to the nth degree.
The moral of this story is that friends don't let friends snack on dried elderberries.
Ever.
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission.
Don't Feel Like Making Homemade Elderberry Syrup?
This recipe is super simple, but if you really are in need of the syrup and don't have time to make it, then you can buy quality Elderberry Syrup as well.
This brand has an organic version, but it isn't low-carb.
Nature's Way Organic Sambucus Elderberry Syrup, 4 Fluid Ounce
Following is the recipe for Homemade Elderberry Syrup that I used. I make mine low carb but the honey-sweetened version adds extra health benefits.
Note: If you are on the Trim Health Mama (THM) plan, you can use the honey if you like as the recommendation is that using honey for medicinal purposes is fine.
Have you had Elderberry Syrup before?
Original article and pictures take wholenewmom-wu160izso06zk4amiyc.stackpathdns.com site
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