Got a Cold? Here Is a Remedy That You Have Probably Never Heard Of
It is called elderberry syrup and I would be surprised and impressed if you have actually heard of it before.
If you have heard of elderberries before, I am sure you haven’t heard of them being a remedy for the cold unless it was something passed down through your family.
Anyways, it is a very potent alternative to the traditional cold and flu medicine that is only somewhat effective and often times tastes bad.
For those with a sweet tooth, you will absolutely love elderberry syrup.
Let’s first start with the basics though for the majority of you who have no idea what elderberries are.
Their scientific name is Sambucus nigra and they are pretty tiny berries that grow on the elder tree, which originated from Europe and North America and can mostly only be found in those two continents.
Anyways, peoples from the past have been using these berries and even the flowers that bloom from the tree for various medical purposes – including treating wounds on the skin and as a remedy for the cold and flu.
It is not a new concept but it is one that seems to have been forgotten in the past. I say we forget about it no more as it is very effective in what it does.
A little bit of a health warning first though. It is strongly advised that instead of eating raw elderberries (even though you can, it’s not advised), you process them into a syrup or jam. Eating them raw can lead to stomach aches and even vomiting in some cases.
And a very important health warning: Do not eat berries from dwarf elder trees. Their scientific name is Sambucus ebulus and their berries have the potential to be poisonous and cause serious harm to your body.
Austrians have traditionally used berries from dwarf elder trees to treat various respiratory tract issues, but I would still stay away from them.
Now that we know what elderberries are, let’s take a look at all of the health benefits that consuming them can provide and what makes them able to provide those benefits.
Scientists have given a lot of attention to studying elderberries because of the reports that they have many seemingly miraculous health benefits, including the ability to prevent diabetes, fight off and prevent viral infections, reduce inflammation, and even stave off depression!
And it appears that these are not empty claims, as scientists believe that the high concentration of antioxidants that reside in elderberries are responsible for a big handful of those aforementioned benefits.
Elderberries that have a bluish violet color have that color because of a certain group of antioxidants that belong to the flavonoid family. And flavonoids have been shown to have some anti-cancer properties. Amazing!
In addition to fighting off and preventing cancer, antioxidants in the flavonoid family have also been proven (by medical researchers from the University of Maryland) to stave off cardiovascular illness and even give your brain a much-needed kick. This is really starting to sound like a fix-all substance.
But let’s not deviate from the main reason you are reading this article. You probably only care about the properties of the elderberry that makes it an effective cold and flu fighter.
And once again, these claims are not empty and have solid science backing them up. In fact, a study put them up against placebos and found that extract from elderberries was effective in staving off the two most common strains of influenza.
Another study pitted elderberry extract against placebos and found that those in the group that consumed the elderberry extract lozenges had a shorter and less severe cold than those who took the placebo.
Do you travel a lot? Are you sick of catching the cold every time you board a plane? Elderberry has got you covered.
A study actually looked specifically at this and found that people who took regular dosages of elderberry extract 10 days before they went to travel and five days after showing up to their destination had on average two days less of feeling sick from the cold than those who took a placebo. Their colds were also less severe and they felt less of the annoying symptoms.
Antioxidants may take most of the blame for the wide range of health benefits provided by elderberries, but I’d be remiss not to mention that they also contain vitamins A, C, and E, as well as trace amounts of zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron.
What is the best way to consume elderberries?
I would advise consuming it in syrup form and I will explain how you can make it a little later in this article.
If you consume it in syrup form every day during cold and flu season, it will give your immune system that much needed kick to help it be a stronger fighter when the cold or flu arrives in your body.
This helps reduce the symptoms that you will experience and also reduce how long you are ailed by the illness.
If you don’t want to take it every day and I can’t imagine why you would not, you should especially start taking it if you plan on traveling or if you start feeling the slightest symptoms of a cold or the flu, including coughing and a fever.
How can I get elderberry syrup?
You can make it yourself or you can buy already made elderberry syrup. Some elderberry syrup brands you can take a look at are Nature’s Way Original Sambucus Elderberry Syrup, Maine Medicinals Antholmmune Elderberry Syrup, Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup, and Honey Gardens Elderberry Syrup.
If you don’t feel like buying it, you can make it yourself. And from personal experience, it is far more rewarding and feels amazing to make your own elderberry syrup so I strongly recommend it.
That is why I am going to show you how to make it. Make sure to follow the following instructions carefully.
Gather up the following ingredients:
- One cup of dried elderberries
- Four cups of water
- 3 sticks of cinnamon
- 1 inch of ginger
- One teaspoon of cloves
- One cup of honey
Once you have gathered all of these ingredients, you should toss the dried berries as well as the cinnamon, cloves, and gingers in a pot of water and let them boil for about 40 minutes.
After that, filter out whatever is left of the berries, gingers, cloves, and cinnamon and property get rid of them.
After you do that, go read a book or watch a YouTube video for like 10 to 20 minutes to let your liquid concoction cool down a little bit. Once it is cooled, stir in the honey to give it that syrupy texture.
Pour the syrup in a jar and put it in your fridge. It will be good for the next four months, so be sure to actually use it.
You can extend its life a little bit by mixing in a little bit of brandy, so do that if you have brandy.
