Homemade syrup for flu & colds

 2/3 cup black elderberries

3 1/2 cups of filtered water


2 tablespoons of fresh gin

ger root, finely minced, or 1 tsp dried ginger


1/2 – 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

small sprinkle of cloves or clove powder

1 cup (or less) raw honey (or sweetener of 

choice- see note below)

How To Make Elderberry Syrup:

1. Put all ingredients except honey in a medium 

sized sauce pan.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 

minutes to an hour until liquid reduces by 1/3.

3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

4. When cool enough to touch the pan with your 

hands, strain the liquid through a strainer or 

cheesecloth into a large glass jar or bowl. 

Discard the strained ingredients.

5. When liquid is still warm, add the honey and 

stir well to incorporate. [Note: alternate 

sweeteners like stevia can be used, though this 

will create a liquid, rather than a syrup and it will 

only last 2-3 weeks in fridge]

6. Store in a glass bottle or jar in the fridge.

Standard dose is up to 1 tablespoon a day for 

adults and 1 teaspoon a day for kids over the 

age of 2. Some sources recommend taking 

every other day or only during the weeks to 

boost effectiveness. If cold or flu strikes, this 

dose can be doubled or tripled until symptoms 

go away.