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Thread: Simple Elderberry Syrup recipe for flu

  1. #1
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    Default Simple Elderberry Syrup recipe for flu

    Guys... I'm going to post this here and sticky it for the flu season, at least. The recipe keeps getting buried (or lost, when the archives got locked) and people are still asking for it.


    Elderberry Syrup Recipe

    7 cups elderberry juice
    8 ¾ cups honey
    3 cups 80 proof vodka


    (if you're starting with dried berries, to get "juice", put 1 cup of berries in a quart jar and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. If they soak it up, add a bit more. Stash in the fridge or a cool, dark place for 24-48 hours.Then strain, and squeeze every bit of liquid you can out- you can twist the berries in a muslin towel and get most of it. You'll need three "jars" of the stuff to get enough for 7 cups. )



    Warm the elderberry juice to “hot, but not boiling” temp… between 150° and 180°F should be plenty. Stir in the honey and stir until it’s completely dissolved and blended.

    Remove from the heat, and stir in the vodka.

    Pour into sterile jars or bottles (sterilize them by boiling for 5-10 minutes in boiling water, then let drip dry upside down until filling)

    Cap and LABEL. Store in a cool DARK place (or bottle in dark brown glass)

    Standard dose for adults would be:

    Prophylaxis (prevention) 1 tablespoon (15 mls, or 1/2 ounce) 2x a day. If there is active flu in your office or family, double that, or take more often.

    Treatment: 1-2 tablespoons every 3-4 hours

    Children under 12: half the adult dose

    Toddlers and infants: Talk to your doctor! But, lacking that, 1 tsp at similar intervals to the adult dose should be adequate.

    There is NO way to overdose on this! Put it in juice, jello, pour it over ice cream- any way you can get the kids to take it is fine.

    Alternatives:
    If you do not want to use any alcohol in the syrup, use
    7 cups elderberry juice
    14 cups honey

    Proceed as above, ignoring the reference to the vodka.

    If you don’t want to use honey (probably best to NOT use it for babies under 1 year)


    7 cups elderberry juice
    11 ½ cups sugar

    Stir until the sugar is dissolved in the hot juice, then bottle.


    Summerthyme

  2. #2
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    If stored in a cool, dark place, about how long would we expect this to stay "good"?

    Also, I ran a cup short on the elderberry juice re-hydration. I had a cup of tincture left over and added that; is it okay like it is, or should I reduce the vodka by a cup and add a cup of water?

    Or doesn't it matter (I think I recall the vodka is just for preservation anyway...)?

    Thanks so much for this - we have several people in our social circle with H1N1 (one whose cousin died of H1N1), so I want to make sure we've got our forcefield up!

    Tastes SO much better than trying to disguise the tincture in juice! :)

  3. #3
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    i make the sugar recipe and put in 3 cups of vodka with it to make sure it is not going to spoil and be shelf stable. that is probably why mine never crystalizes. i have had that happen once when i didn't have enough juice. i just added the needed amount of water to the juice and proceeded. the next time i made the juice from the fried berries, i made sure to add extra water when rehydrating.

    not sure if that was ok to do, but it did it. should i not have done that summerthyme?
    float like a butterfly...

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  4. #4
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    I think it's fine, huny... The "juice" I get when rehydrating dried berries is quite a bit more "intense" than that I get squeezing fresh ones... I suspect I could increase the water quite a bit and still have effective medicine.

    As far as shelf life, we've used some syrup that was 4 years old (stored in dark amber bottles in a cool place) and it was perfectly effective. I'd probably prefer using it before then, or using fresher stuff for a really virulent flu, but it does seem to store very well.

    Summerthyme

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by hunybee View Post
    i make the sugar recipe and put in 3 cups of vodka with it to make sure it is not going to spoil and be shelf stable. that is probably why mine never crystalizes. i have had that happen once when i didn't have enough juice. i just added the needed amount of water to the juice and proceeded. the next time i made the juice from the fried berries, i made sure to add extra water when rehydrating.

    not sure if that was ok to do, but it did it. should i not have done that summerthyme?
    WOW! hunybee, I never tried this with fried berries! (long day gal?) LOL. THe way you describe should be just fine re" juice plus the necessary water. It is best to use the needed water when rehydrating as you found out.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by goatlady View Post
    WOW! hunybee, I never tried this with fried berries! (long day gal?) LOL. THe way you describe should be just fine re" juice plus the necessary water. It is best to use the needed water when rehydrating as you found out.


    LOL

    yah, long day

    LOL
    float like a butterfly...

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  7. #7
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    We grow elderberries.

    I juice them and it all goes into our flu-tonic.

    2 parts elderberry juice,
    2 parts cranberry juice,
    1 part ethanol [97%],
    1 part honey.

    Folks seem to love it.

    :)

  8. #8
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    i'll be looking into this elderberry syrup, my daughter just got very sick this week while traveling and a friend had a similar illness while visiting Florida---vomiting was the major symptom

  9. #9
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    Arrow Are you ready for flu season?

    Here's a step-by-step video for making Elderberry Syrup using this recipe:


  10. #10
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    Bttt!

    Hallelujah!
    Jesus, you have overcome the World!

    Every high place must come down,
    Every stronghold shall be broken,
    You wear the Victor's Crown!
    You've overcome!
    You've overcome!


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKmLKSQCydA

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