During the winter months when colds and flu seem to get us all, elderberry is often hyped up by us natural health types as a panacea for all that ails you. But is it?

A recent article from Harvard University cites several studies on the efficacy of elderberry, and the bottom line is this: elderberry can shorten the duration of your viral symptoms by a couple of days, but it’s not going to magically make your immune system bullet proof. For me, it’s definitely worth including elderberry for cutting my cold short by a couple of days.

It’s really easy to make your own elderberry syrup, if that’s the way you want to go (recipe to come), or you buy a readymade one. You can also drink a cup of bright, tart elderberry tea. But downing a bunch of gummies or supplements with elderberry? Probably overkill.

It’s also important to remember to only ingest cooked elderberries, as they contain naturally occurring cyanogenic glycosides that can be toxic in large quantities. Cooking the berries mitigates the toxins, and maximizes the antioxidant availability.

Elderberry products that I personally use and recommend:

Republic of Tea makes a fantastic elderberry tea that I love.

Gaia Herbs makes wonderful supplements, and their elderberry syrup is a great ready-to-use choice.

Get organic dried elderberries and make your own syrup.

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Ingredients:

3 C water

1 C organic dried elderberries

2 organic cinnamon sticks

4 organic whole cloves

1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 C honey (raw, unfiltered is best)

Method:

Place all ingredients – except honey – in a sauce pan, and simmer at a low boil for around 30 minutes. Remove from heat and mash the mixture with a potato masher to extract all juice. Cool for another 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, and discard the solid berries, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Stir in the honey, and store in an airtight jar in the fridge; keeps for 3-4 months.

Adults: take 1 Tbsp every 4-6 hours at the onset of a viral cold or flu.

Children (over 2 years old): take 1 tsp every 4-6 hours at the onset of a viral cold or flu.

Here’s to a healthy and happy new year!