Elderberry syrup to help you kick a cold or flu FAST!

This is a simple, inexpensive elderberry syrup recipe made with dried elderberries that amazing immune support benefits. This home remedy is so effective at getting rid of colds and flu quickly. It’s a safe cold remedy for pregnant moms and for kids, too!

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, but you will not be charged a penny extra! And mama, I never recommend products I don’t love or believe in.

During my first pregnancy, I caught an extremely nasty cold. I was hesitant to take any over the counter medication, but was desperate for some relief. When I catch colds during the winter season they can very easily turn into sinus infections if I’m not massively active at fighting it.

At 6 months pregnant, a sinus infection was the last thing I wanted for an already exhausted body.

Enter elderberry syrup.

I ran across an article about the benefits of elderberry for its cold and flu fighting abilities, and how it is a safe remedy for pregnant women. I ran to the store to pick up some elderberry syrup from my local health store.

I’m not kidding. Ran.

This stuff knocked out my cold in a day. Seriously. I couldn’t believe it. I woke up the next day feeling 90% better.

As I did more research, I found out that elderberries are actually incredibly good as an immune booster and can prevent cold and flu bugs.

Even better.

During cold and flu season we take elderberry at least once a week, and when we know we’ve been exposed to a bug, we take it every day.

As time has gone on, I continue to turn to elderberry syrup for a kid-friendly everyone-friendly cold remedy AND immune booster. But those store bought bottles of syrup get expensive! As a growing family, I needed to find a more budget friendly way to keep us full of elderberry-goodness.

Homemade elderberry syrup tips

I came across a recipe from Wellness Mama and have been making my own elderberry syrup ever since.

Her recipe uses honey as the sweetener, but I have found that I like to use 100% juice as the base for our syrup and give the raw honey by the teaspoon as needed on its own.

When I was purchasing my elderberry syrup from the store, I noticed they added apple and grape concentrate, so that’s what we use. You can use all apple, all grape, or a combination of both. Or you can skip the juice all together and replace it with water if you don’t want a sweet syrup. It ends up being more of a tea concentrate that way, but is obviously still effective.

Important note: I really like to use purple grape juice because there have been some connections with grape juice and helping defend your body against the stomach bug. So that’s an added bonus…just in case.

If you are looking to kick a cold fast, I HIGHLY recommend taking this natural remedy. It can cut the cold time in half, if not more, according to my research and personal experience.

How much elderberry syrup should you take?

When using it to fend off a bug that you’re already feeling

Adults: 1 tablespoon every 3-4 hours

Kids: 1 teaspoon every 3-4 hours

Note: My kids LOVE taking this elderberry syrup! It’s never a battle around my house. The battle comes when I tell them they can’t have more.

If you are using it as an immune booster

Adults: 1 tablespoon once a day

Kids: 2 teaspoons once a day

We do this when we have been exposed to something or when the weather gets particularly cold or wet. I like to mix it in a small glass of orange juice to also up the vitamin c.

Note: These dosages are just what we do as a family. Definitely do some research for yourself and take this elderberry syrup as you feel comfortable! It should go without saying, but I’m not a doctor or medically trained person (First Aid/CPR is the highest level of medical training I have, ok?).

What kind of dried elderberries to use & where to get them

I absolutely love using organic ingredients whenever possible. This goes for the elderberries I choose to buy. I’m very partial to the organic dried elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs, as they’re the best deal I can personally find at this time. I would highly recommend them. I’ve tried quite a few brands over the years and these are by far my favorite. They are not sponsoring this post in any way, it’s just my honest opinion.

If you are able to get your hands on locally sourced ones, that’s wonderful! But for those of us who can’t, ordering them online is a great option (Amazon also carries organic elderberries).

Homemade elderberry syrup really is much more cost effective than buying the pre-made kind. The one pound bag I get from Mountain Rose Herbs will make about 5 batches of this concentrate (0r more!) plus extra tea…

Which I’m gettting to here…

Wait for it..

Reusing elderberries for extra benefit

After you’re done making your syrup and have strained the berries, you can reuse them again for a tea! I love doing this. EXTRA immune support here to get rid of that cold fast. Basically, just toss the strained berries and spices back into the saucepan, cover with water, bring to a simmer, and strain again.