Elderberry Echinacea Syrup

    I've been looking for an alternative to over the counter cold and allergy medication for my family. We've been on the journey for several years now where I have been researching and choosing safer, cleaner and healthier alternatives. One of my top goes too year round has been elderberry syrup in addition to Bee Propolis (That in itself warrants another post specifically just for it so stay tuned) This post is specifically about elderberry syrup but I like to add echinacea to mine for additional support. 

    So, lets break down the ingredients used in my elderberry echinacea recipe. Obviously elderberry is the main ingredient. It contains a litany of healthy properties such as antioxidants, tannins, vitamins A, B, and C, anthocyanins, a subset of flavonoids with many anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects. Anthocyanins actually can inhibit a virial infection by attaching to viral glycoproteins that enable the virus from entering the host cell. How cool is that!? t's important to start taking this at the first signs of illness, but I also recommend taking it on a daily basis as a prophylactic. 

    Why add in the echinacea? While research seems to be limited for supportive data. It is known that echinacea is an antiviral, that possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. These health benefits alone are reason enough to add it into my recipe. In addition, The National Institute of Health admits that it has shown to be quite effective when taken immediately when symptoms of a cold or flu present.  

    Next up, I add cinnamon which is a known antibacterial but it also has numerous other health benefits such as .antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory. These properties make it a great addition for immunity boosting. It is also known for helping control blood sugar, blood pressure due to it's antidiabetic properties. 

    Honey is a go to favorite around my household. Nothing beats local raw honey when it comes to treating a cough. Actually research shows that honey treats a cough better than cough medicine and shortens the duration of the cough. It is important to note that honey should not be used in children under the age of 12 months due to the risk of botulism. 

    Ginger, ginger, ginger, Oh I love me some ginger. It is by far one of the most popular medicinal herbs. We know it's great when used for upset stomach, and nausea. Ginger contains antioxidants which manage free radicals which cause damage to our cells when their numbers grow. It also contains some anti-inflammatory properties. 

    Lastly is whole cloves. I absolutely love the scent of cloves when I open the jar, it's just heavenly to me. It is commonly know that clove possess an anesthetic property. I often use it for toothaches or teething. However, it also has antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. It also contains a good amount of minerals and vitamins that help boost immunity. Such as,
manganese, potassium, magnesium, selenium, iron, vitamin A, B and C. Attached below is the link for a great research article about the molecular basis of therapeutic potential of clove. I'm a nerd and love to read research articles.

    I always want to know the research and supportive evidence about each ingredient or products that I use because I want to be educated. Being educated allows me to be confident and sure that what I am providing to my family and loves ones is safe and best for them. The nurse in me will never be able to stray from evidence based practice. In my head I hear "evidence based practice is best practice" which in these cases I believe is 100% true. 

    Now all of that being said let me share my recipe with you. I like to use my instant pot just for the sake of time, and juggling children. 

    Elderberry Echinacea Syrup

• 1 cup Dried Elderberries
• 2 Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks (or an organic stick of your choice)
• 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Peeled Ginger
• 1/2 Tsp whole Cloves (I sprinkle just a few extra in there)
• 2 Tbsp Dried Echinacea
• 4 cups Filtered water
• 1 cup Raw Honey (Wait to add, read the steps)
• Steps: Add all ingredients except the honey to instant pot. Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes. Strain fluid from berries, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and echinacea. Pour the liquid back into the instant pot and put it on sauté setting. Then add the honey and stir frequently for 10-15 minutes, to get the consistency you like. ( I like mine more juice consistency than syrup, makes it easier for my children to drink) Store in a glass jar and refrigerate, best if used within 1 month. 

Links for research articles for each ingredient: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8026097/

Wieland LS, Piechotta V, Feinberg T, Ludeman E, Hutton B, Kanji S, Seely D, Garritty C. Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021 Apr 7;21(1):112. doi: 10.1186/s12906-021-03283-5. PMID: 33827515; PMCID: PMC8026097.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7870107/

Nagoor Meeran MF, Javed H, Sharma C, Goyal SN, Kumar S, Jha NK, Ojha S. Can Echinacea be a potential candidate to target immunity, inflammation, and infection - The trinity of coronavirus disease 2019. Heliyon. 2021 Feb;7(2):e05990. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05990. Epub 2021 Feb 8. PMID: 33585706; PMCID: PMC7870107.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8433798/

Kowalska J, Tyburski J, Matysiak K, Jakubowska M, Łukaszyk J, Krzymińska J. Cinnamon as a Useful Preventive Substance for the Care of Human and Plant Health. Molecules. 2021 Aug 31;26(17):5299. doi: 10.3390/molecules26175299. PMID: 34500731; PMCID: PMC8433798.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6513626/

Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Apr 10;4(4):CD007094. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007094.pub5. PMID: 29633783; PMCID: PMC6513626.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ginger-benefits#:~:text=Eating%20ginger%20can%20cut%20down,their%20numbers%20grow%20too%20high.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8036487/

Vicidomini C, Roviello V, Roviello GN. Molecular Basis of the Therapeutical Potential of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) and Clues to Its Anti-COVID-19 Utility. Molecules. 2021 Mar 26;26(7):1880. doi: 10.3390/molecules26071880. PMID: 33810416; PMCID: PMC8036487.