Last Updated on November 13, 2024 by Michelle

Could elderberry syrup help fight a virus?

I didn’t even think about this. I didn’t know about any of the scientific studies that have shown all the wonderful reasons to enjoy elderberry syrup when I was scaling a concrete wall and inching down a steep incline to reach the river bed where a neighbor had spied a wild elderberry tree.

I just knew I wanted to make some of this delicious syrup myself and it was worth the climb. Plus, y’all know I’m a maple syrup fanatic, so it stands to reason I love elderberry syrup. Read more about maple goodness here and grab a copy of my book if you want to know more on that topic.

Of course everyone knows you don’t have to scale walls and pick your own berries to make immune-boosting elderberry syrup.

You can buy elderberry syrup. (Use code SOULYRESTED and save 15%!)

It turns out, sales of elderberry syrup sky rocketed during 2020 because of all the scientific data showing that elderberries boost your immune system and prevent viruses. Yep, elderberries have been scientifically proven to inhibit the ability of a virus to attach itself to cells or replicate in your body. Pretty cool stuff, right?

These Berries Pack a Punch

One study showed that a component in elderberries (“caffeic acid”) may play an important role in preventing coronaviruses. (source)

Other research has suggested that elderberries, in addition to having antiviral properties, activate healthy immune systems by increasing your body’s production of inflammatory cytokines – this means that these little berries may hold a key to helping anyone with a weakened immune system. (source)

These tiny little berries pack quite a punch, since they’re full of vitamin A and C, potassium, folate, calcium, iron, fiber, flavonoids, and antioxidants. No wonder Native Americans and European herbalists have been using these wonder berries for all kinds of health benefits for thousands of years.

In addition to the more important effects (keep scrolling), elderberry syrup has even been found to help improve your skin. Believe it or not, it helps treat acne. While that may sound weird at first, think about it… Elderberry fruit contains high levels of flavonoids, which means it might have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These help to protect healthy cells from harmful free radicals that play a role in skin problems.

And bonus! It helps with shall I say “more mature” skin problems too… consuming elderberry syrup has been linked to the lessening of age spots and wrinkles. Seriously?

These little purple powerhouses can lessen inflammation and even help us deal better with stress too. They’ve been shown to prevent and ease cold and flu symptoms, treat constipation, ease joint and muscle pain, and fight off headaches and fever. (source)

See what I mean when I say these berries pack a punch?

A Few Cautions about Elderberries

Raw elderberries, as well as the seeds, leaves, and bark of the tree, contain a toxic substance. So don’t eat the berries as you’re picking them. You might wind up with some bad nausea and diarrhea.

Also, elderberry syrup may interfere with medications, especially antidiabetic meds, arthritis meds, and laxatives.

Jim Bob, my ever curious barn cat, didn’t eat any berries, he just did a lot of smelling…

How Elderberry Syrup Boosts Your Immune System

One of the health benefits of elderberry syrup may be an ability to fight harmful viruses. It turns out elderberries seem to magically block the enzymes that would otherwise be released from viral cells in the body. So even if they don’t stop the viral infection, they could help keep it from spreading.

Studies have shown that folks who take elderberry syrup see their cold and flu symptoms improve as many as 4 days faster than if they hadn’t taken elderberry syrup. (source)

In other studies, flu-like symptoms, including headache, muscle aches, fever, and nasal congestion, improve within just a day of taking a little bit of elderberry syrup 4 times a day. (source)

There’s even been a scientific study that shows that taking elderberry syrup can help prevent picking up cold and flu germs when traveling. (source)

How to Use Elderberry Syrup

While I usually just enjoy a teaspoon of it right off the spoon every day (especially during cold season or if I feel like I may be coming down with something), there are plenty of great ways to use this immune-boosting, delicious syrup…

Pour it over ice cream
Add it to hot tea
Make ice cubes out of it to add to your summer drinks
Include some in your smoothies
Add it to your breakfast table, over oatmeal, pancakes, you name it, it’s good
Mix it in with your salad dressing. It’s especially good on a spinach strawberry salad
Sweeten cold drinks with some (Read below for my favorite.)
Flavor your DIY kombucha (In the picture below, I used 1/4 cup elderberry syrup to flavor 1 quart of kombucha. So good!)

For an extra-special iced tea to serve to guests, I like to add 1 cup of elderberry syrup to 7 cups of tea made with this Island Breeze tea. It’s so good! (If you want to try it yourself, be sure to use code SOULYRESTED for 10% off your entire order.)

How to Make Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients

2 cups berries (fresh, frozen, or dried elderberries)

4 cups water

1 TB fresh, grated ginger

1 cinnamon stick

Maple syrup (roughly 1-2 cups)

Directions

Remove berries from stems. This is the most time consuming part, because these berries are small.
Simmer all ingredients except maple syrup, over medium heat for 30 minutes
Crush berries with fork occasionally, as they simmer
Strain berries out of juice, with one more crush session, to get out all the juice
Add 1 1/2 cup maple syrup for every 2 cups of syrup that you have
Store in fridge for months, or bottle in pint jars and hot water bath can for 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Don’t have fresh elderberries? Use these dried elderberries, in the same ratio as fresh berries. With 1 pound of dried elderberries you can make roughly eight 16-oz bottles of syrup… way more than my little recipe makes. And buying dried berries will be a huge savings over buying elderberry syrup! Code SOULYRESTED saves $$!
Want to make it but have all the guess work taken out for you? Make your own elderberry syrup using this kit. Use code SOULYRESTED and save!
Don’t have the time to make your own? This family’s elderberry syrup is amazing, not to mention the best price I’ve found! And code SOULYRESTED saves 15%!
If you purchase this elderberry syrup you can even choose if you want your syrup sweetened with honey or maple syrup! (nd code SOULYRESTED saves 15%!)