Elderberry Calendula Cold and Flu Elixir
Elixir. The name just makes me feel all wickedly herbal. 😉 And if you’re thinking, no thank you, that sounds way too complicated—let me show you how simple an elixir is! You will definitely want to have this on hand for the the impending cold and flu season. I consider this my “back-up”, as just regular ol’ elderberry syrup is my first line of defense. But once in a while I will run out right when I need it the most. And that’s where this beautiful elixir comes in handy. It lasts a crazy long time (should last several years) so you can just stick it in your cupboard and reach for it whenever you need a little immune boost.
What is an Elixir?
Basically an elixir is a type of tincture that has been sweetened, usually with honey. An elixir is generally more tasty than a tincture because of the honey, plus the herbs used in an elixir are usually of a more pleasant taste. The alcohol used in an elixir can also be one that is smoother, but that’s up to your personal preference. Personally I like to use brandy for elixirs and vodka for tinctures.
How to make an elixir
Making an elixir is nearly identical to making a tincture with one small change—the addition of honey. It sweetens the herbs and makes it much more palatable and even pleasurable, depending on the herbs used.
About this recipe
I can take no credit for creating this wonderful recipe. That all goes to The Herbal Academy. They offer amazing online classes in herbology. I’ve taken several of their classes and have thoroughly enjoyed every one. They are very empowering as they teach you step by step all about herbs and how to use them with confidence. I’m sharing this recipe from the Intermediate Course that I finished awhile back. I thought you might like to see what types of things you can learn from their classes. If you are looking for a place to get a deeper knowledge of herb, I highly recommend them!
Elderberry Calendula Cold and flu elixir
Ingredients
2/3 cup dried calendula flowers
2/3 cup dried elderberries
1/3 cup dried elderflowers
1/3 cup dried rose hips
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
1 teaspoon dried ginger
Brandy
Honey
Mason jar with lid (I prefer a wide-mouth one as it’s easier to place the herbs inside)
Directions
Measure out all your ingredients and pour them into the mason jar.
Pour brandy over all the herbs to just cover them.
Give the mixture a little stir to make sure all the herbs are saturated with the brandy.
If necessary, add a little more brandy so the herbs have about 1/2 to 1 inch of brandy covering them. You should still have excess room in the jar. Don’t overfill it or you won’t have room for the honey.
Next, drizzle in the honey until the jar is full, but still has about 2 inches of head space. As the herbs soak up the moisture, they will expand so you don’t want to overfill or you’ll have a lovely sticky mess!
Once the honey has been added, close the jar tightly with the lid and give it a good shake.
Label the jar with all the ingredients and the date. Now you will sit the jar in a cupboard, or on the counter out of the sun and allow all the goodness from the herbs to infuse into the honey and alcohol combo. Let it steep for about 4 weeks. Every once in awhile it’s a good idea to give it a good shake to mix it all up and agitate the herbs a bit.
After the 4-6 weeks is up, you will want to grab an old clean rag (t-shirts work well, or old tea towels) and strain off the herbs. I place my towel around a small glass bowl and secure it with a rubber band. Then I dump in all the ingredients from the elixir, carefully loosen the rubber band and gather up the corners of the rag with all the goodies inside. Then I gently squeeze out all the juice.
Once all the juice has been extracted, you can discard the herbs into the compost. Pour the elixir into a clean jar with a lid. Label the contents, and store for whenever you need a little immune boost.
Dosing
For an adult dose, it’s recommended that you use about 2-3 teaspoons every couple of hours when you feel a cold coming on. Frequency is key when it comes to using elderberries and preventing a cold! The active healing components in elderberries only last for a couple hours which is why frequent dosing is important.
Where to purchase the ingredients
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If you are unable to grow your own herbs, or find ingredients locally, then here are two of my favorite places to buy bulk ingredients:
Health benefits of the herbs
Calendula Flowers
Calendula is an immune stimulant, antibacterial, and antiviral. It acts an an antimicrobial which helps the body fight against pathogens.
Elderberries
Elderberries are high in vitamins A and C, are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory. They are also an immunostimulant and high in flavanoids. Learn more here.
Elder Flowers
Elder flowers are high in vitamin C as well as being anti-inflammatory, anti-catarrhal and expectorant. They are also a relaxing nervine which means they help relax the nervous system when it’s under stress.
Rose Hips
Rose hips are notoriously known as being high in vitamin C as well as vitamin A. Learn more here.
Orange Peel
Oranges are another fruit that are notoriously known for it’s high vitamin C content.
Ginger
Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and stimulates circulation. It is also an antiviral and helps stimulate macrophage activity which helps prevent viruses from attaching to the cell walls. Learn more here.
Are elderberries safe?
Elderberries do contain a cyanide-like substance, so there are a few precautions to take.
According to The Herbal Academy:
Elder bark, leaves, roots, seeds, and unripe berries contain alkaloids and cyanogenic glycosides, which may cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea as well as depression of the central nervous and respiratory systems (American Botanical Council, 2004; Gardner & McGuffin, 2013). The emetic (vomiting) action and other toxicity reactions are caused by the release of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from cyanogenic glycosides during the act of macerating the plant during chewing (Magnuson, 1997). This reaction occurs only if these plant parts are used fresh, as cooking or drying reduces the cyanogenic glycoside content (Gardner & McGuffin, 2013). Buhner (2013) recommends cooking (boiling) for 30 minutes. The fresh bark can be used as an emetic and purgative, but must be used only under the guidance of a highly skilled herbalist. The elderflowers are considered safe even for small children, and the ripe fresh berries are considered safe unless consumed in high quantities or by someone sensitive to the compounds in the plant (Buhner, 2013); however, cooking or drying them is the safest approach. Due to its diuretic effects, use caution if taking with drugs that increase urination (American Botanical Council, 2004).
So my takeaway from that is, don’t go ingesting a ton of fresh berries on a daily basis, (even though I did eat quite a few as a kid 🙈) because the seeds in the fresh berries can cause nausea and vomiting. Cooking the berries does deactivate the compound, as does using dried berries to some degree. As always, listen to your body, use common sense and do your research.
References
Zakay-Rones, Z, et al. (1995). Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama, Altern Complement Med, 1(4):361-9, 1995.
Roschek B Jr, Fink RC, McMichael MD, Li D, Alberte RS. (2009). Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro. Phytochemistry. Jul;70(10):1255-61