Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health
practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to
have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your
family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available
over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician. 
Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes
only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical
care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should
be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.

Is there a prepper anywhere who hasn’t heard of using elderberry in some
form as a treatment for influenza?  Not likely.  Everybody knows about
taking elderberry for colds and the flu.  But this blog wouldn’t be
complete without a recipe for some elderberry syrup.  If I never
mentioned it, people would wonder if I had something against it, which I
don’t.  But it’s something that everyone knows.  Like the sky is blue. 
No news here.

Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Elderberry Syrup
2 cups water

1 cup dried elderberries or 2 cups fresh elderberries
1 cup raw honey*

Simmer water and elderberries in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and mash the elderberries.  Strain the mixture using a fine strainer, cheesecloth, or even a coffee filter.  Discard the pulp.
 
When the temperature of the berry juice drops below 100 degrees, stir in the honey.  Store in a canning jar in the refrigerator.  For influenza, take one tablespoon four times per day.

*Note.  As this syrup contains honey, do not give it to infants under the age of twelve months.

But I wondered, is elderberry used for anything else?  Does it do more
than reduce the duration and severity of colds and influenza?  One study
said elderberry works for bronchitis also.  Might have guessed that.

Elderberry is reported to be effective against cancer and in lowering
cholesterol, however, there just hasn’t been enough clinical research. 
It’s been investigated as a treatment for H. pylori.

Cautions:  Sambucus nigra berries may be eaten raw, but just to
be safe, it is better to cook them.  As far as other species of
elderberry go, the uncooked berries and the rest of the elderberry plant
are toxic.  The berries must always be cooked. 

 
Links to related posts:
The Medicinal Uses of Elder

For further reading:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11399518
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056848/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848651/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22972323
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899428/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19682714/
https://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-elderberry.html