The elderberry plant is truly healing. It can help you reduce flu symptoms, reduce inflammation in the respiratory system and improve your appetite.
The elderberry plant is an amazing plant that contains many beneficial compounds. Elderberry flowers are rich in flavonoids, chlorogenic acids, tanine and pectin. Elderberry flower has antibacterial and antiviral properties and may help alleviate some types of allergies, help reduce pain in joints due to some forms of arthritis, also is used to stop bleeding. Its antiseptic properties make this plant beneficial as a mouthwash and gargle. Elderflower also reduces blood sugar levels, very similar to the way insulin works.
Most the elderberries have dark blue or purple color (different species of elder have even red, yellow or white color) and they are rich in vitamin C, potassium and sodium. Elderberry tea is great for fever, flu and respiratory system inflammation and the elderberry syrup is the perfect summer refreshment.
How To Take Elderberry Plant?
Elderflower can be dried and used for preparing a tea, or may be soaked or cooked down into a drink. The flowers and berries of the elder plant are safe to be used for consumption when are properly prepared, but the leaves, twigs, and roots are toxic and should be avoided, because it may lead to enter the poisonous cyanide in the body.
Note: All elderberries, except the black elderberries are toxic when eaten raw, so it is needed to cook them before consumption. However, even the black ones should be cooked before use in order to decrease the risk of nausea and other gastrointestinal complaints.
After harvesting the elderberry flowers, put them on a paper and kept in a warm place – to dry and preserved its yellow-white color. If color changed and become dark brown, those elderberry flowers should be discarded.
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs. lemon salt
- 9 pounds sugar
- 5 l. water
- 45 elderberry flowers
Preparation:
Wash the elderberry flowers thoroughly. Put the flowers in the water and leave them overnight. Drain the water. Add the sugar and lemon salt and mix everything. Leave the mixture overnight so that the sugar can melt. Pour the syrup in clean and dry bottles. Thus prepared syrup should be diluted with water. Enjoy!
Elderberry Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 pound elderberries
- 2 pounds sugar
- ½ l. water
- Some lemon crust
- 5 cloves
Preparation:
Wash the elderberries. Put the clean elder berries in a pot and cover them with water. Cook on medium heat until the water starts boiling. Remove the pot from the stove and add the sugar, chopped lemon crust and cloves. Bring the pot back on medium heat and boil for 10 minutes. Once the juice is done, leave it to cool down and then pour it into glass bottles. Thus prepared juice concentrate should be diluted with water before consuming.