A Little Immune Booster

Ever hear of the elderberry plant?  This berry often grows wild and is cultivated for it's health properties.  The Latin name is Sambucas Nigra and syrup made from these berries (as well as the berries themselves) is a highly effective and preventative tool for colds and flu.  This syrup is loaded with antioxidants, immune supporting minerals, flavonoids and Vitamin C!

In a scientific study, elderberry extract was proven to inhibit several strains of influenza and reduced symptoms in general.  In another study researchers observed that, "Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo".

So during the height of cold and flu season I thought I would pass on my very favorite elderberry syrup recipe.  You can buy more expensive versions of this at your local pharmacy or even purchase homemade versions at farmer's markets and other natural health stores; however, making elderberry syrup is affordable and very easy! 

Elderberry Syrup

 

Ingredients



• 2/3 cup black elderberries*
• 3 1/2 cups of filtered water
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated or dried ginger root
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves or clove powder
• 1 cup raw honey

Instructions

1. Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey yet).
2. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced a bit.  At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled.  Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl. I usually take the back of a spoon and press the berries so that most of the liquid has been strained.
3. Discard the elderberries and let the liquid cool to lukewarm.  Then add 1 cup of raw honey and stir well.
4. When honey has been well mixed then pour the syrup into a glass container (a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle works well).
5. Store in the refrigerator and take daily through cold and flu season for its immune boosting properties.  Standard dose is 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. for children and 1/2 Tbsp. to 1 Tbsp. for adults.  If the flu or a cold do strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours until symptoms disappear.

This will usually last for 3-4 months stored in the refrigerator. Enjoy! (*Note: I like Frontier Organics whole organic European elderberries).

Immune Boosters

With all the colds and flu viruses that seem to be going around right now I thought I would write a little about how to rev up our own immune systems so that we can help our bodies to fight those nasty little germs.  Whenever I feel the beginnings of a scratchy throat, or are starting to feel the tiredness that can come on before an illness, the first thing I reach for is.... Vitamin A.

As well as consuming the foods mentioned, I take extra doses of this important immune-building vitamin for a few days. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin so, like other fat-soluble vitamins, you can take too much of it (the exception to this is Beta-Carotene as there are no known toxicity levels.... well, other than your skin turning orange. Really.). Its perfectly fine for a short time, such as a week or so, to take extra and so I take 1 or 2 pills (10,000 IU's) with breakfast and sometimes dinner as well (always take fat-soluble vitamins with food as to help your body absorb them better). I do this for a couple of days and then decrease to 1 or 2 pills/day for the rest of the week.  

Most everyone knows about Vitamin C and you can take this with or without food (water-soluble vitamin, if you take too much you'll pee it out).  I recommend taking Vitamin C complex (ascorbic acid is just one part of the complex) and make sure it includes Bioflavanoids to get the most out of it.  I usually take between 1,000-2,000 mg of this while I'm sick.  And I can't forget garlic - increase your intake of nature's antibiotic (anti-fungal, anti-viral as well) whether cooked, raw or in pill form.

A few other important points - decrease your dairy intake as well as orange juice.  While orange juice contains Vitamin C it, as well as all dairy, can be mucus-causing which is something you don't want more of when you have a cold.  Magnesium (which I've talked about in a previous blog) is also an important mineral for our immune system, as is drinking lots of pure water (herbal teas are fine as well), getting enough sleep and making sure you eat on time.  Avoid all processed sugar (and white flours) as sugar will demobilize our white blood cells (think fighter cells) for approximately 30 minutes after consumption.  We need to arm our bodies with the weapons (quite literally) that it needs to keep those germs at bay!