Elderberry Syrup With Rosehips and Astragalus

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Elderberry syrup with rosehips and astragalus is so easy to make at home! The syrup tastes like a delicious berry syrup and can be used to support the immune system during the cold and flu season.

Everyone in our family (including our toddler) enjoys the flavor of this homemade elderberry syrup!

I’ve been looking for natural ways to support our immune systems during the cold and flu season, and I knew I wanted to add a syrup like this to our diets.

Truth be told, elderberry syrup can be quite expensive to purchase on a regular basis for a large family. So to save money, I’ve been purchasing the ingredients in bulk and making my own delicious syrup at home!

I recently came across the elderberry and astragalus syrup recipe by Amy Fewell at The Fewell Homestead. Amy adds astragalus root to make her syrup even more effective at preventing and fighting the cold and flu.

Since Amy has studied herbalism, I trust her ratios of water, elderberry and astragalus.

I’ve read about the benefits of astragalus root and rose hips and wanted to include both in my syrup. You can easily omit them from the recipe and use only elderberries, if you prefer.

Many elderberry syrups online call for spices like ginger, cinnamon, and clove. It’s all a matter of personal preference.

I use raw honey and apple cider vinegar for flavoring (and also for their benefits). I wanted my syrup to mirror the flavor profile of the Honey Gardens™ brand elderberry syrup in stores.

Ingredients for Elderberry Syrup With Rosehips and Astragalus

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Sources and Notes

• Organic Whole Elderberries (Azure Standard) – Elderberries are the base of this syrup and have numerous health benefits.
  
  Sambucus nigra is the “black elderberry” that is most common to use in recipes.
  
  Elderberries must be cooked properly before consuming, but not cooked so long that they loose their benefits (ideally within the 20-30-minute range). Do not cook the syrup in a pressure cooker, because cyanide toxicity needs to escape with the steam during cooking for safety.
  
  If you’re a family, I recommend purchasing elderberries by the pound, because one batch of syrup will almost wipe out a small 4 oz bag. (You can also find organic elderberries on Amazon.) You can learn more about the benefits of elderberries here.
  
• Organic Rose Hips, Cut and Sifted (Azure Standard) – Rose hips can also be used for tea or other culinary purposes! (You can find them on Amazon too.) Read more about their amazing benefits here.

• Organic Astragalus Root, cut and sifted (from Amazon– Azure only carries powdered astragalus) – Astragalus (or Astragalus membranaceus) can also be brewed for tea or added to soups and other foods. You can read all about astragalus root here.

• Raw Unfiltered Honey (Azure Standard) – raw unfiltered honey is easy to find in the grocery store these days – its purpose here is not only for flavor, but also for its immune-boosting properties. We have found it does wonders for a dry, itchy cough as well.
  
  Notice the honey is stirred in after the syrup cools a bit so the beneficial enzymes aren’t destroyed by the heat.
  
  Safety note: Honey should not be fed to infants under age one. If you need to make the syrup without honey, you can replace it with granulated sugar. Boil the syrup to dissolve the sugar after straining.

• Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar – this is also easy to find in the grocery store. It does have health benefits, and should be added after the syrup has cooled as well. The vinegar brightens the flavor of the syrup.

How to Use Elderberry Syrup

You can use the syrup the way you would use any other berry syrup in smoothies or over your oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, or yogurt. You can also add it to flavor your tea or milk.

Alternately, you can take the syrup by the spoonful.

Here are Amy Fewell’s suggestions for dosing in that case:

Suggested serving amounts by the spoonful:

• As a preventative – adults and children over age one: 2 teaspoons
• As a remedy during cold/flu illness – adults: 2 tablespoons every 2-3 hours; children: 1 tablespoon every 2-3 hours

It goes without saying, but please check with your health professional before adding any herbs or medicinal foods to your diet. Elderberry syrup may not be appropriate for those with autoimmune diseases or on certain medications. Information is mixed on whether these ingredients should be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

How to Make Elderberry Syrup with Rosehips and Astragalus (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Step 1 – Sterilize Jar and Add Ingredients to a Saucepan

First, fill a jar (pint size or larger) with boiling water to sterilize and allow it to sit and cool down while you prepare the syrup.

Use a kitchen scale to weigh out your dried elderberries, rose hips, and astragalus root.

Add these ingredients and the water to a large saucepan and whisk to combine. (Avoid using a pot that is too large unless you’re doubling or tripling the recipe, or your syrup will reduce too quickly.

Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a rolling boil.

Step 2 – Boil Until Reduced

Continue boiling the mixture, whisking occasionally, until it has reduced by half. This should take a minimum of 20 minutes for safety but no more than 30 minutes for the greatest health benefits.

As I mentioned above, do not cover the pot since the steam needs to escape.

Step 3 – Strain Out the Elderberry, Rosehips, and Astragalus

I strain my syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup to insure I’ve reduced the syrup enough. Make sure to press the elderberry mixture into the sieve with the back of a spoon to get out as much liquid as you can.

You should have 1-1/3 cups of liquid remaining after straining away the solids. If you have reduced the syrup too far, simply add back the amount of water that’s missing.

If you have too much syrup, return the liquid to the solids and continue to boil until it has reduced sufficiently.

Step 4 – Add Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar

Allow the syrup to cool, and then whisk in the raw honey and apple cider vinegar to finish the syrup. Feel free to add even more honey than I do if you prefer your syrup sweeter.

The elderberry syrup will not be very thick at this point, but will continue to thicken in the refrigerator over the next few days.

Step 5 – Store the Syrup

Pour out the water from your sterilized jar and fill the jar with the elderberry syrup (use a funnel if necessary).

How to Store Elderberry Syrup

I’ve read conflicting info about how long to store elderberry syrup. Most conservatively, store it up to 1 month in the refrigerator, but some sources say it lasts for several months!

Make sure you shake or stir the syrup each time before you use it since it may separate.

Can you freeze elderberry syrup?

Yes, you can freeze elderberry syrup for longer storage. Do not use heat to thaw the syrup; instead, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.

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