Black elderberry is one of the medicinal plants traditionally used for colds. Flower tea and elderberry juice (or syrup) have diaphoretic, fever-reducing, expectorant and analgesic properties - it is a proven natural medicine that alleviates symptoms of colds and other upper respiratory infections.
Elderberryis a fast-growing shrub that blooms profusely in spring: its white-cream flowers are gathered in large, flat inflorescences. In autumn, dark blue (almost black) fruits ripen on the bushes. Both flowers and ripe fruit have healing properties and are an excellent herbal material.
Healing properties of elderberry
Elderberry flowers mainly contain flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpenes and mucilages. They have diaphoretic and antipyretic properties. Elderberries contain, among others anthocyanin glycosides, pectins, tannins, fruit acids, vitamins (especially a lot of C and provitamins A), mineral s alts. They show diaphoretic and diuretic properties. Elder flowers are harvested when they are fully developed - harvesting lasts from May to July. We collect elderberries from September to October. We always collect both raw materials in sunny weather - flowers and fruit must be dried. It is best to dry or process the obtained raw materials immediately after harvesting.
Elderberry tea and syrup for colds
When we feel thatcoldis approaching, it is worth using preparations withelderberry . At the first signs of a cold, prepare a tea of dried elderberry flowers: pour 1-2 tablespoons of dried flowers into a cup, pour boiling water, cover and keep covered for 10-15 minutes, then strain. The tea prepared in this way should be drunk hot.Elderberry flower teahas strong diaphoretic, temperature-lowering, expectorant and diastolic properties. We drink 2-3 cups all day.
Additionally, if you have a cold, you should drinkelderberry syrup . We prepare this syrup only from ripe fruit. First, we need to prepare the fruit juice: mix 1 kg of fresh or frozen elderberries in a pot with one glass of water and cook the whole for 2-3 minutes, then squeeze the hot mass through a cloth or strainer (you can also usejuice extractor). Mix half a glass of hot juice with one glass of honey - cool the syrup prepared in this way and store it in the refrigerator. We drink one spoonful twice a day, between meals.
This will be useful to youIf we do not have frozen fruit or juice stocks, we can buy 100%elderberry juice(no added sugar, cost PLN 20-30 / 500 ml) in herbal stores . It must be used within 7 days of opening the bottle. Ready-made syrups with the addition of juice will stay longer, but their medicinal value is much lower - they are sweetened with sugar or glucose-fructose syrup, and some contain only a few percent of elderberry juice, the rest is e.g. apple or chokeberry juice (see the ingredients on packaging!).