Elderberries have amazing medicinal properties.  If you are lucky enough to find this shrub grown in your area, you should make cough syrup and jam for the winter.  Elderberry is good for sore throats and lung problems —  when mixed with other strong lung herbs — like comfrey or Mullen tincture — the syrup becomes a powerful tool in fighting bronchitus and other lung-based illnesses.

Elderberry Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

  1 cup of elderberries

  1 cup of honey

  1/2 tsp. fresh ginger (cut into small pieces)

  1tbsp. lime juice

  1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup Comfrey root tincture

1/2 cup Mullen tincture

1. Simmer berries in a covered saucepan in about 1 cup of water for 15 min. Strain berries through a sieve.
2. Mash berries to extract all the juice. Return strained juice to saucepan and reduce liquid by half. 
3. M ix the berry liquid with ginger, cinnamon and half of the honey. Cover and simmer for 35 min.
4. Remove from heat and add remaining honey lime juice and both tinctures.
5. Bottle. Store in refrigerator to last a year. Makes approximately 20 0z.