Best medicinal use for elderberries

Hi John,

Where will your book be available to buy (if I don't win a copy)? What would you say is the number one medicinal use for Elderberries?

Thanks!

Garden Girl

Hey friend,
Book is available here, www.johnwmoody.com

Oh boy, there just isn't one.  The lowest hanging fruit use is the berries in cooked preparations for cold/flu treatment and prevention.   But this plant has a history of use medicinally unlike almost any other.

Hence why I love Sylva's quote about it!

Elderberry Rob/Cordial
Here is an excellent recipe for this. Really worth making! Apart from being very fruity and full of antioxidants it is also invaluable for coughs and colds (promotes perspiration), especially bronchitis. It relieves constipation (being aperient in action) and demulcent (soothing/relieving inflammations)

You will need about 10 oz. of fresh, ripe berries (about half a colanderful on their stalks - destalking takes about half an hour, done with a fork). Place in a pan, crush them down a bit (I use a potato masher) and simmer down (no water) with about 2 oz. sugar/to taste (I find honey doesn't work well). Continue to simmer until the juice evaporates to the consistency of runny honey. Store in a closed container, e.g. funneled into a small bottle and keep in fridge.

To use: place some in base of a tumbler and top up with either cold water (nice with sparkling chilled water in summer), perhaps some lemon juice to taste or with hot water (e.g. for colds).

2003 I pressure washed a basement after a house fire.  This resulted in a bad sinus/bronchial/flu infection.  I self-medicated with a home-made bottle of elderberry wine, which someone in the family had given the year prior.  This was the medicine I needed: I was finally able to sleep like a log as it gave my nose, throat and lungs time to rest.  I do not advocate getting drunk, but elderberry wine at 13% alcohol is big medicine.  Really it was like taking a cold medicine to sleep.  I am a believer in elderberry medicine.  I would make my own medicine but elderberry does not grow much around here.   If I could get it to grow I would plant it.

I've discovered that these bushes growing wild all over my property (which the goats love because they stay green well into winter), are elderberry!  A friend made an elixir a year ago, and it just got me over the flu in 2 days!  I got to learn how to use it myself