Author: Amy Townsend of Little Ways Doula Services
I have always admired doing things the “old school” way. I
like accepting the responsibility for my families health and well being and
prefer doing things myself before I need to ask for outside help and I find
that there are not very many times that I actually need to refer to my outside
sources and reserve those for the times that I truly feel like there is a
serious need for more help. One of my favorite ways of taking care of my family
is through herbal use and every year I learn more about which plants can help
protect and nourish my family and I love to experiment with different ways of
fitting them into our lives.
Every year starting around Thanksgiving and ending sometime
after Valentine’s Day I drive by signs, and see commercials and hear radio spots
on how I should get my flu shot. The voices on the radio are urgently pushing
for me to take my family in to receive their shots and to do my part in
protecting the rest of the community around me. But I have never noticed the
voices suggesting other ways of preventing catching or passing on the flu,
other than getting my flu vaccine.
Since I prefer to do things more naturally I had to find a
different way other than receiving the flu vaccine. I did some research and
found out about using elderberries as an antiviral. Studies found that the
extract from elderberry really is effective in preventing and treating the flu.
Elderberry works by inhibiting viral replication, inhibiting the virus from
infecting host cells by binding it, and inhibiting the maturation of viruses,
among other things. Taken at the first sign or started when you know you've
been exposed to the flu virus is the best course and yields the strongest
response towards the virus. Digging deeper I found that in both a 1995 and 2001
study concluded that elderberry extract reduced the duration of symptoms of the
flu to 2-3 days as opposed to 6 days without it.
I was excited when I
realized that you can very easily find it growing throughout all parts of the
state, and can even grow it in your own backyard! The plant looks like a small
tree, with the most common species of berries being a black purplish color that
hang in umbels. The flowers, which are usually white, can also be used in
fighting viruses as well and is also used for treating fevers and is gentle
enough to be used on the smallest of infants and makes a very tasty tea.
I did find that some people have raised questions, in
regards to Elder’s safety, since the plant holds cyanogenic compounds (cyanide),
and warn people against certain parts of the plant. Herbalist Stephen Harrod
Buhner points out that there are other plants, such as apples and cherries,
that contain the same cyanide compounds but we eat them without being poisoned
and that all of the fear surrounding the dangers of elderberry are just
phytohysteria . He did say that for those people who are worried about the
amount they receive, there is a way to reduce the amount of the cyanide by
boiling the plant for at least 30 minutes. The longer the boil, the lower the
cyanide compound content there is in the plant.
There are so many ways that you can take elderberry but my
favorite, by far, is making syrup. It is very easy to make and can be used just
like maple syrup but has antiviral properties with it! You can help your body prevent
catching the flu, while enjoying a tasty treat! A quick search will show you
that there are many different recipes and the best part is you can add or take
out anything that you don’t like.
Here is the recipe that my family and I
enjoy:
Ingredients:
½ cup of dried
elderberries (Mountain Rose Herbs)
5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean
1 Tablespoon grated fresh
ginger
2 cups of water
How To:
Put all of the ingredients
into a pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer, and
reduce liquid by about ½ (usually takes about 20-30 minutes). I just set my
timer for 20 minutes, and check it and if I think it needs to be strained more
then I keep going. Strain out the herbs and add 1 cup of raw honey. Store your
syrup in a closed jar in the refrigerator. Syrups have a relatively short shelf
life and will stay fresh for a couple of weeks. I generally make this in small
batches so as to avoid any syrup going bad.
I use this recipe as both
a preventative and an aid in fighting a virus. If I know people around me have
been sick, then I will start taking about a Tablespoon a day. If I feel like I
am just starting to come down with something I may even take up to 2
Tablespoons every hour until the symptoms go away. Since this recipe contains
honey, I never give it to my kids until they are over 2 years of age and I
reduce the amount that they take, as an herbal ally, to 1 teaspoon a day or 1
teaspoon 4x in a day if they are getting sick.
This is herbal treat is a
great herbal ally to have for your family medicine chest. Most everyone loves
the way it tastes, and it can be easy to find ways to fit it into your daily
meals! Try pouring some over some ice
cream or on your waffles for breakfast!
