Elderberry Syrup: Your Winter Wellness Powerhouse

Jillian Randel
Dec 8, 2025
8 min read

Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Each fall, as the leaves turn, my first thought goes straight to my winter wellness toolkit, specifically, the famously delicious, spiced scent of elderberry syrup simmering on the stove. Elderberries mix with herbs like cinnamon, clove, thyme, and ginger then combine with honey to create a delicious immune-boosting syrup to help you and your loved ones stay healthy and happy all winter long.

Doing a double strain to get all the little bits out of my elderberry syrup!

Elderberries offer antioxidant properties, help release phlegm buildup, reduce fever and ease the aches and pains of flu-like symptoms and colds. Read on to discover the health benefits of this ancient remedy, how to make your own, and options for diversifying the recipe to suit your personal needs!

Table of Contents

The Ancient "Herstory" of Elderberry
The Benefits: Ingredients & Energetics
DIY Elderberry Syrup: Tools & Recipe
Dosing and Effectiveness
Variations & Culinary Uses
Freeze Your Extras or Leftovers
Important Safety Warning

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The Ancient "Herstory" of Elderberry

Elderberry syrup is more than just a modern recipe for herbal healers; it is a legendary folk remedy whose roots stretch back across continents and millenia. Its uses span many ancient civilizations, including Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Renowned healers Hippocrates and Dioscorides touted the benefits of the elder tree as an immune-building powerhouse food.

Evidence suggests that neolithic people used all parts of the elder tree-fashioning the branches into ceremonial tools, musical instruments, smoking pipes, and more. Legends of superstition have surrounded the elder throughout all of history with scholars agreeing that harming an elder tree could have been seen as bad luck, precisely because it was such a valuable healing medicine. Today, as people reach for elderberry syrup, they are participating in one of the longest, most powerful traditions in natural healing.

The Benefits: Ingredients & Energetics

Elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are some of the more favored ingredients in elderberry syrup, but there are various ways to make the remedy. In this post, we will cover a basic elderberry syrup recipe (with a hint of flair), but know that many variations of elderberry syrup exist. My hope is that with time, you will create your own, unique blend too!

Note: Below you will find brief descriptions of the healing properties of the herbs used in this syrup. Know that I intentionally limited these descriptions to those that impact the immune system.

Elderberries

Elderberries are high in vitamin C and flavonoids and have traditionally been used for their antiviral and antibacterial properties to fight infection and boost the immune system. Elderberries are believed to help speed recovery from colds, flus, and other immune-related troubles.

Elderberries are best taken as a daily preventative and then in an increased amount at the initial onset of symptoms. The sooner, the better! Elder leaves and flowers have others uses not mentioned here

Ginger

Ginger is a warming and drying herb, thought to impact the body energetically by increasing circulation and the flow of fluids, blood and mucus. Ginger has antimicrobial properties that may inhibit a variety of pathogens. Ginger is considered a “synergist” meaning it helps amplify the effects of other herbs and can make formulas more “zippy”.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a warming and drying herb that is used in Elderberry syrup for its ability to increase circulation. It will also help dry up a wet cough and has antimicrobial properties.

Cloves

Cloves make a nice, spicy addition to elderberry syrup. They are valued for their antibacterial properties and are commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for sore throats and coughs. People often chew whole cloves, using them for their anesthetic and antiseptic properties. It is said that Queen Elizabeth had a sweet tooth that caused severe tooth decay and she chewed whole cloves to alleviate the symptoms caused by her rotting teeth!

Thyme

Thyme is a drying and warming herb used for colds and flu, bacterial infections, and as a mouthwash or gargle for sore throat (Gladstar 91). It is used as an expectorant and is especially beneficial for clearing wet, productive coughs. It has been used traditionally as an antitussive to rid the body of coughing spasms.

Black Pepper(corns)

Black pepper is warming and drying. It has antimicrobial, antioxidant, carminative, and circulatory stimulant properties and is especially useful for colds and flu that produce a lot of mucus. Black pepper is also a synergist, enhancing the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients from other foods.

Lemon

Lemons contain phytonutrients that help protect our bodies from disease. High levels of vitamin C and antioxidants boost the immune system. Antibacterial properties bring relief from infections.

Honey

Honey works synergistically to amplify the effects of herbs in the body. It has antimicrobial, antibacterial, immunomodulating, and antiseptic properties and is extra beneficial for seasonal allergies that often produce cold-like symptoms. Always use honey from a local farmer that was harvested recently. Many store-bought honeys are adulterated with corn syrup.

DIY Elderberry Syrup: Tools & Recipe

Required Tools

Metal pot with lid
Fine mesh strainer (or a regular strainer, lined with a coffee filter)
Large mason jar (at least twice the volume of your syrup) or a large glass bowl
Labels
Final bottle/packaging (could be the above-mentioned mason jar)
Optional: food thermometer, mortar and pestle

Ingredients

The following ingredients are optional and you can play around with them quite a bit. The most basic elderberry syrup recipe includes elderberries, cinnamon, ginger, and honey, but recipes vary so much! Here is the recipe I have been making for years.

1 cup dried elderberries
2 tsp of ginger (3-4 tsp freshly grated)
2 tsp cinnamon chips or 1 stick
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 cups of water (spring water or good tap water)
1 Tbsp dried thyme
½ lemon, juiced
½ - 1 cup of raw honey

Optional:

½ cup of brandy, vodka, or

apple cider vinegar

A note before we begin: I love my mortar and pestle! It should have been the name of my business :) I use it to break down dried spices before simmering. In this case: the cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper.

Steps

Crush Spices (optional but recommended): Use a mortar and pestle to lightly break up your dried spices (cinnamon, cloves, pepper) for maximum flavor release.
Simmer: Combine the elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, optional black pepper, and water in a pot. Simmer for about 25-40 minutes, until the liquid volume has visibly reduced by approximately half (you should have about 2 cups of liquid left).
Steep: Turn the heat off. Add in the thyme (once you start to play around with this recipe, know that this is where you would add any other delicate herbs like rosemary or rose hips-think “aerial parts” of a plant), cover the pot, and let it steep for 20 minutes. Do not simmer the delicate herbs.
Strain: Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the herbs, pressing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Strain into a large mason jar or bowl-at least twice the size of volume you have so you have room for the honey.
Cool and Sweeten: Let the liquid cool slightly—wait for it to get below 104℉ or 40℃. Add the honey. Tip: If you are choosing not to preserve with alcohol/vinegar, use closer to 1 cup of honey to increase the sugar content for better preservation.
- Preservation Tip: If you are choosing to not preserve with alcohol or vinegar, you will want a larger amount of honey (higher sugar content) to help preserve the syrup longer.
Finish: Stir in the lemon juice and your choice of optional preservative (brandy, vodka, or ACV).
Store and Label: Pour the finished syrup into your clean bottle(s). Label clearly with the ingredients and the date.

Dosing and Effectiveness

Elderberry syrup is most effective when taken daily in small doses and then in increased amounts at the initial onset of symptoms. If you have had a cold for 4 to 5 days, you will not feel it work as effectively. As soon as you feel the tingles or sniffles, start dosing yourself every few hours!

*Recommended Dosage* With a dropper bottle, 1 tsp = about 4-5 squirts For everyday use, take about ⅓ of the recommendations below. Increase to the amounts recommended below at the initial onset of symptoms.
*Age*	*Amount During Sickness*
Adults	Up to 3 Tablespoons/day
5-10 years of age	1 - 2 teaspoons / day
2 - 5 years of age	½ - 1 teaspoon / day
1 - 2 years of age	¼ - ½ teaspoon / day

Variations & Culinary Uses

Customizing Your Blend

Many healers choose to add other immune boosting herbs, adaptogens, or nutritive herbs to balance and add depth to their formulas. Consider adding rosemary, rose hips, licorice root, etc. Play around with flavors and the different healing properties of various herbs until you create your own, unique blend!

Alcohol Free: If you want this to be child-friendly, increase the honey content and consider adding vinegar in place of alcohol to preserve your syrup longer.
Important Note: Never give an alcoholic version of this recipe to folks who avoid consuming alcohol. These are personal choices that can reflect struggles with alcohol.

Culinary Uses for Elderberry Syrup

Consider setting aside some alcohol or vinegar-free syrup to use on the following:

Pancakes
Overnight oats
Pastries
Ice cream
Cocktails and mocktails (but keep the alcohol for the adult versions)
To make gummies (click here for my recipe)

Other Recipes Inspiration

Rosalee de la Foret makes her elderberry syrup with a base of apple juice, which is especially friendly for children. Check out the recipe in her book Alchemy of Herbs.
Sarah E. Clark of Sorcha Holistics in Texas has a warming, immune-boosting elderberry oxymel recipe that can be found in the book Fire Cider!: 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar by Rosemary Gladstar.

Preserving Alcohol-Free Syrup: The Freezer

I often make large batches of elderberry syrup to give away at the holidays or as my loved ones develop illness over the fall and winter seasons. I preserve about half of my syrup by adding alcohol, while the other half I leave alcohol-free to use for gummies or other elder recipes. I preserve my alcohol-free syrup in freezer-safe (mason) glass jars and pull them out as needed. I have also thrown leftovers in the freezer (to be removed mid-summer to make some fancy mocktails and cocktails). This is a great way to always have elderberry syrup ready for making a variety of elder recipes.

Important

Please read these warnings before consuming or preparing elderberry syrup.

Babies under 1 year of age should not consume honey—you can substitute sugar in this recipe.
Wildcrafting: If you choose to wildcraft your own elderberries, make sure you are 100% positive on your identification and always use three foraging books to confirm your identification. When wildcrafting, only harvest from plants that are at least 50 feet from roads to avoid runoff, dust, car fumes, etc. This is hard to do when Elder so happily grows alongside highways and roads!
Elderberries (and all parts of the Elder) cannot be eaten fresh/raw. They should be cooked or dried completely before consumption.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These recipes, methods, and resulting products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and are for educational purposes only. The Undercover Witch LLC recommends that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.