Homemade Elderberry Tincture ( Extract )

After reading about the HUGE benefits of black elderberries (Sambucus nigra) in Gut and Psychology Syndrome I’ve been researching recipes and trying to locate a batch of elderberries. I hope to collect fresh berries in the autumn but for now I ordered 300g of dried elderberries from EBay to get us started with some homemade elderberry tincture.

I rinsed them briefly and popped them into a 1 litre jar. The aroma was simply divine!

I bought a bottle of organic vodka from Sainsburys and added enough vodka to the jar to cover the elderberries generously.

Then I closed the jar securely…..

…..and gave it a little shake before adding a label to show clearly what the jar contained and when it was made.

Then I placed the jar in a cool, dark cupboard.

The plan is to leave it there for about two weeks (giving it a little shake occasionally) before straining off the liquid and composting the residue. This seems a waste but from what I’ve read all the ‘good stuff’ is now in the liquid. 

The resulting tincture should be stored in dark glass bottles  (which I have yet to obtain!) and will kept for up to two years.

 

How do you use elderberry tincture?

It can be taken daily as a preventative – 5ml diluted in a little warm water when leaving the house, another when returning home and one before bedtime. A small amount of honey or fruit juice can improve the flavour.

When an adult exhibits symptoms of influenza infection  take 2 tablespoons every 6 hours or so for 8-10 days. There will be a reduction in symptoms within 2-3 days, but it is best to continue for the full 8-10 days (just like taking an antibiotic).

For a child you can add 25-50ml of almost boiling water to the 5ml tincture dose in a cup and allow it to cool, effectively evaporating off the alcohol.

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