Elderberry syrup is one of those must-have tricks in your wellness arsenal! If you've ever bought some, you know that it’s crazy expensive to buy ($15 for anywhere from 4-8 oz) and even then it’s hard to be sure the ingredients are the best. Luckily, it is far less expensive to make on your own and so easy! If you can make tea, you can make this! Normally elderberry syrup is made with a combo of dried and fresh spices, but this particular recipe is potent and powerful through its use of Young Living essential oils. It is sure to support the immune system and more easily stay above the wellness line! It is also extremely tasty – dangerously so, in fact.

So, what’s the deal with elderberries? I’m so glad you asked. Elderberries are rich in vitamins A, B and C and are a traditional cold and flu remedy used for hundreds of years. They are known to have high antioxidant activity and the bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice of the berry destroy the ability of a cold or flu virus to infect a cell. Add that to all the amazing properties and benefits of essential oils and you have a yummy and amazing recipe on your hands!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 cup Elderberries 
• 1 1/2  cups RAW HONEY (not only is raw honey naturally antimicrobial, which will keep your elderberry syrup fresh for a long time, it also contains far more nutrients as it has not been heated)
• 4 cups Purified Water
• 7 drops Copaiba Vitality 
• 3 drops Thieves Vitality & Orange Vitality
• 1 drop Frankincense Vitality, Nutmeg Vitality, Cinnamon Bark Vitality

OPTIONAL ADD-INS & VARIATIONS

• 1/2 cup loose leaf tea (my fave is the Winter Spice)
• a small slice of fresh ginger
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 3/4 cups  unfiltered maple syrup in place of 1/2 the honey

HOW TO MAKE YOUR ESSENTIAL ELDERBERRY SYRUP:

1. Add one cup of elderberries to 4 cups of boiling water. (Also add loose leaf tea, fresh ginger, and whole cloves if using them.)
2. Allow to simmer on the stove for 45 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced by about half.
3. Remove water from the stove and cool until it is just warm enough to melt the honey. The less heat the better to preserve all the properties of the honey and essential oils.
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer then stir in the honey (and the maple syrup, if using it).
5. Add your vitality essential oils.
6. Pour into a pretty glass container and enjoy!!!

This should be stored in the refrigerator to keep fresh. I’ve had batches last many months with no signs of going bad.  Using 1 tsp per day for adults and 1/2 tsp per day for children will be beneficial for keeping your immune system boosted. If you feel like you need more support, take it often throughout the day until you feel stronger. This can be tasty to top pancakes or waffles or even add to teas as a way to sweeten!

HOW TO USE ELDERBERRY SYRUP

• Use to sweeten hot cereal 
• Pour on top of french toast, pancakes, or waffles
• Stir a spoonful into your tea
• Add a little to your NingXia Red shot
• Make a delicious NingXia & Elderberry Cremosa
• Take a spoonful straight

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of the essential oils used in this recipe and what they can do for you! Most of these are the essential oil versions of the spices called for in traditional elderberry syrup recipes. Knowing that 1 drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 26 cups of peppermint tea in potency, it’s easy to see why using oils is a no-brainer!

• Thieves Vitality – This is a seriously amazing blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary. It was created based on a legend about a group of 15th century thieves who rubbed oils on themselves to avoid contracting the plague while they robbed the bodies of the dead and dying. I’m just going out on a limb here and saying, this is powerful.
• Nutmeg Vitality – Besides tasting and smelling festive, this oil maintains optimal digestive function, support's the body's natural inflammation, supports joint health and promotes cardiovascular health.
• Clove Vitality – This is one of the main single oils in the Thieves blend, but has so much to offer that adding a little more just seems like more of a really good thing. It’s said that the people on the island of Ternate were free from epidemics until the 16th century, when Dutch conquerors destroyed the clove trees on the island. Many of the islanders died  from the epidemics that followed. It is a powerful immune support and has been used in dentistry for years.
• Cinnamon Bark Vitality – Another oil already found in the Thieves blend, cinnamon bark is a powerful immune support.
• Frankincense Vitality – One of the gifts given to Jesus by the Three Wise Men, frankincense has been used for centuries! It is known to support the immune system and relax the body.
• Copaiba Vitality - A magnifier of the other oils it is used with and supporter of the body's natural response to inflammation, this one is extremely high in beta-caryophyllene. Google that! CBD oil contains about 30% beta-caryophyllene, while copaiba contains 40-70%! Powerful.
• Orange Vitality - Contains the naturally occurring constituent d-limonene (Google that!), it's an important ingredient in NingXia Red and ImmuPro that supports cellular health.

Keep in mind that there are so many essential oils you could choose from, so feel free to pick and choose which oils you use and how much of each you put in. This recipe can serve as a guide for you to make it just the way you like it. Too spicy? Add more honey or purified water and elderberry. Too thin? Add more honey. Not enough flavor? Add more oils! It’s impossible to mess it up. Just tweak it as needed to suit your taste.