Use this easy elderberry cough syrup recipe to help ease a scratchy throat (along with these homemade cough drops with honey). With only six ingredients, this homemade cough syrup with honey is easy to whip up but packs a big punch to your immune system. Elderberries can help ease a cough and reduce the duration of cold systems. A natural cold remedy perfect for moms.
This elderberry cough syrup recipe whips up quickly and is a great way to soothe a sore throat. Likewise, as a Certified Nutrition Coach it's always a great way to boost the immune system.
Not only will this cough syrup help with a sore throat but it can also prevent symptoms from getting worse!
When To Use The Cough Syrup Recipe
Having homemade cough syrup on hand is a given in my house- especially during the winter months. Kids bring home all kinds of sick from school and not only does this remedy helps ease a sore throat but it’s also a great way to boost your immune system.
Use this recipe:
- Immediately when you feel a cough or cold coming on
- As an immune system boost in the winter months
- In the form of homemade gummy bears.
Anti-Bacterial & Immune-Boosting Ingredients
Cinnamon
Cinnamon not only helps flavor this elderberry cough syrup recipe but can also help reduce inflammation which means it’s a great way to ease a sore throat.
Cloves
The cloves are optional- some people dislike the flavor. However, cloves have been shown to be anti-bacterial which is why they're added. Full cloves are best but if you’re in a pinch, use ground!
Lemon
Lemon is one of the ingredients in my easy homemade cough drops recipe because lemon can help break down mucus in the throat. It’s anti-bacterial and especially soothing when combined with honey.
Raw Honey
Of course, the homemade cough syrup recipe is going to contain honey! Honey is a staple for sore throats because it’s soothing, it coats the throat when it’s feeling “raw” but also because it’s anti-bacterial.
The best thing to do is use local, raw honey to get the biggest bang for your buck. This way, all the good stuff hasn’t been boiled out. Using local can also help you adjust to local pollen levels and reduce allergies.
Why Elderberries?
Elderberries have been a staple for cold and flu season for years.
They’re used most in homemade cough syrup (And if you don’t know what to do with the berries after making syrup with them– reuse them to make elderberry tea!) because they have such immune-boosting properties.
However, make sure to use them cooked. Elderberries by themselves can have toxic effects.
A Sneaky Tip To Boost The Immune System
I also use a lot of bone broth to both fight colds and prevent them! It's actually one of my most recommended foods for toddlers because it's so healing. However, making homemade broth takes TIME (a lot of it!) which I'm slightly limited on.
So while I do strive to make my own I also make use of two-time savers: I use bone broth powder from perfect supplements (use code mamabear10) normally whisked into something (or even snuck into a chocolate smoothie!) or I use Kettle & Fire pre-made bone broth (I like straight-up chicken or the turmeric one!) because their quality is so high (simmered for ten hours!).
Cough Syrup Recipe For Kids
Now, I’m not a doctor, herbalist, or anything of the sort. I personally use this elderberry cough syrup recipe with my kids. Not in excess, but I do remember my six-month-old getting sick and me whipping up a batch to give her a teaspoon!.
However, this was a very personal decision and I urge you to research. Learn, read and make your own informed decisions based on what you’re comfortable with.
For me, if they are just battling a cold, I feel far more comfortable giving them this homemade cough syrup than I do medical varieties. If it is something more serious, obviously consult and doc and do what you need to mama.
We also use this elderberry cough syrup recipe as a preventative measure (like in homemade gummies) to keep our immune systems up in the winter.
However, if you're not comfortable whipping up a batch for your kids, you can purchase elderberry syrup instead.
How To Make Cough Syrup At Home
There are quite a few ways to make homemade cough syrup.
While this recipe calls for elderberries, spices & honey, some other common ingredients include lemon and ginger (like these cough drops). This recipe is soothing because of the honey but focuses the most on bringing your immune system back to full peak.
Making this recipe at home is simple though and all you need to do is boil, simmer, strain & add in the honey!
Other Natural Cough & Cold Remedies
I’ll be touching on this in another blog post soon but what I really want to point out is that the best course of action is always prevention keep your immune system high to reduce your chances of getting sick!
To naturally prevent coughs and colds during the season we:
- Make homemade fire cider,
- Snack on gut-boosting gummies
- Implement proper nutrition and protein intake
- Use bone broth powder and whip up gut-healing chocolate smoothies
- Dose up on fermented foods
If you do end up with a bit of a cough or cold, make use of easy homemade cough drops, DIY shower melts to reduce congestion and electrolyte popsicles etc.
It’s never fun getting sick as a mom. But what I’ve experienced is that while taking precautions to stay healthy doesn’t mean you NEVER Get sick; it tends to mean you don’t get as sick. So, I’ll take it.
FAQ's & Tips
- make sure you really boil down the syrup and cook the elderberries. Raw elderberries are not to be consumed
- you want to whisk the honey in while the mixture is warm but not hot! This prevents the good stuff in the honey from being broken down
- store the elderberry syrup in the fridge in an airtight jar
- use the cough syrup when you feel a scratchy throat coming on. I personally take 1-5 tbs/day if I'm feeling sick
Don’t forget to pin this elderberry cough syrup recipe!
Homemade Elderberry Cough Syrup
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups elderberries freeze-dried
- 3 cups filtered water
- 3 cinnamon sticks or 6 if they're short
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup raw honey
- 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon cloves optional
- 1 tbs fresh ginger optional
Instructions
- In a large piece of cookware, combine everything except the lemon juice and honey.
- Heat until boiling and then reduce heat and keep it at a rolling boil for 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Once boiling is done, pick out the cinnamon sticks and strain out the elderberries from the liquid. Make sure to press into the mesh sieve to get all the good juice!
- Whisk in the honey and lemon juice.
- Pour into a jar and keep in the fridge until needed.
Video
Notes
- make sure you really boil down the syrup and cook the elderberries. Raw elderberries are not to be consumed
- you want to whisk the honey in while the mixture is warm but not hot! This prevents the good stuff in the honey from being broken down
- store the elderberry syrup in the fridge in an airtight jar
- use the cough syrup when you feel a scratchy throat coming on. I personally take 1-5 tbs/day if I'm feeling sick
- the recipe makes 1 cup which is about 16 sevrings
Nutrition
This elderberry syrup recipe is a great way to help relieve a sore throat naturally! As well as give the immune system a helping hand. It’s simple to make so keep some on hand for when your system needs a boost!
Shelby aka Mama Bear
[…] us survive (read about how I help my girls sleep through winter nights!). And these tricks (like homemade cough syrup) definitely include a lot of homemade options- like these homemade honey lemon cough […]