Elderberry Cough Drops Recipe For Sore Throat Relief

Boost the immune system and fly through cold season with this elderberry cough drops recipe! These DIY cough drops are made with elderberries and honey to help soothe and reduce cough and cold symptoms (similar to these honey and lemon homemade cough drops).

Don't buy cough drops, make your own! They're easy to whip up and great to have on hand!

It’s always ideal to prevent a cough or a cold (with recipes like gut-healing smoothies and homemade fire cider). However, it doesn’t always happen.

This is why as a Certified Nutrition Coach, having some soothing, gluten-free elderberry cough drops on hand is a winter-time staple.

Many people use sambucus zinc lozenges without knowing that sambucus and elderberry are one and the same! Though the sambucus organic zinc lozenges place the focus on zinc as well for healing, these homemade cough drops take a different route.

Made from just three, immune-boosting ingredients (and not one of these is organic cane sugar!), these DIY throat lozenges are sweet to suck on and a natural way to ease a sore or scratchy throat, just like this homemade honey cough syrup.

Essentially, you're making elderberry syrup into individual throat lozenges.

Ingredients You'll Need

These homemade elderberry cough drops are full of immune support and only have three ingredients! This makes them perfect to whip up.

Sources used to write this blog post: health benefits of elderberry syrup, benefits of honey.

Coconut oil: because you're using these throat lozenges for relief, make sure to grab organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil. Basically, the one with the more benefits!

Honey: because the honey in this recipe is heated, you won' reap as many antibacterial benefits. However, even heated honey is ultra-soothing on the throat.

Elderberries: the start of the show for these homemade elderberry cough drops! Normally made into an elderberry syrup and taken orally, you can learn more about them below and why you'll fall in love with them.

Elderberries: The Immune Boosting Ingredient

Elderberries have been a staple for cold and flu season for years and have been said to have some wonderful healing properties.

Benefits like that they’re antibacterial, anti-infectious, and help to boost your overall immune system.

Plus, elderberries have been shown to help ease respiratory colds, reduce cold symptoms, and lessen the duration of colds.

They’re used most in elderberry syrup or elderberry gummy bears (though this is a fun no-bake granola bar recipe with them!). However, make sure to use them cooked (in this recipe they’re heated in boiling water and discarded) as elderberries by themselves can have toxic effects. 

Important Teaching Tips

These homemade throat lozenges require that you heat the honey until boiling while whisking it constantly. This lets the moisture come out of the honey but does not allow it to burn.

In other words, it’s delicate.

While many people use a candy thermometer, you don't need one. Instead, set the timer for 6 minutes after the honey is bubbling and alternate between whisking and removing it from heat to settle (watch the video to get a good idea of how to do this). You want the mixture to turn darker and after six minutes it should be much stickier.

You want to keep these homemade throat lozenges in the freezer until you pop them in your mouth. They do melt slightly.

Other Cough & Cold Remedies

If you want to keep your immunity and prevent a cough or cold, below are the best steps to take:

• Fire cider tonic (my full fire cider recipe)
• Homemade elderberry syrup
• DIY shower melts for congestion
• good old-fashioned, super healthy eating
• staying hydrated
• Homemade honey and garlic elixir for coughs and colds
• Gut-healing chocolate smoothie

Using Bone Broth For Preventing Coughs & Colds

Another way to both fight colds as well as prevent them is to use bone broth! It’s actually one of my most recommended foods for toddlers because it’s so healing. However, making homemade broth takes a lot of time.

However, there is a solution: bone broth powder from perfect supplements (use code mamabear10). This powder works just like any other broth and all you need to do is whisk it into boiling water (or make a crazy, gut-healing chocolate smoothie)

Perfect Supplements uses only the highest quality products and this bone broth powder is free from additives and spices. Plus, it uses grass-fed, organic chickens.

Silicone Molds

You need candy molds for these throat drops.

However, stay away from the super small gummy bear molds with an eyedropper. They’re cute but horrendous and you won’t be able to make anything. They end up too small and your throat lozenges won't come out of them.

Instead, get candy molds and keep the cough drops small in size.

Don’t forget to pin these Homemade Elderberry Cough Drops!

Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Cough Drops

Keep your cough and cold symptoms at bay and rock these homemade lozenges. They're a natural remedy perfect to have on hand. Plus, the combination of elderberries & honey is a tasty one!