Elderberry Tincture

Elderberries are full of immune boosting benefits & this powerful medicine is definitely one you would want to have on hand. It's better to have it & not use it as opposed to needing it & not having any

Another thing you can use this tincture for is to help preserve homemade cough syrups. Just add ¼ of tincture, or alcohol to every 1 cup of syrup

If you would prefer to make this an alcohol free tincture simply combine 3 parts Glycerin to 1 part Distilled Water creating a glycerite. The glycerite is not able to preserve syrup in the same way the tincture can but it is great for those wanting to avoid alcohol

This recipe uses fresh or dried elderberries

I do have a blog post & recipe for elderberry syrup you can read HERE. I will be sharing another recipe in a few days with an optional water bath canning step

Equipment:

• Jar with lid

• Parchment or wax paper

• Fine mesh strainer

• Cheesecloth or reusable muslin

• Large measuring cup or bowl

• Amber storage bottles

• Label

Ingredients:

Fresh or Dried Elderberries, roughly chopped if using fresh

40 % or 80 Proof Alcohol

Instructions:

1. Fill your jar 1/3 to ½ full with elderberries

2. Add the alcohol (or glycerin) to the jar making sure that everything is fully submerged & completely covered. The less alcohol the more concentrated your tincture will be. I like to fill my jar with 1/3 berries to 2/3 menstruum

3. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper to the top of the jar then secure the lid. Write down what’s in your jar as well as the date

4. Store the jar in a dark, cool place & allow it to extract over the next 6-8 weeks. Be sure to come shake the jar daily every day or every other day

5. If you happen to notice the alcohol level lowering, just add more alcohol. This can sometimes happen with dried berries as they start to rehydrate in the menstruum

6. Once the extraction is complete, pour the contents of the jar through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or muslin over top of a large measuring cup or bowl. Elderberries will stain quite easily but gently press & squeeze the berries getting all the medicine out

7. Place the tincture into an amber bottle & label with the ingredients & suggested dosage.

Dosage:

• 1-2 dropperfuls or 1-2 ml up to 3 times per day

• This dosage is for a 150 pound adult, adjust the dosage accordingly

Image of a jar of elderberry tincture