Fall Herbal Immune Elixir
A warming immune-boosting elixir with elderberries, rosehips, and adaptogenic herbs
Ingredients
- Elderberries
- Elderflowers
- Rosehips
- Astragalus
- Hawthorn
- Licorice
- Schisandra
- Red Roses
- Raw Honey
- Brandy
Instructions
- Mix herbs together and place in jar until it is half full
- Cover herbs with honey and stir with a stick or spoon to release air bubbles
- Fill to the top with brandy
- Shake it up
- Macerate for 4-6 weeks, then strain the herbs and compost them
The resulting elixir can be used frequently by the dropperful at the first sign of colds/flu. Use every hour until the symptoms are gone. Add lots of extra sleep and hot teas or water for a faster healing!
About the Ingredients
Elderberries and Elderflowers - Elder berries and flowers have long been used to treat colds, fevers, flu and sinus congestion. The diaphoretic (sweat inducing, opening the skin) nature of the flowers has been employed to help bring down fevers from the inside out. The berries have been studied in standardized clinical trials that show their efficacy in significantly reducing the effects of flu. Elder has many other health benefits, including remedying neuralgia and sciatica.
Rosehips - Excellent source of vitamin C. Useful for colds, flu, debility, exhaustion, constipation.
Hawthorn - Heart and circulatory tonic. Used for heart weakness, palpitations, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris.
Red Roses - Astringent, cooling, anti-inflammatory, cardiac tonic, used for grief, which is associated with the lungs in traditional Chinese medicine. By association, the season of autumn rules the lungs.
Astragalus - Astragalus (huang qi) has been a foundational herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine for hundreds of years. It is included in formulas to support Wei Qi (Chi), or the conceptual "shield" which serves as a primary defense mechanism against pernicious threats to the system. It is sweet, and nourishing and often included in recipes for soups which are used for convalescence and general strengthening of the system.
Licorice - Specific for adrenal gland insufficiency, demulcent (soothing to mucous membranes), expectorant for coughs and respiratory congestion, anti-inflammatory.
Schisandra - In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to increase the production of bodily fluids, and for inflammation, coughs, skin problems, and sleep problems. Recent uses include immune system modulation and hepatic protection.