An elderberry tincture is a great way to boost your immune system and help fight off a cold or flu quickly. Making a tincture is simple and requires just two ingredients: elderberries and alcohol.
Whether you’re warding off a cold or flu or just looking for a great immune-boosting aid, an elderberry tincture is a great solution!
Unlike elderberry syrup, this elderberry tincture has a much longer shelf life and is a great way to use up any extra elderberries before they expire.
Since this elderberry tincture takes up to 6 weeks before it’s ready to use, you might want to check out our elderberry gummies recipe to help boost your immune system right away.
Benefits Of Elderberries
Elderberries fight the influenza virus and H1N1 while strengthening the immune system. They contain high amounts of Vitamin C and moderate amounts of vitamins A, B6, and iron.
They are also mildly anti-inflammatory.
The nation of Israel has completed several studies on elderberries. The findings are surprising!
Mumcuoglu, who is president of Razei Bar, first tested her research on patients in the Southern Israel flu epidemic of 1992/3. The results were extremely encouraging.
Within 24 hours, 20% of those patients taking Sambucol had dramatic improvements in symptoms like fever, muscle aches and pains and coughing. By the second day, 73% were improved and by day three, 90%. In the untreated group, only 16% felt better after two days. The majority of that group took almost a week to begin feeling better.
In 1995, laboratory studies were carried out at Hadassah, which showed that Sambucol was effective against human, swine and avian influenza strains. (Source.)
The Best Elderberries For Tinctures
Of all the types of elderberries, Sambucus nigra is the variety you’ll want to buy for a tincture. These are edible when fully ripe.
Most elderberries are toxic and should not be eaten raw. However, once cooked, elderberries can be made into jams, jellies, or even drinkable juice!
Sambucus nigra is an exception to the all-raw-elderberries-are-toxic rule. Although, even Sambucus nigra must be fully ripe.
Tips For Making An Elderberry Tincture
When making a tincture, you’ll want to abide by the following rules:
- Use alcohol that is 80 proof, or above.
- Don’t cook your berries.
- Discard elderberries once strained.
- Always avoid red elderberries. These are toxic, cooked or not.
- Store tincture in a cool, dark cupboard (and a dark glass bottle).
Where To Buy Elderberries
There are a few options when it comes to buying dried elderberries or foraging for fresh berries.
Elderberries grow in many places, especially across the Pacific Northwest, but it’s important you know which type of elderberry you’re picking. Be sure to check with your local extension office if you’re unsure.
You can also purchase elderberries online from Amazon.
Or, check your local health food store!
My tip? Buy them well before cold and flu season as many places tend to sell out.
In fact, if you haven’t tried to source any this year, you may want to start looking as I’ve been told by our local health store owner that many of the elderberry suppliers are selling out.
How To Make An Elderberry Tincture
Finally, making an elderberry tincture is simple! Here’s the step-by-step process of how to make it.
1. Fill a pint or a quart jar half full with fresh or dried berries.
2. Next fill the jar with vodka (at least 80 proof), leaving 1 inch of headspace.
3. Place a tight-fitting lid onto the jar and give it a few good shakes. (If your lid isn’t leak-proof, you’ll likely have a mess on your hands! I recommend using a canning lid and band.)
4. Label and date your jar, then place the elderberry tincture into a brown paper bag, fold the bag over and place it in a cool dark place for 4 to 6 weeks. You can give it a good shake whenever you think about it. I like to set it by something in the pantry I use often and shake the jar every time I see it.
5. Strain your tincture through a fine-mesh strainer. Alternatively, you can use a tea towel or an old clean t-shirt (though they will stain!).
6. Once your elderberry tincture is complete, you can store it in an air-tight jar or bottle. We recommend using a dark amber glass bottle, or these 1-ounce tincture bottles for easy dosing.
How To Store Elderberry Tincture
As with all tinctures, it’s best to store them in a cool, dark place.
We prefer storing our elderberry tincture in amber glass bottles. We love using these dropper bottles for elderberry tincture as well.
Your tincture will stay most potent if stored in a cool, dark cabinet. Room temperature will be fine, you just don’t want your temperature to fluctuate too much.
How Long Does An Elderberry Tincture Last
An elderberry tincture will last up to 5 years when stored properly.
Unlike elderberry syrup, which lasts about 2 to 3 months in the refrigerator (about 2 weeks at room temperature), this is a great way to use up any extra elderberries at the end of the cold & flu season and know you’re getting the most potency out of those berries. After all, they’re not cheap!
Elderberry Tincture Dosages
As always, we recommend getting the advice of your family health practitioner, but here are some commonly accepted dosing instructions.
Note: 1 teaspoon is typically about 2 droppers full (if using the bottles linked above). If you’re unsure, use a measuring spoon until you get the hang of your dropper.
Adult & Young Adult Dosages
(This dosage is for adults and children over the age of 12.)
- To boost the immune system when a family member is sick (or if you’ve come into contact with someone who is ill), take 1 teaspoon once daily.
- When ill, or at the first signs of illness, take 1 teaspoon three times daily.
Children’s Dosages
(For children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old.)
- To boost the immune system when a family member is sick (or if you’ve come into contact with someone who is ill), take 1/2 teaspoon once daily.
- When ill, or at the first signs of illness, take 1/2 teaspoon three times daily.
Toddler’s Dosages
(For children between the ages of 2 and 4 years old.)
- To boost the immune system when a family member is sick (or if you’ve come into contact with someone who is ill), take 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon once daily.
- When ill, or at the first signs of illness, take 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon three times daily.
Tips For Taking Elderberry Tincture
Not everyone loves the taste of a tincture, they can tend to be bitter or “spicy” to some. If you (or your children) don’t like the taste, you can either dilute it with a little bit of water to make the flavor milder, or you can add it to a bit of juice.
Elderberry Tincture
Ingredients
- 1 cup elderberries dehydrated or fresh
- 10 ounces vodka 80 proof minimum
Instructions
-
Fill the jar half full with elderberries (about 1 cup).
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Next, fill with vodka, leaving 1 inch of headspace (approximately 10 ounces).
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Cover jar with lid and give it a good shake.
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Label jar with contents and date, place in a brown paper bag, and set in a dark cool area for 4 to 6 weeks.
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Once infusion time is up, strain through a fine mesh strainer, tea towel, or old clean t-shirt.
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Discard the berries.
-
Pour into clean, sterile, dark-colored bottles. No dark bottles? Don’t fret, use a clean, sterile pint jar. Just place the jar back into a paper bag to shield the tincture from light.
Recipe Notes
Dosage (see post for more detailed dosing instructions):
- When your immune system is compromised or you’re coming down with the flu or a cold, take 1 teaspoon of elderberry tincture 1 to 3 times a day.
- Since tinctures can be rough to take straight, if needed, dilute in 8 ounces of water for easy drinking.
- Giving tincture to children? Place tincture in hot water (think hot like for herbal tea). This will evaporate the alcohol. Once cool, give to the child to drink.
More Natural Remedies
- Digestive Bitters
- Elderberry Gummies
- 7 Natural Ways to Boost Your Immune System + Home Remedies for Cold & Flu
- Natural Teething Remedies
- Alcohol-Free Tinctures
- Homemade Cough Syrup
- Immune-Boosting Herbs
- Sore Throat Tonic
- Pepper Juice: Immune Boosting Tincture
- Black Walnut Tincture
Do you know how to make an elderberry tincture? What tips or advice would you add?
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You are responsible for your own health and for the use of any remedies, treatments, or medications you use at home.
This post was originally published and written by Katie Baldridge on 12/2/13. It was updated and republished on 5/8/20.
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Dear Katie – I just decanted this year’s elderberry elixir. I make it with elderberries, elderflowers, rose hips, honey and brandy with a couple of cinnamon sticks added to the mixture.
Nancy Lee,
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing with us. What a wonderful mixture you’ve put together.
Can I use gin in the tincture instead of vodka? And can I use frozen elderberries. I use Elderberry cordial to treat flu but this sounds better as no sugar. Thanks
Jenny – you can use frozen elderberries. And gin is fine – I would use at least 40% ETOH for dried berries – haven’t made this with fresh berries but would go higher on the ETOH. I have the alcoholic “cordial” with brandy as well as the tincture with vodka. Sometimes I use whiskey. Also I tincture elderberry flowers separate from the berries.
Nancy Lee
Do you still have that recipe of……. I just decanted this year’s elderberry elixir. I make it with elderberries, elderflowers, rose hips, honey and brandy with a couple of cinnamon sticks added to the mixture.
If so could you please share it with us?
Hi Katie! How long after infusion, if stored properly, would you say the tincture maintains its potency? Thanks so much!
Kelly, I would say at least a year, maybe two. I generally only make a pint worth and that will last us through the winter months. Then I start it again in the fall.
Thanks! 🙂
I love finding natural remidies like this. i will have to make this and try this for this coming cold season.
Tanya, let us know how it goes. I love to hear what others do with it.
When I can get wild elderberries, there are 3 things I do with them. First, I gather the “elder blow”, which are the little white flowers, when they start to be loose on the plant. I spread those out and let them dry. Then, if I feel a cold coming on, I make “tea” from a teaspoon of the dried blossoms. It is as if it makes me have a very small, and very short fever, and the cold will go away and leave me alone. The elderberries themselves, I either bake into muffins, or steam juice them. Then I take that juice and combine it half and half with honey and can it to use like a syrup to ward off colds and flu. A Tablespoon, 2 to 3 times a day generally does a good job.
Thank you for sharing with us Yolanda! I’ve never seen them wild where I am, but then again, I haven’t looked too closely either. I would love to happen upon a some.
I would think that eating the berries after soaking in Vodka is no different than using the tincture…
Amy, you are probably right. But since I’ve personally never ate them, I’m leery to tell other too. I know many who have and declare them safe though.
What if you don’t want to make Vodka tinctures but glycerine. Will you post how to do it that way? I feel very uncomfortable buying liquor.
Leslie,
I personally have never used glycerin to make a tincture. But I completely understand why you wouldn’t want to purchase liquor (it’s normally something I send my husband to do). From my research glycerin tinctures use 1 part water and 1 part glycerin. So follow the method in the post above but substitute the vodka with 1 part water and 1 part glycerin. Let us know how it turns out.
As a rookie tincture maker, can I ask why you prefer vodka? I’m doing some other things with glycerin and like how quickly they are ready compared to vodka and the sweeter taste for my kids, but don’t have any other real reasons
Dara I am new to tincture making also. From what I gather the alcohol is absorbed into the liver for better health, detox and blood cleaning benefits, whereas the water & glycerine method will bypass the liver and fight on a different level. Has anyone else seen otherwise?
I’ve been told that alcohol pulls the “good stuff” out of the herb better than glycerin and has a longer shelf life, so if using glycerin, I suppose you’d use a somewhat larger dose. I use alcohol tinctures by the drops, under the tongue. It’s more quickly & efficiently absorbed, I guess.
Hi, I am really excited about trying this. I bought and used dried elderberries for a cough syrup which was delicious and useful. I have extra, but I didn’t realise you should freeze or refrigerate them to keep them fresh and I was wondering if anyone knows if I can still use them? They don’t show the usual signs of spoiling (funny growths or smells) but should I just toss them and purchase more? Thank you to anyone who can help!
Shelbie – if they smell fine I would definitely use them. I don’t refrigerate my dried herbs or berries – have had dried elderberries in jars for a long time (won’t say how long! hehehehehehe….) They still smell sweet and look good and remain good medicine.
Shelbie, as long as there is no off smell or appearance they should be okay to use. Like NancyLee, I too do not store my dried herbs (elderberries included) in the fridge or freezer, but rather in sealed glass jars.
Thank you both so much for your replies. I had read in a few random places about people freezing or chilling herbs even though I imagined most do not (similar to how some people freeze coffee and some don’t!). My berries still smell sweet and fresh so I mixed up a batch today and can’t wait to strain it in January. 🙂
xx
freezing can keep the freshness and nutritional value for longer … alway store in dark place the sun will reduce the strength too…
Just a note on making the glycerite…you’ll want to make sure that the water is distiller water. Tap water may cause your glycerite to mold. You would also let the mixture macerate for a couple of weeks (shake daily). I also have friends who heat their glycerite initially to make it usable immediately. Hope we all have flu-free winters!
These are good tips, thank you Roxanne!
Hi! Why would one make a tincture rather than the syrup? I do the syrup and just wondered if one were better than the other.
Hi Kate – the tincture lasts – well, really indefinitely because it is made in alcohol. The syrup shelf life is much shorter.
Thank you!
I’ve been making elderberry syrup for several years and give it to my children straight or making homemade gummies with pastured gelatin for the added benefits. We’ve been flu free (and mostly any-illness-free) all the years I’ve been doing it, even with my husband working as a nurse in hospital where there has been significant H1N1. So I’m wondering about the tincture. Is there any advantage besides shelf life? If I get too much syrup in the fridge, I just make gummies out of it to use it up. Is the syrup missing some benefits that the tincture has?? I’m totally open to making the tincture and have no problem getting alcohol to do it. Just wondering. I use the Mountain Rose Herbs berries as well as their recipe for the syrup.
Lisa, I’m not sure if there are any benefits over the other. Perhaps a tincture is more cost effective as you use less? And that it lasts longer and is shelf stable? I personally have never made a syrup as I’m a wee bit on the lazy side and vodka, berries, in jar is just really easy. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your question.
Haha! I highly doubt you’re lazy with four children–I have #5 on the way (my oldest is 6!) and we just have to be…efficient 🙂
I’ll see what I can find out. I use tinctures for a number of other things, especially in pregnancy, so I’m interested to find the answer. I bet frugality is one of the answers, as you suggested, and I’m wondering if it might be more potent too. My problem is that I forget to start things like this. If I get up one morning in December and one or two of my children is sniffly, I would be wishing I had remembered to start the tincture in September!
Thanks for the reply!
I think the kids will probably like the syrup better – that could be a consideration – but I believe both are effective. I make mine in brandy with honey and a little cinnamon. I like having medicines that are shelf stable and I don’t have any little ones so for just me it would be a waste to make the syrup.
Glad to hear what you said about your husband being a nurse and your family protected from the flu – I’m a nurse too, in Obstetrics, and refuse the flu shot. This year I have to wear a mask to “protect” the moms and babies, yet several of my “immunized” co-workers have already had the flu this season and I haven’t as of now. But I was exposed to H1N1 actually diagnosed in a pregnant patient with high fever, etc. last week – we shall see.
I love this! And, NancyLee… we just bought a gallon of local raw honey yesterday. Can honey really be used in creating a tincture, especially such as this one? Will the honey cause the tincture to go bad in any way? I am also intrigued with you choosing brandy, vs vodka. May I ask what your recipe is? Thank you!
Dear Terra – absolutely honey can be used – it is a wonderfood – honey found in the Egyptian pharoah tombs was still alive and edible when discovered in this century!!
Here’s the amounts of my elixir (just so you know that could change the next time!!)
300 g (g=grams) elderberries + 50 g elder flowers + 75 g rose hips
Place in 1/2 gallon jar
Add 16 oz raw honey by weight and 3 cinnamon sticks
Mix well (or not!! you can always shake it every day!!)
Fill to top with brandy 40% alcohol (I like the taste and consistency of brandy)
I mixed this all up on 8-27-13. And decanted the final product on 11-28-13.
Every time I make it – it is a little different……..
Thank you, NancyLee! And, I hope I’m replying to this correctly 🙂 Half gallon?Approximately how much elixir would you say that yields? Taste-wise (regarding elixir of course), brandy vs vodka, what would you say might be better for children? I don’t really have a way to weigh raw honey; do you have a guesstimate as to how many cups? In your opinion, do you think it’s a lot of alcohol consumed of the finished product, or is it very negligible? I appreciate your feedback!
Hi Terra – I don’t remember the final amount after decanting – maybe almost 2 wine bottles?
The kids aren’t going to like it with vodka or brandy – that would be a good question here for those readers with young children. Do you give tinctures to the little ones? How do they respond?
You can also make elderberry syrups without alcohol (and probably with glycerin too) but I haven’t done that.
The honey can be estimated (what is the weight of your honey jar?) It’s not exact.
Here are some great suggestions on preparing elder (berries and flowers)
http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/2011/10/herbal-remedies-for-first-sign-of-cold.html
You don’t have to weigh the ingredients – I started off with the “folk” method and still use it a lot – basically stuffing a lot of stuff into the jar and adding the alcohol! But more and more I’m weighing the ingredients so the final product will be more standardized. Even that doesn’t guarantee because plants are not standardized in their medicinal effects. You can buy a postage scale very reasonably. I’ve also started using it to weigh my salt for ferments. And it’s excellent for weighing small packages to prepare for mailing at home without hoofing it down to the post office!
Tinctures have the benefit of lasting a long time while preserving the efficacy of the herb or whatever you’re tincturing, plus the benefits of the herb are concentrated in the tincture which makes it more effective. 🙂
The tincture is not heated, so any properties that are damaged by heat are left untouched and beneficial.
What about the wild elderberry all over the northwest?
Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea
I do give my alcohol tinctures to my kids. I put a tsp of the (vodka elderberry) ticture in a 8oz glass of warm-hot water, kinda like an herbal tea.. This helps the alcohol to evaporate. Really the taste is very mild in the water. My kids are kinda picky, but they always take the elderberry tincture without protest. 😉 it works fabulously. 🙂
I make elderberry syrup with berries, water and honey. it’s safe for children, has no alcohol for those who abstain and you can add a cinnamon stick or ginger root when steeping your berries. Once cooled.. press through a strainer, add honey and store in a cool dark place. I keep mine in the refrigerator. Has all the same properties but without the booze.
Can you make the tincture with elderberry powder?
I’ve been wondering the same thing. I have some powder that I need to use.
I made this recipe and then forgot about it. It has been under my cabinet for at least a year. Can I still strain it and use it?
Shouldn’t be a problem. If it smells rancid, or you see mold, don’t use it. Alcohol based tinctures are very shelf-stable!
It is slim pickins for me on the elderberries and since I was afraid the birds would get all of the berries from our plant, I picked some of the flowers to make my tincture. After I already made the tincture I read that the stems are poisonous. I didn’t remove the flowers from the umbrels before putting them in the jar and covering with vodka. Are the umbrels poisonous? Did I ruin the tincture? Thanks for your help with this. I hope I don’t have to start over, but I don’t want to make my family sick, when I am trying to find natural ways to help them get well.
In WNY (Upstate to those inside NYC) it is prime Elderberry season now. Some bushes are still sporting green berries, some have loads of the black/purple berries, and other have been picked clean by the birds for weeks. I have found a few bushes that give me all that I need for Pies/Cobblers and have taken to looking at drying, tinctures, syrups and more. Tinctures are very straight-forward to use and make. In our state (New York) we can get Everclear grain alcohol which is ideal for making Tinctures due to it’s extremely high alcohol content.
Now after reading this article and some comments, I just wanted to share some experience I have had with making and adjusting tinctures. Firstly a friendly reminder that anything over 100 proof/50% is flammable – “Firewater”. The vapors can catch if near an open flame. Having said that, you can cheese cloth the lid and let it sit out on a porch or near a window for a short time to evaporate some of the alcohol to concentrate it a bit. You probably don’t want to take out too much of the alcohol though, since some link the liver to not get the full dose with the tincture if the alcohol is not present, as in some glycerine tinctures (unless that is what the aim is for.) Thank the MMJ crowd for experimenting with making tinctures and evaporating for stronger medicines.
We use Elderberries for the following since I was a kid (although we will be using for more this year with a bountiful harvest)
Elderberry Pie
Elderberry Cobbler
Elderberry Turnovers
Dried Elderberries for other recipes and use for later
Elderberry Tincture
Elderberry Syrup (which can easily be made into gummies)
Elderberry Syrup/Cough Syrup
And we mix our berries into other recipes when we have fresh.
We pick, wash, and freeze our Elderberries mainly for later use.
*Remember with pies and cobblers it usually calls for 4 cups of Elderberries – however we have always used 3 cups Elderberries + 1 Green Granny Smith Apple to make up the other cup. Stretches it and gives us more pies without noticeably changing the flavor. Just small dice ’em so all fruit is roughly the same size. This is a key factor in years when we can’t find our elderberries before the birds clean them off the stems.
Afraid of getting the poisonous red elderberries? Here is a Tip that even those of us who are Colorblind can rely on:
Elderberries are NOT like Blackberries in the sense that they start as flowers – progress into green berries – then change directly to black (or purple when squished on your fingers). GREEN -> BLACK = good
RED = No good
The RED Elderberries are the ones that you do not want for anything talked about on this thread. Blackberries progress from green to red to black, but the Black Elderberries that are so healthy don’t get red.
A note on picking Elderberry Flowers:
FLOWERS turn into BERRIES. Meaning if you harvest all the flowers, they can’t turn into the healthy berries. (Think of it like peppers, You would pinch pepper flowers to discourage energy of making the fruit and focusing on growing more.) However, when you get sticks in the spring from an established plant (your pinky thickness) to start to propagate at home in a mason jar – changing the water every week or so, then the first year you have them they will flower. You are encouraged to pick the flowers to redirect the energy of the plant to forming the roots and further growth and wait for berries for the second year. Remember to have 2 different plants within 100 ft or so to increase your annual berry harvest by a ton!
Elderberries are the best. Cruse around in the car or on a bike in the early june/july and find the flowers. These are how we spot our local bushes and revisit in Aug.
Thanks for the great article and discussion starter! Happy foraging.
My elderberries (two varieties I planted here in TN) do go through a reddish-purple stage before turning black. I pick them when there are black ones present in the clusters. I have found that waiting for them all to turn completely black just leads to them all being eaten by birds or the berries falling to the ground.
Just clarifying — my berries do go green-red-black much like the blackberries here.
This is so helpful. I’ve picked wild elderberries for the first time this year (I live in Northern Ireland) and am trying to figure out what to do with all of them. I will definitely make some of your tincture.
There seem to be a fair amount of people who make “gummies” as well. Would someone please post a recipe as I’ve a 3 year old who seems to pick up every cold going and I’d like to make her some. Not that I’m adverse to giving her the tincture, it’s just I like to experiment and she’d love to have her own ‘vitamins’. 🙂
Thanks!
I’ve been dabbling in fermenting. I just made this tincture. Any need to “burp” or just put in a dark cupboard and forget about it?
Hi
My elderberries have been soaking in vodka for almost a year. Will the tincture still be ok? I forgot about it in the closet ????
Hi Wardee & Friends, I’m going to make this amazing tincture next week for our family. I have read other recipes & some of those recommend daily shaking of the jar during the six week infusing period. Is this necessary. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Love this site! TY ????
Ok, I’m confused after recently reading a warning about uncooked elderberries. http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/simple-elderberry-syrup-to-boost-immunity/
I made this, and my berries really plumped up, they started to get kind of fizzy too…. is it still okay to consume?!
My experience has been that elderberry tincture is far more effective than the syrup version. Even if the tincture is years old!
The syrup is certainly tasty but far too sweet for my system.
I have made several different herbal tinctures but have made elderberry tincture only twice. The second time I used 1 1/3 cups of dried elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs and poured enough 100 proof vodka to cover them quite well. Then a few days later, I blended the mixture and added enough vodka to just barely be able to shake it. I try to do it on the new moon and try to press it on the full moon. That is what I have been told is best. I always dip the amount I want of my tinctures into a glass and add hot water and let sit to get rid of the alcohol. I have been taking about three teaspoons a day of elderberry. I hope that isn’t too much for maintenance. Dr. John R. Christopher of “School of Natural Healing” fame suggests taking (10?) drops a day for potassium I believe. He also says to take the same amount of Black Walnut Hull Tincture. That 1 1/3 cups may be a bit more than necessary. I made a note to try less next time. I am 74 and in bad health. I am trying to learn all I can in order to have some healthy days ahead. Thank you for your website. Patsy
Can I use powdered elderberries? I did not see a reply above
I have elderberry juice in the refrigerator from Late summer that smells like it’s starting to ferment and turn to alcohol – just barely ..: is it still okay to make into a tincture?
I started to make this tincture one year ago and just now found the jar. It hasn’t been strained yet. Is it still good or is it too strong now?
I made elderberry tincture this year for the first time. Easy to make! With flu season in full force I’m making my teenage daughter take it every day. We don’t tend to get a lot of colds/flu in general but I prefer this method over flu shots. Of course, hand washing is still the best way to prevent spreading infection – – moving on… Anyhow, she came to me stating she feels like it is helping improve her acne. I did some research and sure enough it does help improve acne AND I also learned it helps reduce wrinkles and brown spots due to high vitamin A. I thought I was imagining my “age spots” getting lighter but I guess I wasn’t. This is some powerful stuff! Now brewing up batch #2.
That is great to hear, I will have to see if Elderberry grows here near Calgary, Alberta! I have been using a product called ‘Defend and Resist’ that has Elderberry, Larch extract Echinacea and Zinc. Using ‘DR’ really helps us prevent colds and flu. It comes in a tablet form that can be made into a tea. Or just swallowed or chewed. I order it from a company called Shaklee. If you’ve heard of Shaklee, you can visit my website to see what’s new at pws.shaklee.com/mhinch Thanks for sharing your results!
I have heard a warning about uncooked elderberries.any thoughts? I have always wanted to make a tincture but thought it was dangerous because of the uncooked berries are toxic
can i make gummies with the tincture or do i have to use the syrup?
I left my elderberries in the alcohol for 9 months. do you think Is it still ok to strain and use or best to start over? I know… lol
How does alcohol make an elderberry tincture safe to take.
Hello,
What is the minimum time Elderberry Tincture will work as medicine? Like will Elderberry Tincture work as medicine, for at least 2 years, after it is made? Or longer?
Hi, Marianna.
Elderberry tincture will last many many years if stored properly. 🙂 If stored in a cool, dark, dry location, it could last up to 10 years or longer.
~Makenzie, TCS Success Team
I join the list of wonderful women who made the tincture and forgot about it. Any idea if it’s safe to strain and use after a year of steeping?
Thank you!
Hi, Tessie.
Yes, it should be safe to use. The alcohol will keep the tincture good for 5-10 years. 🙂
~Makenzie, TCS Success Team