I am so excited! Thanks to the wonderful people at Wildlands Inc. I have arranged for 10 lucky people to attend an elderberry harvesting field trip on one of their mitigation sites. “

What is an Elderberry?

Elderberry shrubs can get quite big and are often confused with trees. They have large clusters of white flowers in the spring that ripen into dark berries in the summer (when I say elderberry, I am referring to the Sambucus nigra elderberries, not the red). They are considered riparian and often associated with rivers, streams, and creeks and in grasslands adjacent to water. Here in the Central Valley, they are home to the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (it is currently listed as a threatened species). The beetle spends most of it’s life as a larva in the stems of the shrub, so we need to be careful when harvesting. Normally the elderberries are usually best to harvest in August, but it varies every year.

Why Elderberries?

If you read my blog regularly, you will know that I am a huge fan of elderberries. If you are sick, have a sore throat, sniffles, a cough… my first question will be have you been taking your elderberry syrup? Elderberry is an anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antioxidant. It helps build the immune system and is especially helpful for respiratory illness such as asthma or bronchitis.  We all take elderberry syrup twice a day at the first sign of a cold or virus and we usually recover quicker, coughs don’t linger, and rarely does anyone get a secondary infection. It can be taken regularly during an allergy season. I also give it to my children for a few days to a week before and after getting immunizations, traveling, or the first days of school or if a virus is going around. Here are a few links to some other sites with interesting information on elderberries:

• Medicine Hunter
• Herb Wisdom
• Wikipedia
• USDA

What do you do with elderberries?

We have been taking elderberry syrup for years, but buying it can be very expensive. So last year I started making my own. After harvesting the berries, I immediately juice them and then freeze the juice in 3 cup portions. Then I can make and can the syrup as I need it. This way it does not go bad before we can use it. I use local honey to make the syrup and by making it seasonally, I can use seasonal honey (this helps in fighting local  and seasonal allergens). CLICK HERE for my previous post on Making Elderberry Syrup and CLICK HERE for the Cough Syrup recipe. I am just on my last batch now from last year, just in time! As this syrup does contain honey, I do not recommend it for children under 2. You can make it totally with sugar or purchase Herbs for Kids Elderberry Syrup. There are many things you can make with elderberries. They are good as a jam, a compliment in a pie or other baked good, tea, wine, etc.  Many people also use the flowers for teas, liquors, jellies, etc. I still have a lot more experimenting to do.

But ONLY use the flowers or RIPE BERRIES and make sure you cook them! Elderberries should not be eaten raw. All parts of the plant contain the toxin hydrocyanic acid which is destroyed by cooking. Red elderberry (S. pubens) is considered poisonous and should not be used at all since cooking does not destroy enough of the toxin. Most of the berries in the Sacramento area are S.nigra elderberry. The stems and leaves have the highest concentration of hydrocyanic acid that is why I recommend removing them. I have seen some recipes that say not to worry about the smaller stems, especially if you are boiling it. I have also seen some recipes that do not boil the juice, I would strongly advise against eating the berries or drinking the juice raw. I have also seen people suggest using the leaves. I would NOT advise using the leaves as they have higher concentration of hydrocyanic acid.

So how can You come harvesting?

The field trip is set for July 27, 2010 (subject to change if berries aren’t ripe enough), some time in the AM to avoid the heat. As I said there are only 10 spots available, so I have decided to have it on a first come first serve basis. If you would like to attend the field trip, please leave a comment on this post, not on Facebook. The first 10 received will reserve their spot. I will also have two back up spots, in case some one can not attend. If there are too many people responding at the same time, I will draw names. I hope this sounds fair. I would love to take everyone, but C’est la vie.

Chocolate Elderberry Cough Syrup

CHICK HERE for directions to juicing elderberries and making a juice concentrate from my previous post on Elderberry Syrup.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder (preferably organic, non-alkaline)
• 1 cup elderberry juice
• 1 cup honey
• 1 pinch of large salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix the cocoa and the elderberry juice in a saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add the honey, and stir to dissolve. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the salt and the vanilla. Let cool. Pour into a sterile glass jar, and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for several months. Yields two cups. (note: if you substitute water for the juice, you have chocolate syrup!).

P.S. It’s great over fruit or ice cream too!

I did the usual: keeping them hydrated, plenty of vitamin C (OJ and their multivitamin), and keeping them warm and their clothes on (this can be quite a challenge). My children are always on probiotics, but I doubled their dosage the first day they were sick and a few times after. I kind of use my gut on when to double them up. As many of you know I am a big fan of probiotics, CLICK HERE to read more. I also gave them Children’s Alpha CF by Boerick & Tafel (homeopathic) which I always give them for a mild cold. It helped some, but was not enough this time. Here are a few additional natural home remedies I used to help alleviate their symptoms:

Elderberry Syrup

Earlier in the week there was a confirmed case of H1N1 at Claire’s school (not in her class), so I stopped giving them elderberry syrup when they got sick. I watched them for a few days and when their symptoms did not progress to those of H1N1 (high fever, sever respiratory problems, vomiting, etc.), I started elderberry syrup again. If you have read previous blogs, you know I make my own elderberry syrup. If you have not read this blog, please CLICK HERE and read it before using elderberry syrup.) But if you want to buy it I recommend Sambucus Original Black Elderberry Syrup by Nature’s Way for adults and children over 3 years of age. For infants and children under 3, I recommend Herbs for Kids Elderberry Syrup because it is made without honey. Elderberry is anti-inflammatory, has anti-viral properties, and helps build the immune system. We all take it twice a day at the first sign of a cold or virus and we usually recover quicker, coughs don’t linger, and no one has had a secondary infection in years.

Breath Right Strips

They only make these for children over 5 and I have not used them very often, but they are a nice drug free alternative for a good nights sleep. The strips go on like a band aid on the nose and help to open up the air way and reduce snoring. Claire feels special when she gets to wear one.

Lemon Foot Wraps

I did not need to use this since the kids did not really have fevers, but I thought I would include it anyway. I previously posted about this amazing and simple remedy for reducing fevers. To ready the full story, please CLICK HERE. Here is he short version:

• Warm 4 tbsp lemon juice with 1/2 cup water.
• Soak a pair of cotton socks in the warm lemon water thoroughly.
• When they are cool enough but still warm, put them on.
• Place a pair of wool socks over them and leave on for 20 minutes.
• It is recommended NOT to use a lemon wrap more than 3 times in a 24 hour period.

This worked better than any drug I have ever used to reduce fever. I only had to do it once and Ross’ fever came down almost 2 degrees instantly and dropped steadily all night.

Words of Warning: All the following remedies contain essential oils that should NOT be used with infants!

Mustard Bath

I must admit that this idea came from watching Anne of Green Gables too many times. When Diana’s little sister gets the croup, they apply a mustard paste to help. So I began reading up on mustard paste, but it seems it is not good for young children especially those as sensitive as Claire. You have to be very carefull not to get it on their skin and they have to lay still while it is on. In my searching I read that mustard baths are good for easing congestion as well as drawing out toxins, improving circulation, and relaxing muscles. I found several different recipes on different websites and they were all basically the same:

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup dry mustard powder
• 4 drops eucalyptus oil
• 4 drops peppermint oil
• 4 drops rosemary oil

Use about 1/2 cup per bath. I got my dry mustard in bulk at the Co-op. It’s about $9/lb. I am still looking for something cheaper. One of the blogs I read said you can get non-food grade mustard powder cheaper, but I have not found it. Also, I think the rosemary oil can be optional if you do not have it. I actually just ground up some rosemary from the garden and threw it in the bath, but to get the proper ratio you would need to add 1/4 cup of crushed rosemary to this recipe. Some people may not appreciate bathing in all those leaves. This bath helped with the kids congestion immediately and actually gave Claire a burst of energy (Ross already had plenty of energy). Claire has asked if she can take “green baths” for 3 months, but I told her she can take them only as long as she is sick. They have been taking one in the morning and one in the evening before bed. It is very important to rinse off with clean water after the bath otherwise it can leave a mustard film on the skin. This can cause skin sever irritation.

Vapor Rub

After about 3 days, Claire began to cough. It did not bother me at first, since it seemed like it was just flem going down the back of her throat. But it became more frequent and a little more chesty, so I wanted to try to alleviate it. I remembered that a friend told me that putting Vick’s Vapor rub on the feet and wrapping them in socks can alleviate a cough. So I looked up the ingredients of Vick’s. It’s basically caphor oil, eucalyptus oil, and methol (mint) oil in petroleum jelly. I already had most of those ingredients, but I did not know what ratios to use. I found a few different recipes on line and decided to use one with a shea butter base, but I think you could use coconut oil, un-petroleum jelly, calendula, or any other pure unscented moisturizer. If you use un-petroleum jelly or another moisturizer you don’t need to heat it and don’t need the almond oil. Here is the recipe that I used:

• 8 oz. pure shea butter
• 1 tbsp almond oil
• 1 tsp camphor oil
• 1/2 tsp peppermint oil
• 1/4 tsp eucalyptus oil

I heated the shea butter with the almond oil in the microwave until I could mix it into a smooth lotion. Then I added the essential oils one at a time and mixed thoroughly. One of the recipes I read said to mix the oils together first and them add them, but I skipped that step. I let it cool a little and then placed it back in the shea butter container. I think this will last us the rest of our lives, so if you want to make a smaller amount or share with someone I would recommend it.  You apply it the same as you would Vick’s and no more than 3 times a day. I applied it generously to Claire’s feet and rubbed it in the best I could. Then I placed cotton socks on her feet followed by wool socks. She does not cough after I apply it (unless she exerts herself), and it lasts about 3 hours. The effects probably last longer when applied at night (when she is not running all over the house).

Vapor Plug

I use the Aura Cacia Vapor Plug for many things, but when they are sick I use peppermint and eucalyptus oils on it. These help to alleviate congestion and also help you to “feel” your breath. I usually leave it plugged in all night, but if they have the vapor rub on I don’t feel it necessary.

I hope all of you are feeling well and staying healthy!