Exploring Herbs: Elderberry #AfterMyCoffee

Elderberry is one of my very favorite herbs. The berries are good for everyone in the family. Berries in general tend to be very nutritious but elderberries are special. My favorite way to use the dried berries is in tea with Nettle and Echinacea. I'll usually put a tablespoon of elderberries in ANY herbal tea I make. They mix well with anything, give a nice flavor, and beautiful color to the herbal teas. I don't buy any of the fancy cough syrups for our children, I just make up tea with peppermint for them. They really like it and it's soothing when they aren't feeling well. A hot cup of tea is always comforting.

I usually buy my elderberries by the pound. I use a strainer like the one below and I have a dark green teapot. (The rose color is on my wishlist!) I heat up our purified water to a boil and slowly pour it into the pot over the herbs in the strainer. Then I let it set for about 3-5 minutes before pouring. I usually get 2 or 3 pots from the same strainer full of herbs. The more they soak, especially the berries, the more they release their wonderful juice. In summer sometimes I will even pour it over a glass of ice for an herbal ice tea. Yum! If you have a sweet tooth, add a spoonful of honey for added benifit. When the children are having a tea party, I let them stir their tea with a peppermint stick. (King Leo peppermint sticks are made with real sugar.)

I really feel like elderberries should be a staple in every home. I'm not a "health care professional" so I have to be careful or the FDA may try to come get me... But our family seriously loves our Elderberry Tea. I encourage you to try it.

We usually get our elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs. They also have already made tonics which are nice.

More posts you might like:
Exploring Herbs: Lavender
Exploring Herbs: Lemongrass
Exploring Herbs: Cloves
Exploring Herbs: Peppermint
Exploring Herbs: Spearmint
Exploring Herbs: Echinacea
Herbal Basics
Rosemary

Last week's favorites (These young ladies are doing an awesome job with their blogs!):

Sand Plum Blossoms at Faith Has Made Me blog

WAITING? OR LIVING OUT GOD’S PLAN? at Shining Stars Magazine

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