Immune-Boosting Elderberry Jam

{When flu and cold season hits, we break out the sinus wash, to help us get better and avoid antibiotics, but boosting your immune system with things like fermented foods and probiotics is another good idea. Today we have another great immune booster – Elderberry Jam from Melanie of Herb Geek . The post is mainly Melanie's, but I'm chiming in occasionally.} 

It's absolutely that time of year again when a simple visit to the playgroup, daycare, or classroom can put the whole family under the weather for a week.

And every time this happens, I chide myself for not having dosed us all up sooner with a generous helping of Elderberries, or any of these other immune boosting herbal recipes for kids.

Hands down my favorite go-to plant for staying healthy during cold and flu season, Elderberry is a powerful little berry jam-packed with antioxidants, and well studied for its protective effects from viruses. A smart little berry indeed, Elderberry flavonoids trick flu viruses by binding to the proteins on their viral envelopes. Those nifty proteins are the ones that viruses use to bind to our cells and cause infection. Successfully duped, the viruses are thus deactivated from reproducing in the body, and are then easily flushed out by our body's natural immune defenses.

Clever berries.

Although I love Elderberry, and although my little one will readily consume anything tasting even remotely sweet, I'm not quite thrilled about pumping my child full of sugar in order to get this lovely berry to do its job. Furthermore, sugar has been shown to lower the body's immune response, so it just seems silly to give an overly sugary syrup to a sick child.

I'm also not a huge fan of vegetable glycerine – it's a highly processed and refined product, and there's no guarantee which plant it's derived from, with soy, palm, and coconut being likely contenders. Furthermore once questions around GMO safety arise, I start looking for more natural solutions.

Although there are many ways to introduce herbal preparations to child, I particularly appreciate food-based herbal recipes that are also low on the glycemic index. Hence my quest for the perfect sugar-free Elderberry jam recipe.

A Few Important Notes about Elderberries and This Recipe

1.  First and foremost, Elderberries must always be heated, since in their raw form, they contain a constituent similar to cyanide. Although some sources say that fully ripe elderberries and dried elderberries are okay to consume raw, I prefer to be on the safe side and treat my berries to a nice, hot bath.

2.  Ripe Elderberries are lovely to the point of being intoxicating, however they can be hard to source unless you know your plants, and are confident with your identification skills. {Hmmm…From  Adrienne: I'm thinking it would be easy to pick a poisonous berry instead. No thanks. I just bought these Organic Dried Elderberries a few months ago and will be using them :)!} Luckily, Elderberries retain much of their potency when dried, and can easily be rehydrated to make a delicious jam

Dried Elderberries–Just waiting to be made into jam!

Variations

1.  Juice Substitutions

Apple juice is a popular choice for making jams, and will also serve as a natural sweetener for your juice. I would also recommend juices such as pear, mango, and grape. My juices of choice are unsweetened berry juices because they are high in antioxidants, and give the jam a deep purple color.  However, unsweetened berry juices will generally result in a jam that is less sweet.

 2.  Sweetener Options

A couple of low-glycemic syrups are yacon syrup (glycemic index of 5) and Brown Rice syrup (glycemic index of 25). Stevia is also a great choice since it has a glycemic index of 0, but this will also impart its own flavor to the jam. I personally don't like the taste of stevia, but most people don't seem to mind. Another great option is to sweeten your jam with a dried fruit paste, which can easily be made with dates, apricots, figs, or raisins.

The popular agave syrup has been featured in numerous reports questioning whether it is indeed a safe and healthy choice. Although it has been shown to have a low glycemic index, questions have surfaced around whether its effects on the body are actually equivalent to that of high fructose corn syrup.

Furthermore, agave nectar is produced through a highly refined chemical process in which the starch of the root is reduced to syrup; it is not actually derived from the natural sap of the plant, as the word “nectar” would have us believe. Since there are lots of other safer and more natural sweetener options, I generally steer clear of this one.

{Note from Adrienne:  Jerusalem Artichoke Syrup is another GREAT choice.  I've read it is a pre-biotic sweetener (helps your body's gut) and has a glycenic index of only 6.  I haven't tasted it yet, but I am going to buy it soon!}

Homemade Elderberry Jam Recipe Notes

For juice, I use pure blueberry juice.  Use lemon or lime juice for a low-carb option.

Vegetable glycerine would be a good low-carb option if you can have it.  Otherwise use 4 scoops of stevia extract.  See How to Use Stevia here.

Elderberry Jam–All done and ready to fight germs–deliciously!

What do YOU use to boost your immune system?

Mélanie Pulla is an herbalist, mamma, radical homemaker, and entrepreneur. She has a BSc in Wellness and Alternative Medicine, holds several diplomas in herbal medicine, and is the founder and editor of Herb Geek, an online educational resource for natural healing. Mélanie is happiest when exploring the natural world, crafting herbal concoctions in her kitchen, and sharing her herbal musings with the world.