Tincture
Elderflower tincture
The elder gives you two gifts a year, and they are used for different things. The berries in September become syrup. The flowers in June become this.
Elderflower is the fever herb. It makes you sweat, and that is not a side effect, it is the whole effect. The body raises its own temperature to fight a virus, and elderflower helps it do that properly and get through faster.
This is what I reach for at the very first scratch in the throat. Along with a couple of tablespoons of fire cider, and then it rarely comes to more.
Pick on a dry morning, when the heads stand fully open and creamy white and smell sweet. Once they brown at the edges, they are past.
Ingredients
- Fresh elderflower heads, picked in June, or dried elderflowers
- 50% vodka, enough to cover
Equipment
- Scissors
- Fork for stripping the flowers
- Airtight jar with lid
- Cloth or coffee filter
- Dark dropper bottle
Method
- 1
Cut whole flower heads on a dry morning, when they stand open and fragrant. Shake them lightly so the insects fall off. Do not rinse them, you rinse away the scent and pollen, and that is where the effect sits.
- 2
Strip the flowers off with a fork or your fingers. Remove as much of the green stalk as you can, it must not go in.
- 3
Fill a clean jar loosely with the flowers. Do not press down.
- 4
Cover completely with 50% vodka, at least 2 cm above. Seal airtight.
- 5
Steep somewhere dark and cool for 6-8 weeks. Shake the jar when you pass it.
- 6
Strain through cloth or a coffee filter, pour into a dark dropper bottle and write the date on it.
Dosage
At the first signs of a cold: 20-30 drops in a little warm water, up to 3 times daily.
Take it in warm water rather than cold. The warmth supports the effect itself, and it starts working straight away.
Lie down under a blanket afterwards and let it do its work. And drink plenty of water, you will sweat.
Shelf life
2-3 years, dark and cool. The alcohol preserves it itself.
Safety
Remove as much of the green stalk as you can. Stalks, leaves and bark contain the same compounds that make raw elderberries toxic, and they do not belong in a tincture. The flowers themselves are harmless.
Be certain of the plant. Common elder is a shrub or small tree with pithy branches and flat, creamy-white heads. Do not confuse it with dwarf elder, which is a herb growing up from the ground rather than a shrub, and which is toxic. If in doubt, leave it.
The tincture contains alcohol, and is therefore, of course, not intended for children. If you want the effect without the spirit, make an ordinary tea from the flowers instead.
If you have an autoimmune condition, speak with your doctor. Elder stimulates the immune system, and that is not always wanted.
Not in medicinal amounts during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Drink plenty of water while using it. If you sweat, you lose fluid, and a dehydrated body fights nothing better.
And most important: a fever above 39 degrees, a fever lasting more than three days, a stiff neck, a rash that does not fade when you press it, breathlessness or chest pain belong with a doctor or emergency care. Fever in an infant is always a matter for a doctor. Elderflower is for the cold that is starting, not for the one that keeps going.
How the herbs work
Elderflower is diaphoretic. It widens the outermost blood vessels and sets the sweat glands going, and this is the classic approach to a starting fever: helping the body carry through the fever it has itself begun, rather than suppressing it.
The flowers also contain flavonoids, rutin and quercetin among them, which calm inflammation and protect the mucous membranes. That is why elderflower is also used for blocked sinuses and a running nose.
Traditionally elderflower is blended with peppermint and yarrow for the classic cold tea. The three work together: elderflower sweats, peppermint opens, yarrow calms.
The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.