Elderberry Juice – What are the health benefits of elderberry juice?

elderberry juiceElderberry Juice

Elderberry juice is made from elderberries, blue-black or red berries that come from the elder tree. They are mostly used for making jellies and wine mixtures. They grow in moist climates such as lakes and streams, turning from clusters of white flowers in the spring to clusters of berries in the summertime.

Although there are many types of elderberries, there are three common types: (1) European Elder (Sambucus Nigra, or “Black Elder” and “Common Elder”), (2) American Elder (Sambucus Canadensis, or “Sweet Elder”), and (3) Red-berry Elder (Sambucus Racemosa). The European Elder grows in warm climates in Europe and North America and is most often found in recipes and syrups. The American Elder grows in warm climates too, particularly east of the Rocky Mountains. Some think of the American elder as a subset of the European elder—though nurseries label them as a separate kind. The Red-berry Elder grows in cool climates in North America only. The Red berries are poisonous and contain toxins that will kill you if ingested.

 

Elderberry Juice benefits are said to include:

  • Lessens the effects of the common cold
  • Helps with cases of HIV/AIDS, flu, H1N1 virus, and other illnesses
  • Relieves fatigue, nerve pain, back pain, leg pain, and sinus pain
  • To cease excessive sweating
  • Increase urine
  • Works as a laxative for stomach or digestion problems
  • Can be used as a dietary supplement for weight loss and as medicine for sickness
  • Used by Native Americans to cure respiratory infections
  • Served as an ointment for wounds among Native American tribes
  • Used to treat arthritis
  • Reduces joint swelling

 

To make elderberry juice for your own purposes, consult the following elderberry juice recipe:

 

  • First, you can pick or buy your own elderberries. You can buy elderberries in local stores or go to one of many elderberry farms across your state and region to pick the fruit. If you do not want to lose gas money and transportation costs to travel, get some elderberries and plant their seeds in your garden. This is a great way to ensure your access to the elderberry for future juice concoctions.
  • Next, wash the elderberries. You should get rid of leaves, stalks, and anything else that is not part of the fruit.
  • You must sanitize the jar containers that will hold the elderberries. You can do this by placing the jars in a cooking pot with hot/warm water for ten minutes.
  • Pour water into the large pot where the elderberries are until they are covered. Place the large pot with the elderberries on the stove and place the cooking level on medium. Stir the elderberries in the pot every few minutes or so. When they are ready, remove them from the stove and let them cool down for ten minutes.
  • The elderberries will need a sweetener. To obtain this, simply mix 1.5 cups of water with ¾ cups of sugar to create a syrup.
  • Once the elderberries have cooled down and their skins are stripped, place the berries into a juice strainer to remove the pulp. Place the pulp into the trash can—you will not need it. Add the syrup mixture to the elderberry juice. Although you can make your own juice, you can always buy elderberry juice from a whole foods store.
  • Place the sweetened elderberry juice into the jars and let them sit in the large cooking pot for five minutes, then remove them and let them cool. The elderberry juice will last for one year.

 

Elderberry juice is for sale in stores but in many areas, it’s easy to buy it through the internet. Amazon.com is one of the largest and most trusted sites for making online purchases. They also usually have the best prices. Click Buy Elderberry Juice to see what they have.

Elderberry juice concentrate is a form of elderberry juice that is often frozen and used for jellies or simply mixed into wines. Concentrate is used as a jelly to make pastries and pies as well as syrups, the juice itself, and other juice mixtures. The following recipe will help you make elderberry concentrate:

 

  • Wash the elderberries and remove their stems so as not to ingest these later.
  • Place the elderberries into a pressure cooker and cook for a few minutes. Let them simmer afterwards, crushing the elderberries as you simmer the mix. Remember that the elderberries must become juice before they can be used as concentrate.
  • Put the elderberries into a jelly bag and allow the berries to bleed through into the bag overnight.
  • Take the juice, pour it in jars, and freeze the juice in the freezer for a day. After twenty-four hours have passed, remove the jar tops and allow the mixtures to thaw out. When they do, you can then pour the concentrated juice off, leaving the ice in the jar.
  • Add a cup of honey to each pint of elderberry concentrate to make it sweet. If you intend to use the concentrate for jams, you must sweeten it.
  • You can use plastic containers, jars, or even home cans as a way to set aside the concentrate for another day.

Elderberry juice comes from elderberries which can be picked or bought. If they are bought and you choose to make juices and concentrates on your own, you can follow the directions above. It is okay to buy an elderberry liquid and concentrate; however, if you do so, know that the price will be higher than ever before.