Elderberry, Who Knew? Notes about Asthma

Elderberry, Who Knew?  Notes about Asthma

A couple of years ago a friend of mine suggested that I take elderberry syrup for a cough I had.  I went to my local health food store and what I ended up with was some cough suppressant drops.  Not elderberry syrup, but I didn't think much about it at the time.  The cough drops helped, and I went on my way.

Fast forward to this year.  I've been really struggling with asthma -- this is a relatively new thing for me.  I was diagnosed with "influenza induced asthma" by the doc I was seeing a couple of years ago.  Since then, I've had bouts with it.  Recently, like the last six months or so, I've been having a really rough time with it.  I broke my nose, which I really think was the catalyst.  (We haven't had insurance, thanks to O*care, so I've not been able to get it repaired.)  Then we went on a trip in late August, I got severely dehydrated; and it's been getting progressively worse.  I've not been able to sleep in a bed for months because when I lay down, I start coughing.  When I'm at home, I sleep upright in my recliner.  I still wheeze, but at least I can sleep.  Turns out dehydration is particularly bad for asthma.  I'm currently reading "ABC of Asthma, Allergies and Lupus" by Dr. Batmanghelidj.  (He's the pioneer behind "Your Body's Many Cries for Water.")  I'll be doing a book review soon.  Long story short, though, I've increased my hydration level significantly, but I'm still having trouble breathing.  I got exposed to some nasty chemicals yesterday plus this past week has been particularly bad.  When the wind blows, it's definitely worse.  I was miserable!  

Thankfully, last week when I placed an order with Pure Formulas, I finally remembered to order some elderberry syrup.  Took me long enough, eh?

This is the product I ordered from Pure Formulas.  The link will take you to their site.  Just use the search tool and look for Black Elderberry.  I'll get referral credit towards my future purchases if you purchase through my link.  Thanks :)

Last night I probably had the worst asthma attack I've had in recent memory because of that chemical exposure I mentioned, above.  I did take some lobelia tincture, (Nature's Answer Lobelia Herb Tincture from Pure Formulas) which helped.  I've been using the lobelia since diagnosed with the asthma.  However, I'd misplaced my bottle.  I think, perhaps, this is why things got so out of control this week.  The lobelia and water helped me sleep through the night without a lot of wheezing or any further attacks.

Anyway, I found the bottle of Black Elderberry Superfruit Tonic when I fully unpacked my Pure Formulas order.  I was having the urge to cough, so I took a dose this morning.  I took 1 tablespoon, as directed on the label, and I immediately felt a calming sensation.  The urge to cough completely went away.

Later, I needed to eat breakfast, and what I found, is what I usually find, that once I eat, the benefits of the medicine aren't as dramatic.  Apparently, that is something that's true of folks with asthma.   Asthmatic kids are often afraid to eat because it makes their symptoms worse.  I can understand that.  I've often said I feel better when I don't eat!  I think that's part of why I do well with juicing.  (See my article here.)  However, I am rotating my remedies -- the water and sea salt, lobelia, Rescue Remedy (good for any kind of stress as a general system calming agent, also available at Pure Formulas), and the elderberry syrup.  My hope is to stay off the inhaler while still being able to breath calmly.

Bottom line:  The elderberry syrup helped me even more than my inhaler does. It's really rather amazing. 



More Information about Elderberry

Information about elderberry medicinally

It turns out elderberry is one of those "super foods" we keep hearing about.  It's health benefits are broad reaching. From the above linked source:

Elderberries were listed in the CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs as early as 1985, and are listed in the 2000 Mosby's Nursing Drug reference for colds, flu, yeast infections, nasal and chest congestion, and hay fever. In Israel, Hasassah's Oncology Lab has determined that elderberry stimulates the body's immune system and they are treating cancer and AIDS patients with it. The wide range of medical benefits (from flu and colds to debilitating asthma, diabetes, and weight loss) is probably due to the enhancement of each individual's immune system.   

When I saw the comment about "debilitating asthma" -- I was hooked!


Missouri Wild Flower Guide I found this link, about which I'm super excited!  We live on about 80 acres in Missouri.  To say we have an abundance of wild flowers in season would be a gross understatement.

Apparently, we, as in people living in Missouri, have access to an abundance of wild elderberries here.  I'm looking forward to finding out come summer.

This site has a lot of practical information about locating the elderberries as well as how to use them.


Recipe for elderberry syrup -- This recipe can be used as a cough medicine or pancake syrup.  How cool is that?  I'm looking at getting some dried elderberries online.  I'll post if I'm able to do it.


A couple of recipes for elderberry cough syrup were posted in reviews on Amazon.  Here's the first:

It is much cheaper to make your own than to buy store brands like .... You just boil 3/4 to 1 cup of the dried berries in a quart of water until the liquid is reduced by half, strain it through a cheesecloth, add 1/2 to 1 cup of raw honey, sugar or pure maple syrup according to taste, and put it in a jar in the fridge. If that's too much work you can make an elixir by steeping about 3 oz of the berries in a pint of good brandy with about half a cup of raw honey (or more to taste) in a sealed jar in your cupboard for 6 weeks.

and another:

Simmer 1 cup of elderberries to two cups of water for 30-45 minutes. Strain liquid into a mason jar, pressing the elderberries. Let cool. Mix with raw local honey in a 1:1 ratio. Store in the fridge for a month.
You can also add hibiscus, cinnamon chips, fresh or dried ginger to the berries as they simmer to change up the flavor and add additional benefits.

I hope this information is of benefit to someone else who's struggling.

Blessings!
Sharron