With cold and flu season fast approaching, I thought I would share with you the Elderberry and Echinacea Syrup recipe that I whipped up for one of my uni assessments last year. If you follow my instragram stories, you will have also noticed that I made a batch a few weeks ago; it is the perfect immune booster and cold/flu symptom reliver!
Ofcourse it is one thing to just take my word for it, but I thought I would also share with you the research behind my little potion of magic!
Introduction
As I am susceptible to acute upper respiratory viral infections (URTIs) such as the common cold, I chose to make an Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) syrup. This syrup was prepared with the intent to boost immunity and give relief from associated URTIs symptoms.
A syrup is a concentrated herbal decoction sweetened with sucrose, such as sugar or honey. Adams & Tan (2011), state that the addition of sucrose aids in preservation and reduces the bitter taste of the herbs making them more palatable. Additionally, the thick sticky consistency gives a demulcent action. The high sugar content however, is disadvantageous to those who are diabetic. In addition to this fermentation is an added concern. Whilst the herbal component is quite weak comparative to other dosage forms such as capsules, ease of digestion is advantageous.
Rationale
Whilst winter conjures up images of sitting in front of an open fire sipping on hot mulled mead, it also brings with it the dread of URTIs (Health Direct Australia, 2018). Caused by over 200 types of viruses, the common cold is cited as “…the most common cause of illness in children and adults” (Better Health Channel, 2018). Eccles (2005) states that some symptoms associated with this seasonal condition include; a cough, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, headache, and malaise.
In searching the internet for immune boosting and cold/flu relieving herbal syrups, I was intrigued by the myriad of recipe suggestions with elderberry (Sambucus nigra) as the star ingredient. The herbal formulation used was based upon the recipe by Daining (2014). A slight variation was the omission of rosehip (Rosa Canina).
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HERB: 1 - Sambucus nigra
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Herb: Sambucus nigra (Elder - Elderberry) – Caprifoliaceae family.
Part used: Fruit (berries)
Active Constituents: Phenolic anthocyanin compounds; predominately cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside (Młynarczyk, Walkowiak-Tomczak, & Łysiak, 2018).
Actions: Antioxidant, antiviral & depurative (Ravindran, 2017).
Indications: Assists in reducing the duration and symptoms experienced from URTIs (Braun & Cohen, 2015).
Cautions / Contraindications: Contain cyanide which makes them toxic if eaten raw (Braun & Cohen, 2015). Whilst considered safe once cooked, Mills & Bone (cited in Braun & Cohen, 2015) state that excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect.
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HERB: 2 - Echinacea purpurea |
Herb: Echinacea purpurea (Echinacea) – Asteraceae family.
Part used: Root (dried)
Active Constituents: Ernst (cited in Braun & Cohen, 2015) lists the most important constituents as polysaccharides, glycoproteins, alkamides and flavonoids.
Actions: Immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, anticatarrhal and alterative properties (Green, 2000).
Indications: Prophylactic; improving resistance to viruses such as the common cold (Jawad, Schoop, Suter, Klein, & Eccles, 2012).
Cautions / Contraindications: Contraindicated for those taking immunosuppressive medication. Additional cautions for high doses include possible mouth and throat irritation and nausea (Braun & Cohen, 2015).
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HERB: 3 - Zingiber officinale |
Herb: Zingiber officinale (Ginger) – Zingiberaceae family
Part used: Rhizome
Active Constituents: Phenylpropanoids - [6]-Gingerol and [6]-Shogaol (Ali & Gilani, 2017).
Actions: Best proven for its antiemetic capability, ginger (Zingiber officinale) also has diaphoretic, antioxidant, and antitussive action (Ravindran, 2017).
Indications: URTIs (Ravindran, 2017).
Cautions / Contraindications: May not be tolerable by individuals with sensitive stomachs. Haemorrhage due to interaction with anticoagulant medication is also possible (Braun & Cohen, 2015).
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HERB: 4 - Cinnamomum cassia |
Herb: Cinnamomum cassia (Chinese Cinnamon) – Lauraceae family.
Part used: Bark
Active Constituents: Flavonoid; Cinnamaldehyde (Ribeiro-Santos et al., 2017)
Actions: Antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal (Ravindran, 2017).
Indications: Sairam (cited in Ravindran, 2017) lists cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) as a home remedy for the treatment of the common cold. The antifungal properties also aid in food preservation (Ravindran, 2017).
Cautions / Contraindications: Contains coumarin which whilst safe in moderate amounts, can cause hepatoxicity if taken in excess. Antioxidant properties also aid in food preservation (Ribeiro-Santos et al., 2017).
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HERB: 5 - Syzygium aromaticum |
Herb: Syzygium aromaticum (Clove) – Mrytaceae family.
Part used: Dried flower bud
Active Constituents: 89% phenolic volatile oil; eugenol (Cortés-Rojas, de Souza, & Oliveira, 2014).
Actions: Antioxidant and antimicrobial (Ravindran, 2017).
Indications: A beneficial food preservative. Medicinally used for symptoms prevalent in URTIs (Ravindran, 2017).
Cautions / Contraindications: Low concentrations are considered safe (Ravindran, 2017).
Evidence
Grieve (1931) states that “Almost from time immemorial, a “Rob” (a vegetable juice thickened by heat) has been made from the juice of Elderberries…forming an invaluable cordial for colds and coughs…”. Ravindran (2017) acclaims elderberry (Sambucus nigra) as being a traditional herbal cure-all, shown to have various pharmacological and biological effects. A study by Tiralongo, Wee, & Lea (2016), showed that elderberry (Sambucus nigra) reduced both duration and symptoms associated with the common cold.
Felter & Lloyd (1898) list many varied virtues of echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), with Ellingwood (1919) also providing an extensive list of indications of where its usage proved beneficial. Roxas & Jurenka (2007), state that echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) is “…arguably the most recognized herbal supplement for prevention and treatment of colds and flu”. Goel et al. (2004) confirmed this, finding that echinacea’s (Echinacea purpurea) use as an early intervention reduced severity of symptoms related to URTIs.
Felter & Lloyd (1898) state that as well as being excellent for the treatment of nausea, “…Ginger, in the form of “ginger tea”, is popular and efficient as a remedy for breaking up colds…”. Considered as Ayurveda’s “universal medicine”, Forêt (2017), states that ginger (Zingiber officinale) is helpful in relieving congestion associated with the common cold. Remadevi (cited in Ravindran, 2017) lists usage for conditions where an antitussive action is indicated.
Yang & Flaws (1998) states that traditionally cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) bark was noted in Chinese texts as being useful in cold conditions. Ziment (cited in Barceloux, 2009) made reference to its usage traditionally being a treatment for chronic bronchitis.
Traditionally used in formulations to enhance the action of other herbs, cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) were considered a strong germicide, successful as an expectorant (Grieve, 1931). Their efficacy in suppressing pathogenic microbes has also been noted (Betoni, Mantovani, Barbosa, Di Stasi, & Fernandes, 2006).
Method - You can also view a powerpoint
HERE
Formulation
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) were purchased from Austral Herbs, ensuring that each was an Australian Certified Organic product. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) was purchased from our local fresh produce market. The quality of the ginger (Zingiber officinale) was assessed using organoleptic testing; smell for pungency and sight for freshness. Unfortunately, due to limited funds, cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) were purchased from our local supermarket, therefore were that of commercial grade. Raw honey was supplied from a local Apiarist.
Each of these herbs work synergistically to assist in boosting the immunity and/or relieving viral symptomology.
Complete Formulation of Herbal Syrup
Active Ingredients
• 1 cup (100g) Dried Elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
• 1/3 cup (20g) Dried Echinacea Root (Echinacea purpurea)
• 5cm (35g) Fresh Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
• 2 (15g) Cinnamon Sticks (Cinnamomum cassia)
• 5 Whole Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)
Excipients
• 4 cups (1 litre) Distilled Water (Solvent)
• 450g Raw Honey (Anti-microbial, Preservative) - please note that weight may vary depending upon individual product.
Formulation Drug Extract Ratio (DER)
An important factor in calculating dosages, the DER expresses the weight of the starting herbal material (170g), relevant to that of the volume of the finished formulation (750mL). The DER of this herbal formula is 1:4.
Conclusion and Evaluation
Whilst I do feel that this product is a success, I believe the use of organic cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) would have improved the formulation. Organic products are free of all artificial synthetic material, therefore retaining higher percentages of active constituents (Yu, Guo, Jiang, Song, & Muminov, 2018). The syrups aroma and taste although quite strong, is pleasant. A 2:1 ratio of honey would further enhance the preservation (Adams & Tan, 2011), however I feel it would become overwhelmingly sweet. With approval sought from my general practitioner, I commenced taking the syrup at the recommended dosage to assist with a URTI. After one week there has been an improvement in my symptoms. This experienced reduction in severity leads me to believe that the preparation does have a therapeutic effect. I am curious though, as to whether it would have been more efficacious had I begun at the onset of symptoms as opposed to a week later.
Want more?
How about some Elderberry & Echinacea Syrup Gummie Bears...
And that's that, spills and all. If you make this recipe I would love to hear your feedback. My hubby and I love it, our boys aren't huge fans but will have it because they know it good for them.
Anyway, that's it from me for now. Until next time this is me sending love, light and peace to you all xo
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