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American Elderberry
Health and Recipes
Welcome to our Health & Recipes page, where we know you care about your health, and we want to be there for the journey! Hippocrates deemed elderberry as 'Nature's Medicine Chest'. You can find recipes on this page made from many of our products and your own freshly grown elderberries. We will also keep links to articles and studies regarding our American elderberries and your health here for your quick reference.
The American Elderberry Difference
The most important thing to understand about the following recipes and documents is that they represent American black elderberries, or Sambucus canadensis. If you wanted to get super technical, it's Sambucus nigra spp. canadensis. These elderberries are native to North America and are vastly different than the Sambucus nigra elderberry that is imported into the USA from Europe, Ukraine and other places across the globe.
How are they different? For starters, we have only been farming our American elderberries here in the USA for about 20 years, they are relatively new. Where we have been importing Sambucus nigra for many, many years. We are JUST NOW in recent years beginning to see studies done and progress towards establishing our American elderberries. So, you may find much more information readily available about Sambucus nigra elderberries than you do American.
But they are SO different!
American Elderberries Do Not Need To Be Boiled To Consume
American Elderberries Contain More Antioxidants
American Elderberry Products Support American Farms
American Elderberries Can Be Made Into A Nutrient Dense Pure Juice
1. American elderberries do not contain the number of precursors of cyanide in them that others do, therefor they are the only ones that can be eaten raw or made into a product using a low heat process. Imagine all the nutrients we are saving by not having to boil them all out???
2. Sambucus nigra (imported) elderberries require boiling to consume and cannot be eaten raw.
3. It should be noted the boiling is a BIG difference. If you are working with Sambucus nigra elderberries, many of these recipes will not work for you because we do not boil the berries in any of them.
4. American elderberries contain at least 2 known extra antioxidants in them. Why does that matter? First, we can make a shelf stable elderberry juice that maintains its color and flavor. An American elderberry juice is the most nutrient dense way to consume elderberry. Sambucus nigra elderberries turn brown once juiced and concentrates available are only palatable mixed with lots of water or with lots of sugar or sweetener added. American elderberry juice tastes fresh and looks beautiful!
American Elderberry Recipes
Simple & Tasty American Elderberry Recipes​
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Health and American Elderberries
Many places you look today recommend taking elderberry for a number of reasons. Whether they are doctors, or homesteaders who have been using these remedies for years, each say that elderberry is great for our body. But what has it been good for?
Immune Support
Inflammation
Blood Sugar Regulation
Eyesight
Gut Health
Digestion
Weight Loss
Brain Health
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Immune support. Since elderberries are so high in antioxidants and other vitamins, they are great for helping our immune system stay strong. Folks have taken elderberry to prevent sicknesses and viruses, to help heal faster when sick and as a daily supplement to stay strong.
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Inflammation. Elderberry has been used to help combat inflammation. Inflammation can be caused by a number of things, and the best advice is to stay on top of it. Elderberry will be active in your system for about 9 hours, if you are taking elderberry for inflammation, we would recommend taking it twice a day, so it is always active in your body.
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Blood Sugar Regulation. American elderberry juice has zero added sugars, alcohol or water. Historically people have been able to take pure elderberry and help regulate their blood sugar levels. Please note that many 'elderberry syrups' and 'tonics' on the market are made with primarily sugar or honey, and should not be taken for this, ensure you read your ingredient labels before taking elderberry for this.
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Eyesight. It has been said that elderberry can help improve eyesight, similar to carrots.
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Gut Health + Digestion + Weight Loss. Elderberry can help improve our natural biome in our gut, helping aid in digestion even weight loss. Please see the article we have listed below from MDPI where they are administering OUR elderberry juice to patients in the current trials.
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Brain Health. This is may be the most promising use of elderberry research happening on the horizon. OUR River Hills Harvest American Elderberry Juice is being used in human trials right now to see how American elderberry can help improve our brain health. Patients are administered our juice 3 times a day and the first trials showed promising results. Essentially elderberry can help break up the 'plaque' in our brains that can contribute to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The first link on the bottom of the page is to this particular research.
But what about the elderflowers?
Historically elderflowers have been said to have the same immune system boosting properties as the berries. Elderflower syrup has been made in homesteads for generations and taken just like the elderberry syrups we see on the market today. What we don't have is any science or research backing up those claims, only word of mouth of old remedies that were trusted for decades.
​Here's what we do know about American elderflowers. They are proving to be great for our skin! Elderflowers are part of what The University of Missouri is studying with their grant, and they have determined that they are very antibacterial. This is great for use on our face and skin as it can help with acne or help heal face scarring. Elderflowers have been used like a Neosporin in the past, being made into a salve or poultice and placed directly on wounds to prevent infection and help heal.
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Last on elderflowers, have you tasted them?!? There is nothing more refreshing than walking the rows in the field when elderflowers are in full bloom, the scent is amazing. Perhaps you've tried our American Elderflower Cordial or tasted an elderflower wine or liquor. The sweet floral aroma mixes well with lemon and has a variety of uses in the bar and restaurant industry today. We LOVE elderflower tea around here, served hot or cold.
American Elderberry Health Articles & Resources
American Elderberry Articles:
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University of Missouri researcher receives $5.4M grant for elderberry research
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by Christy Teets, Nancy Ghanem, Guoying Ma, Jagrani Minj, Penelope Perkins-Veazie, Sarah A. Johnson, Andrea J. Etter, Franck G. Carbonero and Patrick M. Solverson
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Scientists 'starting to recognize' the nutritional value of elderberries By Christine Rousselle Fox News
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