School has started and so have the sniffles. Without fail Monkey got a cold/runny nose during the first week of school. While we love elderberry syrup, what is a crunchy mama to do during the school hours? I can’t very well send a jar and spoon with him (he’s not even 5 years old yet) and the school won’t administer it (nor refrigerate it). That’s when I decided that it was high time I learned how to make elderberry gummies!

These immune boosting healthy gummy bears (or any shape you want really) are the perfect solution for administering the awesomeness of herbs on the go or at school. It’s for those times that they may be giant snot bags, but they don’t have a fever or a weird rash and they aren’t vomiting. On those days you send them to school, but immune boosting herbs work best when you take them in small doses with a fairly high frequency (every 2-3 hours). Now instead of missing two doses of elderberries at school, he can take them while he’s there.

 

DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support myself and my herbal clinic, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any product or services from this blog. I truly appreciate all the support you have shown my blog and my business and I will only ever recommend products that I use myself, truly love or covet. Many thanks. 

 

What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is! Now that I have the technique down I can substitute the elderberry syrup for organic fruit juice and make homemade gummies that are healthier than the store bought stuff. You could also experiment with herbal infusions and teas; in fact I had one person comment on wanting to try fennel gummies for digestion. Now that is a neat idea.

So now that I’ve convinced you to make these, let’s chat about the two main ingredients: gelatin and elderberry syrup.

 

 

Gelatin

I love when healthy recipes and experiments turns out. It’s even better when all of the ingredients are powerhouses when it comes to health benefits and in this area these gummies do not disappoint. Not only do you get all of the amazing medicinal properties of elderberries, you also get the added health benefits of gelatin.

Note: This recipe is not vegetarian or vegan friendly. I am sorry if you fall into one of those two groups as I am unsure of a suitable option for making gummies of any kind without gelatin, but if you know of one please comment below.

Gelatin is a type of protein derived from collagen and is found in certain parts of an animal – bones, fibrous tissues and organs specifically. It is largely made up of two amino acids, glycine and proline, which are responsible for it’s unique health benefits. In fact amino acids are necessary in the human body for proper hair, skin and nail growth, as well as healthy immune function and body weight regulation. Below I will list some of the areas where gelatin shines. If you want more information on these and the manufacturing process of gelatin you can check out this site here.

• maintains strong bones
• improves the health and appearance of your skin
• Reduce joint pain and helps to protect your joints
• improves gut health and digestion
• improves cognitive abilities
• Increases protein consumption and balances amino acids in the body

In this condition, men often ejaculate on minimal stimulation online viagra in australia or soon after genital penetration. Being a generic form, it works very similar to treat male purchase cheap viagra impotence and provide a healthy sexual life. It is regardless to mention the increasing frequency of male impotence is a big time confidence crushing where it crushes the self-esteem, confidence and entire family of a man. amerikabulteni.com viagra 25 mg Even if the man tries engaging cheapest viagra in australia in intercourse, he may not get a hard on as like before when at times of energetic vibes.
 

It is important to note that not all gelatin brands are created equal. As a former vegetarian, I am looking for high-quality, sustainably raised and cruelty free source of gelatin. When you are shopping try to look for terms like “pasture-raised” or “grass-fed”. Ideally you will also want organic and non-GMO. This is the brand that I use for making gummies currently.

 

Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup is a staple around our house. It is tasty, easy to administer and safe for children, in pregnancy, while nursing and while on medications. It boasts a great track record as an immune stimulant and anti-viral. It is also loaded with vitamin C and polyphenols, is a decent fever modulator (febrifuge) and mild expectorant.

I have only tried this with my own elderberry syrup. To learn how to make it you can check out this post here. Not interested in making it? If you are local to me I can hook you up with one of my jars 😉 (send me an email)

I also recommend taking a quick look on my post about pulsing immune stimulating herbs (like elderberries and Echinacea) so you can use them in the most effective way.

 

 

The Recipe

This recipe makes quite a few elderberry gummies. I used all three gummy bear molds as well as three additional silicone mold/trays I had lying around. If you want to make a smaller amount simply divide the recipe (and all of the ingredients) in half or thirds. Due to the shorter storage time I would suggest a smaller batch. If anyone tries freezing them let me know!

Ingredients:

• 500 ml (2 cups) of elderberry syrup – divided
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1/2 cup of grass-fed gelatin
• silicone gummy molds
  • these are the gummy bear ones I used (they are awesome and came with a dropper)
  • these and these would work too

 

Instructions:

• Using a 4 cup measuring cup pour out approximately 1/2 cup of elderberry syrup.
  • This can be replaced with juice if you want to try fruit juice gummies.
• Add 1/2 cup of gelatin and immediately start whisking.
• As you are whisking pour 1 cup of hot water (just under a boil) to your gelatin and elderberry syrup mixture.
  • Keep whisking!

 

• Once your gelatin has dissolved and everything is well incorporated, pour in the remaining elderberry syrup and continue to whisk.
• When everything is well mixed you can pour your mixture into your molds of choice (if you are using something small like the gummy bear molds you may want to use a dropper).
• Once filled place your molds in the fridge – they should set within a few hours.

 

Dosages and Storage

Store your gummies in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. A child’s serving of elderberry syrup is 1 tsp every 2-3 hours which is approximately 2-3 of the small gummy bear sized gummies. Adult dosage is 2 tsp per dose – so a larger gummy or 5-6 small gummies will do just fine.

 

Enjoy and stay healthy,

P.S. Please pin for future reference and to share in the elderberry love 😉