Krista's Herbarium
a collection of herbal remedies, recipes, and reveries
Cold First Aid Herbal Extract
During cold and flu season, it’s important to be prepared. This season, my whole family got the flu. It has been years since we have had the flu, and all of us at the same time, that has never happened. Thanks to preparedness and our Herbal First Aid Kit, we didn’t have to go to the doctor or even the pharmacy.
At the first sign of cold or flu, we take Elderberry Syrup, Fever Doctor Tea and this Cold First Aid tincture. This tincture boosts the immune system while relieving symptoms of a cold or flu. It also tastes pretty good, an added bonus!
Cold First Aid Herbal Extract
- 2 parts Elderberries (dried or fresh) (42% alcohol)
- 2 parts Elderflower (dried or fresh) (42% alcohol)
- 1 part Oregano (dried or fresh) (42% alcohol)
- 2 parts Echinacea root (dried or fresh) (80% alcohol)
- 1 part Licorice root (dried or fresh) (80% alcohol)
- Alcohol (at least 42% for leaves, flowers and stems, brandy, vodka; 80% for roots and barks, Everclear)
- Sterilised jar and lid
Grind or chop the plant material as finely as possible. I use my juicer to grind the dried plant material and my grain mill to grind the dried roots.
Add the plant material to the jar: Dried- fill 1/2 of jar
Fresh- fill the entire jar
Add the alcohol. Fill to the brim. Keep an eye on it for the next several minutes and keep adding alcohol until all the plant material is covered.
Seal well and label with the plant name, date, percent and type of alcohol and the date 6 weeks out.
Shake the jar daily and store in a cool, dark place.
After 6 weeks, strain out plant material and decant the tincture into sterilised bottles for use.
Label bottles with the tincture name.
Adult dose: 3ml 3x day as a preventative, or 5 ml 3-5x day during the onset of a cold or flu.
Medicinal actions:
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra): adaptogen, immunostimulant, decongestant, antiviral, antioxidant
Elderflower (Sambucus nigra): antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, decongestant, relaxant
Oregano (Origanum marjoram): tonic, diaphoretic, antiviral, antioxidant, expectorant.
Echinacea (Echinacea): anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, immunostimulant, diaphoretic, antiviral, antioxidant, vulnerary.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): demulcent, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, adaptogen, antitussive, antiviral.
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Krista's Herbarium 
More elderberries! I will be giving a small blue elderberry plant to a friend who wants it close to home. They grow wild in the forest, but they are easier to get berries from if cultivated for production and kept low.
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