Elderberry & Cinnamon Immune Syrup

Name: Elderberry & Cinnamon Immune Syrup
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 cups
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: Dried black elderberries — 1 cup (about 90 g); Filtered water — 4 cups; Fresh ginger, sliced — 1 thumb (about 15 g); Ceylon cinnamon stick — 1 stick; Whole clove — 1; Raw honey — 1 cup (about 340 g); Lemon juice — 2 tbsp (optional, helps preserve)

Wood Element · 木 Pungent Sour Sweet Warm

The first time I made this syrup, the kitchen smelled like a Christmas market and the colour was almost black. I have kept a jar on the top shelf of the pantry every autumn since.

Prep 45 min

Servings 2 cups

Element Wood 木

Total 45 min

By FiveFlavor Kitchen Reviewed by Dr. M. Wu, L.Ac. Updated September 2, 2026

Why This Elixir Works

Elderberry is the Western cousin of Chinese huai mi (honeysuckle): both are sweet, slightly cooling once cooked, and traditionally used at the edge of a cold. Cinnamon and ginger add warmth that elderberry lacks on its own, so the syrup feels like a warm, sweet coat rather than a cold, bitter one. Together they support the Lung and Spleen through the season change.

Wood element · Sour phase of the five-flavor cycle

Ingredients

Dried black elderberries 1 cup (about 90 g)
Filtered water 4 cups
Fresh ginger, sliced 1 thumb (about 15 g)
Ceylon cinnamon stick 1 stick
Whole clove 1
Raw honey 1 cup (about 340 g)
Lemon juice 2 tbsp (optional, helps preserve)

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The Refining Process

Step 1
Rinse the elderberries in cool water and pick out any stems or chaff.
Step 2
Combine elderberries, water, ginger, cinnamon and clove in a heavy pot. Bring to a gentle boil.
Step 3
Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 to 40 minutes until the liquid reduces by about half and the berries are soft.
Step 4
Mash the berries with the back of a spoon, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids.
Step 5
Let the liquid cool to lukewarm (below 40 °C / 104 °F) — this matters because very hot liquid will destroy the enzymes in raw honey.
Step 6
Stir in the honey and lemon juice until fully dissolved. Pour into a clean glass jar.
Step 7
Label with the date. Keep refrigerated; the syrup will keep for 2 to 3 months.

Alchemist's Note

For educational purposes only. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a known immune condition, please consult a qualified practitioner before use. Honey is not suitable for children under one year of age.

When the first cold wind comes down from the mountains, our family reaches for a small dark jar on the top shelf of the pantry — the elderberry syrup. It is a Western folk recipe with an Eastern heartbeat: sweet elderberries, warming cinnamon, a curl of fresh ginger, and a single clove for warmth.

In Chinese food therapy, this syrup sits between the sweet and pungent families. Sweet nourishes the Spleen and harmonises the middle; pungent moves the Lung’s defensive qi outward. Together they support the body’s surface without drying it, which is exactly what the autumn-to-winter transition asks of us.

When to take it

At the first scratchy-throat feeling — one teaspoon, three times a day.
Through the cold months as a daily teaspoon on an empty stomach.
Spooned over warm congee for a child who refuses breakfast.
Stirred into hot water with a slice of lemon for an afternoon pick-me-up.

A note on sourcing

Use dried black elderberries (Sambucus nigra) from a trusted supplier — never the fresh leaves or stems, which contain compounds that can upset the stomach. Ceylon cinnamon is gentler than cassia and a better match for daily use; if you only have cassia, halve the amount and skip it on consecutive days.