Elderberry can be one incredible healing powerhouse. When used externally elder can help heal wounds and when taken internally it can help fight colds, flus, and respiratory illnesses. It's being studied as not only for its immune building properties but also for anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential. Take advantage of this amazing natural remedy by making a very simple and incredibly useful elderberry tincture.
If elderberries grow locally, feel free to use those* but dried elderberries (like those from Frontier Herbs) can also be used. Use the dried elderberries when identification isn't certain or when they simply don't grow locally. The process and results are generally the same and relatively frugal even when dried berries have to be purchased.
How to Make Elderberry Tincture with Vodka
Fill a jar 1/2 full with fresh, washed elderberries (or 1/4 full with dried elderberries). Pour vodka over the berries filling the jar to within 1″ of the top. Put a lid on the jar and place in a dark cabinet for 4 to 6 weeks. Give it a shake every now and then. When done infusing, strain the berries from the vodka and pour the tincture into a clean jar with a tight lid. Store out of direct sunlight, use dark bottles if not stored in a dark cabinet.
How to Make Elderberry Tincture with Glycerin
The benefit of using glycerin is that it is, of course, alcohol-free and more suitable for children or adults who avoid alcohol. The process for glycerin tinctures are just slightly different than vodka tinctures:
For fresh elderberries, fill the jar 2/3 full with fresh washed elderberries. Give the elderberries a slight crush with the back of a wooden spoon and then pour glycerin over the muddled berries to within 1″ of the top. Put a lid on the jar and place in a dark cabinet for 4 to 6 weeks, giving it a shake every day (or when remembered). When done infusing, strain the berries and store the glycerite in a clean bottle. Again, store out of direct sunlight, use dark bottles if not store in a dark cabinet.
For dried elderberries, some water needs to be added to help the elderberries re-hydrate. A good ratio is 75% glycerin to 25% water. It's easiest to mix this up just 1 or 2 cups at a time. Make a batch with 1 & 1/2 cups of glycerin mixed with 1/2 cup of water and whisk well. Set aside. Fill a jar 1/3 full of dried elderberries, cover with the glycerin / water mixture to within 1″ inch of the top. Give it all a good stir before putting the lid on it and storing in a dark cabinet for 4 to 6 weeks. Give it a shake every day or when remembered. As above, strain the berries and store the tincture in a clean bottle out of direct sunlight.
Safety Precautions & Who Should Avoid Elderberry
If struggling with an auto-immune disease talk your doctor or herbalist first as it may stimulate the immune system too much for those conditions. There is much conflicting information about pregnant and nursing women – it hasn't been studied sufficiently so if pregnant or nursing it's best to avoid elderberry to be on the safe side. If you're taking any prescription medications talk your doctor about potential interactions. I'm not a doctor or a trained healthcare professional, please double check all of this information with your doctor or herbalist.
*Please Note – Important Safety Information: Proper identification is extremely important here when foraging – there are some types of elderberry that are toxic, black elderberries are considered safe, but be sure of identification before ingesting. Always cook fully ripe elderberries before eating them. Never eat the green or unripe berries, the seeds, leaves, or stems as a stomach ache is likely to follow at best and other complications at worst.
Using Elderberry Tincture
When a cold or flu feels like it's about to come on, start taking 1 teaspoon of the elderberry tincture 3 times a day. Dilute in a cup of water to ease the burn of the alcohol and make it easier to drink, if necessary.
While elderberry syrup is an amazing natural remedy to have on hand, the making process is a bit more hands on and time consuming when time might be in short supply. Rather than spend time stirring and straining elderberry juice, be prepared for cold and flu season this winter by starting some elderberry tincture now and having plenty on hand in that dark cabinet.
Lara says
My family and i love elderberry syrup and tincture, its fantastic for keeping those nasty flus away. Looking forward to harvesting this year it grows so well around where i live. :-)
AllenKaren says
My elderberry bushes are looking good!! We had frost LAST night, but they should be o.k. ;) I need to dig out some new shoots that are starting up and share with friends. I’m going to make some things with the flowers this year and dry for tea. Thanks for inspiring me AGAIN.
Suzanne says
Thank you so much for your wonderful directions! How long will the elderberry tincture made with glycerin be good for?
Homespun Seasonal Living says
Use it up within a year. Enjoy!
Linda says
I love this tincture used it when I was in the US one winter and never got the flu .?? It works for me I will be making some soon as this is middle of October should be ready for December 1. Thanks for posting this as I forgot , it was 6 or more years ago .
Homespun Seasonal Living says
So glad to know this is useful to you!
Debbie says
Are there recommendations for making elderberry tincture in a Magic Butter machine? Thank you.
Homespun Seasonal Living says
I’ve never heard of a Magic Butter Machine, I’m sorry I don’t know.
Julie says
I tried it but the tincture turned out thickened and gloppy. I believe that is the pectin in the berries? It was safe and effective just not very appealing. I am returning to the old method this year for elderberries. However that Magic Butter Machine is fabulous for any kind of herb! Just not designed for fruit, in my opinion.
Kathie Lapcevic says
I am willing to bet the pectin did turn it thick.
Tracy Silva says
I just finished a batch, had to use dried berries, but what do I do with the berries once I have strained them? I hate to waste them, thank you
Homespun Seasonal Living says
They’ve absorbed some of the alcohol and likely have lost some flavor but still I let them dry in the dehydrator again and use them in tea.
Becky says
put em in your garden compost to help make soil for next year!
Lauren says
I put them in the second ferment of our kombucha!
Lila says
Can you use frozen elderberries?
Homespun Seasonal Living says
Yes, just let them thaw in a colander over the sink to drain off the excess water.
Kim says
I make elderberry syrup all the time and everyone loves it but I wanted to try tincture. I did. My family will NOT take it. we’ve diluted it in a cup of warm water, added honey… still they want the syrup again. My question is what can I do with this tincture rather than dump it? I HATE throwing things away. :) thank you
Homespun Seasonal Living says
I’m not sure – you could try cooking it with honey to make a syrup but it’s still going to have that vodka flavor I’m guessing…
Kmc says
Wouldn’t the alcohol cook off?
Kathie Lapcevic says
We’re not cooking it or heating it anywhere in this method for the alcohol to cook off.
Becky says
if you just add a bit to the syrup, it won’t taste bad and it will actually boost the medicinal effects! Use as much as you can without making it unpallitable to them. start with so many drops or teaspoons, work your way up to taste. good luck!
Shay says
I harvested the berries from my black elder tree to use in this tincture – I did my best to detatch each stem from the berry, though I worry I may have missed some. Would the tincture be considered usable if I had overlooked some small pieces of stems? Or should I toss it and start over?
Kathie Lapcevic says
This is one of those things that is hard to say. Technically the stems are poisonous, especially in quantity. I personally wouldn’t be concerned about a few small pieces but all the resources I have say that they are poisonous.
Sherri says
Hi, I’ve been making it for years with a few stray stem pieces here and there. I’ve never been ill. (I never get any illnesses and I attribute that o elderberry tincture and garlic.)
Sari says
I love this, can’t wait to try a tincture!
Tina Hoffman says
I am 4 weeks into my tincture and tried some straight out of the jar it taste like vinegar is this normal?
Kathie Lapcevic says
You put it in vodka and it tastes like vinegar? I don’t know that I’ve had that happen. Elderberries do have a lot of natural yeast allowing for it to ferment quickly, however.
Dan says
Airborne acetic acid producing bacteria (or those naturally on the elder berries) can turn the vodka into vinegar.
L says
I have this tincture in my cabinet. It’s only 1 week in. Do I have to wait 4 weeks prior to using it?
Kathie Lapcevic says
While I’m sure there is some medicinal benefit after a week, the full 4 weeks is likely to give the most potent benefit.
SJ says
If its going to ferment, is there any risk of food poisoning or botulism, when using either the alcohol or the glycerin? Thank you
Kathie Lapcevic says
There’s a bunch of natural yeast in elderberries which is what causes it to ferment (just like sourdough starter ferments while still being exposed to the air) I don’t worry about botulism unless it’s an airless environment (personal choice here). A tincture is usually infused in a jar with a lid but it isn’t canned or completely airless… I’ve never heard of botulism growing in alcohol. I tried doing some research to see if there were ever any reported cases of botulism in a tincture and couldn’t find any…
Linda Pollock says
Hi, I am a retired RN and have been processing food for storage since I was about 12 years old, making that about 60 years! Elderberries are an acid food and botulism will not grow in an acid environment it only grows in nonacid foods. Meats and vegetables must be processed in a pressure cooker and reach 240 degrees to kill botulism, boiling water only reaches 212 degrees not high enough to kill the botulism spore.
Most fruits are acidic enough to prevent botulism, tomatoes are a fruit. And you can make the environment acidic by adding vinegar, which makes pickles, LOL A recipe must be used, to get the ph correct!
Jen says
I’m making my tincture now. Using frozen berries but there’s little bitty stems still hanging on, will that be ok?
Kathie Lapcevic says
I personally would leave it. A small amount isn’t going to hurt the tincture.
Bette says
Cleaning out my mother’s house I found a jar of Elderberry tincture (made w/ vodka) that my brother had made nearly 9 years ago. Is it still useable?
Kathie Lapcevic says
Maybe? I probably wouldn’t. Vodka is a great preservative but 9 years is a long time
Lora says
Hi, I misread your instructions and did more than slightly squish the berries. I really smushed them. Will that be ok?
Kathie Lapcevic says
I imagine it will be just fine.
Catharine says
I see that the above instructions say to cook ripe elderberries. Since you don’t cook them for tincture, does the alcohol somehow change the chemistry of the berries so that you don’t need to cook them for tincture? I am making tincture tonight, so would be nice to know.
Thank you.
Kathie Lapcevic says
This is one of those things I can’t find solid scientific evidence to back up… I don’t cook the elderberries for tincture, no one I know does and yet everyone seems to be just fine. I’m sorry that’s not a great answer. I’m constantly thinking about removing this post because of this question.
Jenn says
I have been making this tincture for the last four years however we have been eating the berries with the vodka tincture is this safe? I’ve been giving it to my kids cold and flu season for four years haven’t noticed any issues but just thought I would ask
Kathie Lapcevic says
If you haven’t had any trouble I wouldn’t worry. Don’t be eating the seeds for sure. Eventually this might cause some tummy trouble. Again, I’m not a doctor, etc.
Elizabeth says
What size jar??
Kathie Lapcevic says
Any size jar you want to make just fill it half full with elderberries…
Cynthia says
Can I used another alcohol … like gin or rum..
Kathie Lapcevic says
You sure could.
Lisa says
Everclear makes great tincture
Thomas says
I have been growing and using Elderberry flower and the fruit for about 25 years now. First wild elderberry plants came from my father’s property in Chautauqua lake New York. I’ve been planting them at all the places I have lived. My current location is Cleveland OH, and these have been planted for 14 years. I use
Organic compost around the before flowering.
I have made wine, (yummy)
Jam, cold and flu syrup, and alcohol tincture.
You can get dropped bottles online cheap.
I use 2-5 drops under the tongue daily for cold and flu season.
Sherry says
Hi – We have them on our property in PA and I would love to propagate some here to northeast Ohio…any suggestions on how to do that?
Kathie Lapcevic says
Supposedly you can do it from cuttings. I haven’t tried it but my friend Ashley has a post about it here: https://practicalselfreliance.com/propagating-elderberries/
Carmen says
Can I add honey to the tincture?
Kathie Lapcevic says
I suppose you could but you’re almost making elderberry syrup at that point.
Stepheny says
Great recipe, thank you. I added spices to it as I do when making syrup. Let it tincture for 8 weeks and placed it in an amber kombucha bottle. Only comment is, dang this is lethal. Sipping on warm beneficial for health type of vodka. Thank you for providing the recipe.
Sam says
Is it just a matter of using alcohol or does it have to be vodka?
Kathie Lapcevic says
You want to use something strong (80 proof at least) but you could use brandy or rum for example. You could even use Everclear but the flavor is generally not something folks enjoy.
Sam says
Anyone have a way of reducing stems when picking elderberries? They’re awful!
Kathie Lapcevic says
Not that I know of. I do use a fork to remove the berries from the stems that seems to help.