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Elderberry tincture can be one incredible healing powerhouse. Thankfully making it yourself at home is easy and frugal.
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.
Fresh or Dried Elderberries?
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:
With Fresh Elderberries
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.
With Dried Elderberries
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.
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.
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. :-)
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.
Thank you so much for your wonderful directions! How long will the elderberry tincture made with glycerin be good for?
Use it up within a year. Enjoy!
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 .
So glad to know this is useful to you!
Are there recommendations for making elderberry tincture in a Magic Butter machine? Thank you.
I’ve never heard of a Magic Butter Machine, I’m sorry I don’t know.
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.
I am willing to bet the pectin did turn it thick.
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
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.
put em in your garden compost to help make soil for next year!
I put them in the second ferment of our kombucha!
Can you use frozen elderberries?
Yes, just let them thaw in a colander over the sink to drain off the excess water.
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
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…
Wouldn’t the alcohol cook off?
We’re not cooking it or heating it anywhere in this method for the alcohol to cook off.
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!
I used elderberry syrup and vodka with a 2/3 syrup to 1/3 vodka ratio. A slight ” kick” but not too bad. 2 TBL dose for me immediately started breaking up mucus and the flem
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?
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.
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.)
I love this, can’t wait to try a tincture!
I am 4 weeks into my tincture and tried some straight out of the jar it taste like vinegar is this normal?
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.
Airborne acetic acid producing bacteria (or those naturally on the elder berries) can turn the vodka into vinegar.
I have this tincture in my cabinet. It’s only 1 week in. Do I have to wait 4 weeks prior to using it?
While I’m sure there is some medicinal benefit after a week, the full 4 weeks is likely to give the most potent benefit.
If its going to ferment, is there any risk of food poisoning or botulism, when using either the alcohol or the glycerin? Thank you
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…
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!
I’m making my tincture now. Using frozen berries but there’s little bitty stems still hanging on, will that be ok?
I personally would leave it. A small amount isn’t going to hurt the tincture.
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?
Maybe? I probably wouldn’t. Vodka is a great preservative but 9 years is a long time
Hi, I misread your instructions and did more than slightly squish the berries. I really smushed them. Will that be ok?
I imagine it will be just fine.
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.
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.
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
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.
What size jar??
Any size jar you want to make just fill it half full with elderberries…
Can I used another alcohol … like gin or rum..
You sure could.
Everclear makes great tincture
That what I used, still waiting for the final product. Thanks for the encouragement.
I use freeze dried berries.Make 2 gal at a time with 4/2qt mason jars. One or two cinnamon sticks per 2 gal. Infuse for 6 wks in 80 proof corn licker. Add local wild honey to taste after Infusion. Fantastic!
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.
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?
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/
I threw elderflower heads that I had used for champagne on to the earth in the garden. Now I have a tree !
I have been trying to find an easy recipe for elderberry wine but all seem so complicated.
I am not a wine maker so I can’t be of much help. Home brewing is a process though, I’ve done hard cider.
@Sherry, I took some cuttings from wild bushes in spring and put them in water. When they had roots, I potted them. By Septemeber, they were ready to be planted. It was easy.
Can I add honey to the tincture?
I suppose you could but you’re almost making elderberry syrup at that point.
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.
Is it just a matter of using alcohol or does it have to be vodka?
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.
Can a flavored vodka be used to make the taste better?
I don’t see why not.
I checked on the proof of flavored vodka and it was lower than 80 proof for every flavor (dang it!).
Anyone have a way of reducing stems when picking elderberries? They’re awful!
Not that I know of. I do use a fork to remove the berries from the stems that seems to help.
@Sam, I have found it easier to remove them from the stems if they are frozen, even partially frozen! I’ll cut the heads of ripe berries off the bush, rinse well, spread on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer for an hour or so. You just barely touch them and the berries fall right off!
I recently picked lots of elderberries and just washed them and ran them through my juicer . What can I do with all the juice ?
You can make jelly or elderberry syrup https://homespunseasonalliving.com/making-medicinal-elderberry-syrup/
We dry our elderberries and just eat 3-5 a day. Since we’ve been doing this for over 2 years, my wife and I have not been sick, not even a cold. Firm believer in elderberries!
Brilliant
Can I make tincture from elderberry juice? I want to use my steam juicer to juice them and add vodka to make tincture. Is it possible to do this?
If you’re going to juice them, I’d make elderberry syrup, not tincture: https://homespunseasonalliving.com/making-medicinal-elderberry-syrup/
I haven’t tried yet but a friend told me that if you freeze the berries on the stems in a bag, all you do is bring them out of the freezer and shake them. The berries fall off of the stems into the bag – easy!!
Are there any uses for the berries after you decant the tincture? I have all of them left and wondered if I could do a second “soak” or eat them? Or should I just compost them?
They’re pretty spent after the infusion. You could dry them and use them for tea but it will be weak in flavor. I usually just compost.
I have a question: I have a bottle of Limoncello; can I use this instead of alcohol? Or even part of it. I think it would make the tincture taste better. Thanks –
I can’t see why it wouldn’t work – is it in the 80 proof range? If it’s less, I’d watch for mold but I’d for sure give it a shot.
OK I made the tincture according to your recipe, with 1/4 C. dried elderberries in two qt. canning jars. It did not come up to 1″ from the top so I added Fireball cinnamon liquor to fill to the desired line. I will let ya know how this works out. Am so pleased so far. Thanks for your help.
@Donna, how did it turn out with the Fireball? I have cinnamon sticks infusing in mine,but I think the fireball sounds like a fun addition!
My tincture has started to turn brown after 3 days is that normal? I used dried elderberry with vodka. Will it be ok?
I am sure it is fine as long as it’s not moldy. The dried berries have less color is all.
I made my first batch of elderberry tincture. Picks some berries and took off most stems and then put in quart jar filling it up with alcohol. Let it sit for one month and just ran it through cheese cloth to be able to now be used.
1) First question is I found a ton of white larvae worms in my elderberries when I picked them. I assume it should not affect my elderberry tincture ? Ofcourse they all died over the month that I made my tincture and none made it through my cheese cloth when I drained it.
2) Second question – is there anything I can add to make it taste better when taking like honey or anything ?
3) lastly I would like to buy some to grow myself do you recommend anywhere to get some. That one link you posted is sold out
2)
I’m not sure about the worms. I imagine it would be okay but I can’t answer definitively. You can add some honey to water and put the tincture in that if you’d like. I generally just take a couple of drops at a time and don’t worry about the taste. Ask local nurseries about buying plants or even running an ad in local sale groups to see if anyone has some roots or cuttings to plant your own. Many places are sold out it seems of the dried berries.
@Greg, I add the tincture to a cup of hot tea,
so you don’t hardly taste it.
I misread the recipe and kept my elderberrys in the vodka for 4 months instead of 4-6 weeks. Just process as normal?
Oh yes, It’ll be fine.
This will be my first time making elderberry tincture. Have made many other herbal tinctures successfully. My question is about the stems. I keep seeing references to cyanide in the European elderberry stems but that American berries are a different variety and safe. I know the large stems need to be removed but what about the needle thin, tiny stems that stick out of the top of each berry? Those would be very time consuming to remove.Any concerns with leaving them on?
Thank you.
An Amateur Herbalist
I do the best I can and don’t stress about it. I do find it easier to remove the stems after the berries have been frozen and using a fork.
Can anyone offer further insight on dosing? I keep reading in this post, comments and other blogs varying doses: teaspoon, few drops, dropperfull, X amount 3x a day, etc… I have a couple of jars 2 weeks into their infusion and am curious about proper dosing. I will be bottling in 30ml glass bottles w 1ml dropper top for use after I strain the tincture.
The thing about herbal home remedies is that every body is different and home remedy preparations are not standardized like say pharmaceuticals and it is for that reason that dosing is often random. Starting with 1 teaspoon 3 times a day when a cold is coming on is likely a very good starting point for most folks. See what works, some folks may need more, others less.