Starwest Botanicals Organic Dried Elderberries, 1 Pound Bulk | Immune System Support Booster for Making Tea, Syrup, Gummies

I bought this to make Elder Berry syrup as an immune booster as school was going to be starting soon. It made a high quality syrup with a nice taste. Granted, this is not a miracle Elder Berry syrup in that you still won't want to drink a gallon of it, but I have no problem taking 2 TBSP of the syrup straight as with some other brands I would prefer to mix it in tea. The packaging was wonderful and there are a lot of berries in 1 pound and not to mention they are organic. It's a good value and I'll be buying here again! While taking this to prevent colds and flu, I was happy to notice a side effect I didn't expect. It actually really helped clear up my allergies which cause me quite a bit of sinus problems. I also notice that if I take it before or after I consume milk products, I don't tend to have much of a sensitivity to them as I would without it.

There's a date on the bag which would help avoid some critical issues I've read about in other reviews surrounding freshness. The bags are dated 07/2021 and my purchase was made on 9/2018. Based on that and the assumption that the Feb 2018 price hike was associated with dwindling supplies, I'm guessing that these berries were packaged 3 months before this purchase and given a 3 year shelf life. I just opened 3 bags and the product looks and smells very good. There are not too many stems or irregular berries. I've potentially received, softer, stickier berries on occasion but I've also seen quality fluctuate back and forth between brands, maybe seasonally. One brand seems to be better and then next thing, the other brand seems to be better again. So who knows? Ultimately, I have definitely received inferior berries in the past and these are not them. At least, this particular batch or harvest is not inferior. But as far as I'm concerned, the quality is going to fluctuate somewhat and there's nothing I can do to prevent that. If I receive inferior berries I'll try another brand and send the inferior ones back. But for now, I'm paying a little bit less over here and not getting an inferior product.

Elderberries are popular for their unusual taste in pies, jellies, wine, and jams. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995. We use these dried berries to make homemade elderberry syrup due to its immune boosting properties and save LOTS of money over purchasing ready made syrups. We can the syrup via water bath method to make it more shelf stable. Open containers of the syrup should be safe for consumption for 90 days when stored properly in a refrigerator. We take anywhere from 1/2 TB to 1 TB dose daily. When ill, we take 1 T every 3 hours, up to 6 times per day. Our recipe is as follows: Homemade Elderberry Syrup Ingredients: 4 cup black elderberries (1 lb dried) 12 cups of water 4-6 cinnamon sticks cinnamon powder 1/2 - 1 Tb whole cloves 48 oz local organic honey How to Make Elderberry Syrup: Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey yet!) Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a large mixing bowl. Press the berries to extract as much liquid as possible from them. Discard the elderberries, cloves, and cinnamon sticks by composting them! Add honey to the liquid. When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, proceed to can it in 8 or 16 oz canning jars via water bath method. Store open containers in the fridge (for up to 90 days) and take daily for its immune boosting properties. (Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity) Standard dose is 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp for kids and 1/2 Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu or a cold does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear. *Recipe has been Modified from Wellness Mama Cost comparison for 1 TB Serving size: Homemade is $.166/ounce & Store Bought $2.625/ounce. -STORE VERSION: $21 for 16 servings (1 TB servings) $2.625 per ounce or $1.3125 per serving. -ORGANIC HOMEMADE: 93 oz, $31 for 186 servings (1 TB servings) $.33 per ounce or $.166 per serving Cost of Ingredients: Honey $11, $19 Elderberries $1.00 for spice to make 93 ounces. Each ounce is 2 servings.

I have purchased several times and remain consistently happy with the quality of this product. I make my own Elderberry syrup starting in the Fall and give it to family and friends, and these elderberries are always top quality. They are Organic and the source is reputable. I purchase a big bag and freeze what I don't use and by the time Spring rolls around, I'm ready for another bag. I recommend this product

Works well !!

Fresh and great quality.

I love the brand of Organic Dried Elder Berries for teas. If you have a cold and want to build your immune system, this is a must have. The is worth the money. It only takes a tablespoon to make a good cup of tea - teaspoon for children - 8 oz. As soon as I feel a cold is coming on or my throat is feeling funny, I make me a cup of Elder Berries tea. The taste is excellent. You can add honey and lemon to your tea and enjoy. Picture showing what the berries and the tea look like.

I have read many benefits to taking Elderberry syrup when you start to get sick with a cold or flu. I decided to buy some and give the syrup a try. They have a strong berry odor so when you open them be sure to close in an airtight container to keep the fragrance contained. Doesn't smell bad, just strong. The berries cooked up nicely when I made my syrup. A pound is more than I needed so I split them with a friend. I am pleased with my purchase and will definitely purchase again and recommend to others.

5 stars because it is what it is. Dried elderberries and nothing else. Good value for the price. I boil/steep 3/4 cup at a time with 2 cups water to make elderberry gummies to boost my immune system. Mixed with some lemon juice and stevia to sweeten it, they taste decent. This product is exactly what I wanted. I will repurchase.

These work great for making elderberry syrup. Quality is consistent. Good flavour.

Product has a pleasant taste, I grind up the berries and add it too loose tea and steep. Product arrived quickly. Pleased with the product....good alternative to juice...I don’t drink the juice up before it spoils...so this way I just used what I need when I need it ...

I the product is awesome. I have no negative thisngs about it

Good quality for a happy medium price !