Making Medicine: Elderberries from the Kootenai river

The Kootenai River in northern Idaho

     Last week my spouse Glen and I were traveling in northern Idaho, visiting the donation land claim of my great-grandparents in Jewel Lake in Bonner County.  While this was a very rewarding family history journey, we also made a side trip to the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge, where we were treated to a gloriously sunny day.  Here you can see the Kootenai river in all its autumn glory.

     Though we were mostly tourists, it was still the third week in October and the herbalist in me had a keen eye out both for the changing weather, and also the opportunity to harvest medicinal plants, maybe for the last time for the season.

     When you go to the refuge, you take a five mile dike road in along the Kootenai river.  As we drove this road, the sun was shining beautifully on the still waters of the river, creating gorgeous reflections of the cottonwood trees leaning from the banks.  We were admiring the scenery when suddenly we started to see bushes and bushes full of elderberries, gleaming bluely in the strong sunlight.  Many of these shrubs were perched precariously down very steep dike banks and only Glen was courageous enough to try to reach them  (I cowered in the car and hoped he didn’t end up in the river).  But then we found a Blue Elderberry shrub in a nearby field and managed to collect several cups of fat, succulent elderberries.  This really warmed the cockles of this herbalist’s heart.

    I’d been thinking a lot about elderberries lately.  There’s been a lot of hoopla about the Ebola virus; while Ebola is a serious tragedy in Africa, I believe it is far less of a risk to the world population than a possible pandemic respiratory flu virus.  I have doing a great deal of study about what we as herbalists could do if a high mortality flu virus arrived;  I believe we have some good tools.  

     In my life before I was an herbalist,  I worked in two different Public Health Departments and have had a lifelong interest in community health issues, especially infectious diseases.  My great-grandfather HW Partlow was a general practice doctor and was in the middle of the pandemic flu epidemic of 1918.  He used medicinal herbs extensively in his practice;  he never caught the flu despite intense exposure and to me, that is a testament to his great herbal skills.  So following HW’s footsteps, I have been looking at herbs that might be helpful in fighting the flu virus.  This is especially important because from my experience in modern medicine, I simply do not believe that we have enough tools to manage these viruses.  Herbs may well provide a lifesaving alternative.

Blue elderberries steeping in honey

     Elderberry is one of these herbs, particularly in early stages.  Stephen Buhner in his excellent book Herbal Antivirals talks about how elderberries stop viruses from replication.  A key aspect to this is to use a syrup or tea to coat the mouth/throat in the early stages, which is where the virus gets a foothold.  If you can stop replication there, you can stop the problem entirely.  Should the virus succeed in entering the body,  elder can also actually kill viruses, can keep viruses from maturation, can bind them up so they are unable to infect human cells and in general make it difficult for the virus to prosper.  Our European ancestors knew that elderberry worked:  there is a long tradition in Celtic countries of making elderberry syrup in the fall and then taking one tablespoon daily in hot water throughout fall and winter as a preventative.  

Tinctures of Lomatium, Cordyceps and Astragalas

     There are other herbs as well.  Today I am making large amounts of tinctures of Lomatium, Cordyceps mushroom, Astragalas, Houttynia (Yu Zing Cao), Baical Skullcap (Huang qin), Isatis and Licorice.  These are all herbs that Stephen Buhner recommends, but also I have used many of them to good effect.  My plan is to have quart jars of these tinctured herbs put aside, in case the big one ever arrives.  I’m using tinctures because these have a very long shelf life.  But also, if someone is sick, tinctures are very easily absorbed.

     We may never need these herbs.  But I feel more comfortable in having them on hand, just in case.  

     Here is the recipe for elderberry syrup:

=2 cups of black or blue elderberries.  If fresh, dry out a few days by spreading over a screen in a dry, well-aerated area.

=Put in a double boiler pan and cover with your favorite honey to above 1 inch above the berries.  (Some recipes call for cane sugar, but this seems ridiculous to me as sugar is known to reduce an immune response).  Cover the pan, bring to a simmer and let the berries steep in the honey for several hours.  Periodically take the lid off and mop out any liquid that has collected on the underside of the lid (this reduces the risk of mold later on).  

=After about 4-6 hours, strain out the berries and save the honey.  Label and date; I  usually store it in the refrigerator though this may not be necessary.  

Janet

Resources

• Herbal Antivirals  by Stephen Buhner

• Herbalist’s Guide to Preventing the Flu  by Janet Partlow (check Amazon)

• Ist Chinese Herbs:  http://www.1stchineseherbs.com/   A good source for many of these herbs.

• Mountain Rose:  www.mountainroseherbs.com/   Another great source for these herbs.