Build Your Immune System with Quercetin Rich Elderberry Juice

Elderberry Syrup / Juice is a Great Source of Quercetin

Quercetin in combination with zinc and Vitamin C makes a fantastic immune system booster / anti-viral home remedy. Elderberry juice concentrate has 108.16 Mg of Quercetin / 100 grams.

Here’s How Quercetin and Zinc Work Together to Build Your Immune System

Zinc is one of the best anti-virals there is, except our cells don’t generally take in enough zinc to fight off something like CV. That’s why some doctors are prescribing Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) with Zinc for COVID because it opens up the cells to receive the zinc. But HCQ is NOT the only thing that increases the absorption of Zinc. You don’t have to depend on a prescription to build up your immune system and prevent viral infections.

Quercetin increases the absorption of zinc as well. It is found as an over-the-counter supplement but it’s also found in lots of natural things we eat … like blueberries, elderberries, capers, radish leaves, and other assorted fruit/veggies. For example, dock grows wild in our yard and has an incredible amount of Quercetin … 86.2 mg /100 Grams and Zinc. Download a PDF with Quercetin contents of various fruits and veggies here.

Add some Vitamin C to the mix and you’ve got a great immune system boosting combination.

I do not know the milligrams in this elderberry syrup / juice recipe, but it’s a great source of Quercetin and Vitamin C.

Harvesting Elderberries

Elderberries grow wild on our property. I decided to make my own elderberry juice / syrup this year. If you’re harvesting your own, be sure to get them right as they turn purple. The birds love elderberries and will eat them up if you don’t act fast.

I went out with a big bag and my scissors and cut the bunches off. Then I sat down with the bag on my front porch and pulled the berries off into a big bowl. It can be quite time consuming. I ended up with 2.5 cups of elderberries in my first picking.

I found a couple elderberry recipes for the Instant Pot. One I saw had you cook it in the instant pot and then boil it down further to make a syrup. Another one didn’t include a boiling down process and it was more like a juice. It really smells like a yummy wassel.

Recipe for Elderberry Juice in the Instant Pot

• 2 cups elderberries
• 6 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup Raw honey

Step 1: Put everything except the vanilla and the raw honey in the Instant Pot. After zesting and juicing the fruit, I went ahead and tossed in the peel of the lemon for flavor. I made the mistake of using the orange peel too the first time. Don’t do that. The juice is too bitter with the orange rinds included.

Step 2: Set the Instant Pot on pressure cook (high power) for about 10 minutes. I let mine naturally release.

Step 3: Pour the mixture through a strainer into a big bowl. Press the fruit with the back of a spoon to squish out all the juice from the fruit. There’s a lot of juice in the fruit.

Optional Step: If you want a more concentrated juice, boil the juice down after straining to create a more syrupy concentrate.

Step 4: Let cool to 110 degrees Fahrenheit or less before adding the honey and the vanilla. Sweeten to taste.

Step 5: Pour in quart jars with lids, cover and refrigerate. You can store it this way and use throughout the winter.

Enjoy!