Season of the Witch: Elderberry Syrup and Bone Broth Help Fight Winter Colds

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble. Every year when the temperature drops, the leaves start to change color, and locals’ summer has come to its inevitable end, my house turns into this scene from “Macbeth.”

My wife is obsessed with the health of our family. (Not a bad thing.) So, there is always some magical elixir brewing on our stove top. Yesterday was homemade elderberry syrup. Today it’s bone broth in preparation of many soups to come. All in the goal of maintaining health throughout the long winter. There are many things that can easily be done from a nutrition and exercise standpoint to help fend off those winter sniffles. Even healthy people get sick, but research has shown these health tips to reduce length and severity of the winter cold. Don’t be afraid to get brewing. Though it is always a little awkward when Kate sends me to the store for eye of newt and toe of frog.

Elderberry and elder tree alike have been prominent in mostly European herbology for centuries. Any part of the elder tree worn, carried, or hung above door or window would ward off evil and disease. Planting elder in your backyard, especially near the kitchen, would protect from negative influence. If you fall asleep under an elder tree, you will dream of faerie lands, and any woodwind instrument made from elder will produce music faeries love. We just make the syrup.

A study in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies screened 1,187 records and included five randomized trials on elderberry for the treatment or prevention of viral respiratory illness. It concluded: “Elderberry may be a safe option for treating viral respiratory illness, and there is no evidence that it overstimulates the immune system.” Further study may be necessary, but that’s a good start.

There was a separate study by the journal Nutrients conducted in 2016 titled “Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air-Travelers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.” It examined the theory that a standardized membrane filtered elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) extract has beneficial effects on physical, especially respiratory, and mental health. Travelers using elderberry from 10 days before travel until four-to-five days after arriving overseas on average experienced a two-day shorter duration of the cold and also noticed a reduction in cold symptoms. No difference in mental health was observed.

It’s fairly easy to brew your own elderberry syrup. I think. You’ll have to ask my wife. If your coven doesn’t have the time or know-how, there are plenty of health-food stores around that should carry this magic concoction, or a quick Google search can provide an easy recipe.

Another standard in our house in the winter season is bone broth. We use it as a base for soups, we cook things in it, and sometimes we just drink it straight up, no chaser. Research also supports a wide range of benefits from bone broth. Animal bones contain many nutrients and minerals necessary to maintain your own bone and connective tissue health. They also contain beneficial amino acids for strong gut health. Gut health is a huge part of a healthy immune system.

According to an article in the scientific journal Medicina in 2021, the prophylactic administration of bone broth reduced histological damage, decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines, and increased the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This study concluded that bone broth has anti-inflammatory properties, and its consumption can decrease the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Gelatin in bone naturally binds to liquids in your digestive tract and helps move food through your gut more easily. It also contains glutamine, which is an amino acid that maintains the health of the intestinal wall and helps to prevent leaky gut. Not maintaining gut health can lead to inflammation and other health problems caused by inflammation.

Nutrition is very important to maintain a healthy immune system, but so is exercise. Consistent exercise is necessary to keep your immune system functioning as efficiently as possible. But you have to remember that exercise is stress. When you’re sick, you have to be careful about putting undue stress on your system. Exercising through a moderate cold with low-intensity exercise may be fine, but if you find yourself with a significant virus, you might want to take some time off and get better. With a small cold, you might feel better if you get outside and do some walking, biking, or even some low-intensity yoga. Exercise I would avoid might be heavy strength training, team sports, endurance activities, or exercising in extreme temperatures.

If you want to maintain your family’s health this flu season, it’s time to take some responsibility for your health. Don’t be afraid to get out your cauldron and start brewing. You may want to substitute the eye of newt and toe of frog for some berry of elder and broth of bone. I don’t think Kate is trying to influence me to the same end as that of “Macbeth.” However, if I’m not around for another article next issue, I might avoid her bone broth if I were you.