Glam Gardener NYC offers organic and wild-foraged herbal products, art, and education under one roof.
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Elderberry syrup is a world-renowned liquid herbal supplement made with elderberries. The syrup is made by infusing elderberries with alcohol, sugar, apple cider vinegar, honey, or water.
Our elderberry syrup is an oxymel with organic apple cider vinegar and local New York state raw honey as its base.
Glam Gardener NYC offers elderberry syrup, but we call it Elderberry Sizzurp. Why?
Because we're silly people and we thought it was funny. Also, we wanted to reclaim the term "sizzurp." For those that don't know, sizzurp is a DIY drink that is comprised of harmful and addictive substances used to achieve a psychoactive state.
We believe that taking care of ourselves is cooler than indulging in detrimental drugs like sizzurp that society seems to glorify. D.A.R.E. to take care of ourselves!
We craft our elderberry sizzurp with all of its traditional ingredients, but we include what others neglect to.
Our sizzurp is made with:
- 100% organic USA-grown elderberries
- Ingredients that are local to New York
- Small family-farm-grown plants, and
- Wild-foraged medicinal plants.
Why? We take sustainable food systems and natural health seriously. We believe infusing these values into our products creates the best outcomes for our agricultural community our planet, and our bodies.
So let's get to the nitty-gritty of what elderberry syrup is and, why you should incorporate it throughout the cold season. Then we'll break down why we chose to use the ingredients that we did.
Why do people take elderberry syrup?
In short, people consume elderberry syrup to boost their health, especially during the cold season.
Let's get a little specific. Our elderberry sizzurp is an oxymel. You can add that to your herbalism vocabulary! Oxymels are simply infusions of vinegar and honey, that have been recognized for promoting health for thousands of years.
Infusing elderberries in vinegar and honey also makes them shelf stable for 6 months or more, so you don't have to worry about refrigerating it.
Fun fact: In 400 B.C.E., Hippocrates said that oxymels are useful remedies in promoting the freedom of breathing!
People consume oxymels like elderberry syrup and fire cider for all sorts of ailments, but here are a few popular uses.
- Strengthen the body during cold & flu season.
- Improve digestion and circulation throughout the body.To reduce inflammation.
- To promote expectoration (ejecting phlegm or mucus from the throat or lungs by coughing, hawking, or spitting). Sounds gross, but it's getting the job done!
This practice is similar to the popular practice of drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar daily, which comes with its own benefits.
But since our elderberry sizzurp infuses organic, local, and wild ingredients naturally designed to boost health. We'd argue, that's a bit better!
Elderberry syrup has the potential to combat and prevent colds
Elderberries grow on a tree that is native to Europe, Northern Africa, and Central Asia. It was used as a remedy by ancient physicians and botanists in these parts of the world for centuries.
In ancient European herbalism, elderberries were seen as a plant that brought protection and healing throughout the colder months. But modern science verifies these ancient claims. Various studies have been done on elderberry's effectiveness as both a cold prevention measure and remedy.
Check out this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that determined that elderberry supplementation reduced the cold duration and symptoms of air travelers.
This is great news for those of us that live in colder climates and have access to herbal remedies like elderberry syrup! Unlike common cold & flu remedies, supplementing with elderberry syrup doesn't come with drowsiness or the potential of harming the liver from extended use.
It's a safe herbal remedy that can be easily incorporated into our daily routine.
Elderberry syrup is anti-inflammatory, loaded with antioxidants, and contains Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an absolutely essential antioxidant responsible for restoring damaged tissues, protecting the cells against free radicals which cause cancer, and maintaining the health of our bodies. The bad news is that our body does not create vitamin C on its own. But the good news is that there are plenty of fruits and vegetables to supplement with. Elderberry is one of them!
One cup of elderberries delivers us 40% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C, so it's a great start for supplementing our body with this necessary antioxidant.
Elderberries also contain anthocyanin, which gives them their characterisically dark color. Anthocyanin also acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body.
What makes Glam Gardener NYC's elderberry sizzurp different?
Our eldeberry sizzurp has more local, small family farm grown, organic, and wild-foraged ingredients than anything else you can find on the market.
How do I take it?
Shake the bottle well, then incorporate 1-2 tablespoons in with water, tea, or use it in your favorite seasonal recipes.
But we keep it simple by infusing it in 8 ounces of water. Then, we chug it down first thing in the morning. The first couple of times you consume it, it might pack a little too strong of a punch for you, since it is apple cider vinegar-based.
Please note: This is not a beverage in and of itself and is not designed to be drunk like a kombucha from the bottle.
Our elderberry syrup contains medicinal plants that are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and boost the immune system
We infuse organic apple cider vinegar, organic cinnamon, organic cloves, fresh organic ginger, wild-harvested sassafras, wild-harvested spicebush, and local NY-state raw honey in our elderberry sizzurp to create a powerful herbal remedy.
Bragg® Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Bragg® is the supreme maker of organic apple cider vinegar. They're a trusted brand that has earned its stripes from being a leader in the industry for over 100 years.
Here's why folks use apple cider vinegar across the globe as a daily wellness supplement. The acetic acid component of apple cider vinegar has been shown to elicit several beneficial health effects. Here are 3 from Bragg's website.
- It helps people control their appetite and manage weight gain.
- It helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
- It helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Cinnamon is a spice that's made from the inner bark of a tree scientifically known as Cinnamomum. It has been used as an ingredient throughout history, dating back as far as Ancient Egypt. It's loaded with antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, has the potential to fight infections, lower blood sugar, and so much more.
Cloves are the flower bud of a tree native to Indonesia. It has a strong aroma and taste, and its common to find this spice infused into herbal toothpastes, since it's often used to prevent bacterial infections.
Fresh Whole Ginger Root helps the body stay warm in the winter. It promotes digestion, blood circulation, and boosts the immune system. It can also be effective at reducing nausea if that's something you deal with.
Raw honey from Beezy Beez Beekeeping based in Staten Island, New York. The folks at Beezy Beez Beekeeping are great friends of ours here at Glam Gardener NYC. Their bees are raised in New York and in New Jersey.
Local, raw honey is the best kind of sweetener nature has to offer. Here's why. Bees do the local ecosystem a huge favor by pollinating local plants. As a forager, I thank you, awesome little bees!
Their honey is packed with delicious antifungal, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. Most store-bought honey is processed. Raw honey is not, which is why we use it. Supporting local honey means we're doing the sustainable food system, our community, and our local ecosystem a favor.
All products with honey list the disclaimer that babies under 1-year-old should not consume it. Apply that rule to our elderberry sizzurp as well.
This product supports your local forager, beekeeper, and farmer
Ever heard of wild Spicebush and Sassafras? We harvest these regional wild edibles, then infuse them into our elderberry sizzurp for a unique and powerful herbal remedy.
Since foraging is sort of our specialty here at Glam Gardener NYC, we had to infuse some medicianl regional plants into our elderberry sizzurp.
Wild-harvested Sassafras is a native North American plant that has edible leaves, bark, and roots. Its root were traditionally made into tea and used by Native Americans as a blood purifying tonic.
Its been recognized across the globe for a wealth of medicinal and practical uses, and was once highly touted as an all-inclusive wonder remedy. Its leaves have mucilaginous qualities. Fun fact: Sassafras roots were once used to make root beer!
Wild-harvested Spicebush is an amazing native tree that grows edible bark, twigs, leaves, and berries. Once you meet spicebush, you'll never forget it, because all of its parts are incredibly aromatic and uniquely so. It's hard to describe its taste and aroma. Think about a cross between allspice and lemon balm, with a hint of cinnamon.
Spicebush has been used as a tonic for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Since it is a native plant to North America, it was long used by the Indigenous people that lived here. It was recognized as a cold & flu remedy, diaphoretic (sweat inducer), and cleanser. We infuse its leaves, bark, and berries into our elderberry sizzurp.
Why include wild plants?
Wild plants are free from pesticides and synthetic additives. Plus, they grow in their natural environments, lending them rich nutritional profiles & oftentimes superfood status!
Plus, we're kinda obsessed with them. So we wrote an article on the 5 Benefits of Eating Wild Plants to explain some reasons for why everyone should start.
So, are you convinced?
If you're ready to incorporate our elderberry sizzurp into your natural health routine, you're in the right place. Check out our sizzurp, and if you choose to make it yours, let us know what you think of it.
glamgardenernyc
Elderberry sizzurp (syrup) with local honey, wild plants, USA grown elderberries, and organic ingredients
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