Easy Elderberry Echinacea Immune-Boosting Tea

This immune-boosting tea is the perfect ally for sick season and is packed with Vitamin C. Keep this blend on hand to boost immunity all season long!

Easy Immune-Boosting Elderberry Echinacea tea is a champ at stopping sickness in its tracks. No one likes to come down with that dreaded cold or even worse, a virus or serious illness. Now that fall is in the air, germs are starting to spread, and with cooler weather comes a greater risk of getting sick. But when herbs are in your cabinet, you can have peace of mind that help is only a few steps away!

Preventing Illness with Immune-Boosting Tea

While there are many strategies to combat illness, one simple and effective way to stay healthy is to prevent getting sick in the first place. When we feel a little under the weather, we make this immune-boosting tea to nip the germs before they set in. In the summertime, we harvest these ingredients fresh from the garden. The rest of the year, when our herbs are out of season, we turn to our medicine cabinet for the dried herbs we have stored.

Immune-Boosting Tea For Early Symptoms of Sickness

When I felt sick a couple of times this summer, I went outside and harvested handfuls of fresh herbs for tea. After only a couple of cups, I was feeling well again.

This immune-boosting tea recipe also works well with dried herbs. I harvested and dried the herbs in this blend from our herb garden to use when the plants are no longer in season. Drying your own herbs not only ensures quality, but it is also very convenient for immediate use.

Immune-Boosting Tea Early, Often and After

One herbalist that we enjoy learning from wisely teaches the concept of taking herbs “early, often and after.” Herbs are most effective when they are utilized early on in the illness, taken often, and continued for a while even after you feel better. Taking multiple herbs at once will take on the illness from many different fronts. The different benefits of each herb can work well together to kill the bugs.

Immune-Boosting Tea Ingredients

The herbs that I include in my immune-boosting tea are elderberries, yarrow flower and leaf, echinacea flower, peppermint leaf and tulsi leaf. Other optional illness fighting herbs include lemon balm (an antiviral), ginger (a circulatory stimulant), lavender (an antimicrobial), and hyssop (an antimicrobial). Raw garlic and cayenne are other great allies to include in your diet.

Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra)

We love to use elderberries to keep up our immunity and fight sickness. Elderberry tincture and elderberry syrup are generously consumed in our house when a cold is going around. Not only are they antibacterial and antiviral, but elderberries are nutritious and full of vitamins A and C. They keep viruses from attaching to our body’s cells. Because of these outstanding benefits, we also love to add elderberries to this immune-boosting tea. Before elderberries ripen, they are proceeded by elderflowers. Elderflowers are beautiful clusters of tiny white flowers that eventually turn into elderberries. Like elderberries, elderflowers have many medicinal benefits and are even more gentle on the body than their berry counterparts.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

A kind neighbor gave us a cutting of her yarrow plant a couple years ago which has proved to be a wonderful addition to our herb garden. Yarrow is an all-round amazing herb to have on hand! Its uses are almost infinite from wound healing to toning tissues in the respiratory tract and urinary tract to making fevers more effective and aiding the sweating out of toxins from the body. A hot cup of yarrow tea will help warm up your body to sweat out the offending germs. Yarrow has a strong flavor so masking it with pleasant herbs like peppermint or lemon balm can make it more pleasant to drink. Although yarrow root has certain uses, the leaf and flower are most commonly used.

Echinacea Purpurea Flower (Coneflower)

Echinacea root and flower are wonderful aids to the immune system. While elderberries stimulate the immune system, echinacea both stimulates and modulates it. By modulating and keeping the immune system balanced, echinacea helps prevent an autoimmune response by keeping the immune system from overreacting to the offending germs. In the case of sickness or infection, echinacea is a wonder herb!

Peppermint Leaf (Mentha × piperita)

We love using peppermint leaf because of its refreshing flavor and medicinal benefits. Peppermint, like yarrow, is a diaphoretic herb which helps our bodies sweat out toxins more effectively. Peppermint also acts as a catalyst, enabling other herbs to work more efficiently.

Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)

When I think about tulsi (also known as holy basil), I think about how it’s good for everything! It is an adaptogen which helps our bodies adapt to stressors, it modulates the immune system and is calming to the nerves. Tulsi also has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and is an expectorant, helping rid the body of excess mucous in the respiratory tract. Tulsi has a very mild flavor and reminds me of a light green tea.

What About A Sweetener?

Because our immune systems are compromised during sickness, it is best to avoid substances that will make it weaker. Sugar can be harmful to our bodies in general but especially during illness. Raw honey is a good alternative and is soothing in the case of a sore throat. Because we drink tea frequently in our home, we have learned to enjoy tea without a sweetener as well. While I used to think that every cup of tea needed honey, I have found that I can drink and even enjoy an unsweetened cup of tea.

Dosing Herbs Properly

Herb ratios in tea are not something to fuss over. The herbs in this tea recipe are generally safe to use so the ratios are up to you. Elderberries should not be eaten raw but are perfectly safe when dried, cooked or steeped in hot water.

Making Your Own Custom Tea

There is so much joy and satisfaction that comes with making things for yourself. This year we have taken extra pleasure in making “custom tea blends” both with fresh herbs from our garden and dried herbs from our homegrown apothecary! We are always learning and trying new things, but we started small. Several years ago, our first homegrown tea came from our fast-growing mint plants that we grow by the house. As the years have passed, we have added many more herbs to our garden which we now include in our teas, recipes and products. You don’t have to have to start with a large selection. Use what you have to make your own teas and recipes. Let us know in the comments about your favorite herbs!

Gratefully,

Hannah

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