Nutrient Rich and Medicinal Syrup for Vitality
- Grace Krupkowski
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Herbal syrups are one of my favorite preparations for tending to the body. Many of you readers likely heard of or even regularly use an elderberry syrup for preventing the common cold. Syrups, having a sweet taste make for an extra enjoyable herbal remedy. In this post you will learn how to make an ultra nutrient rich daily syrup for tending to vitality and overall health.
A nutrient-rich syrup can specifically help combat deficiency which may manifest due to dietary choices, seasonal shifts, life changes, genetics, environmental conditions and stress. This presentation can be the result of less than optimal self-care patterns that become more apparent during seasonal transitions.
This is a helpful remedy for those who feel weak and fatigued, to those who just feel the weight of a lagging winter and the impending busy months that spring time brings both physically and mentally. Supplying the body with nutrient rich, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory herbs can improve health and build a foundation for vitality and resiliency. A tasty syrup rich in vitamins, minerals, blood building, cleansing and anti-inflammatory compounds can be of great support.
Populations and conditions that benefit from nutrient rich syrups include:
Those with immune sensitivities, allergies, and chronic inflammation
Children and elders: often these populations benefit from extra nourishment for building blood and resources for optimal whole body function
Iron deficient folks and iron deficiency leading anemia
Folks with hormone imbalances that impact vitamin and mineral levels and vice versa
Liver & kidney dysfunction
Digestive insufficiency
And more!
Making a Nutrient Rich Syrup: Ingredients
The primary herbal activities in this formula are nutritive, tonic, bitter, and alterative.
Nutritives
The nutritive herbal action refers to plants that hold a significant quantity of constituents that support our daily dietary needs either in the form of macro or micronutrients. Macronutrients are fats, carbs, and proteins while micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. When making a syrup, we want to focus on the water soluble nutrients. Common and readily available nutrients in syrups include carbohydrates, minerals, and water soluble vitamins like vitamin B and C. Phenolic compounds such as some polyphenols and flavonoids are water soluble. These are found in anti-oxidant rich and anti-inflammatory plants usually denoted by their vibrant colors. For example, rose hips, goji berries, blueberries are abundant in these specific compounds as well as most plants!
Tonics
The tonic herbal action refers to an herb's ability to balance and support whole body function or a specific body system. Tonics "tone" by providing vital resources to functional networks in the body. They help strengthen, protect, and enliven imbalance, deficiency, and even support the reversal of disease. Herbs with this action are typically taken indefinitely or for a long period of time. Many tonics are considered gentle to moderate in their effects. Tonics are often nutrient dense, support digestion, elimination and metabolism.
Bitters
Bitter herbs support the digestive tract along with other regions of the body where there are bitter receptors like the brain and reproductive system. Generally speaking, herbs with a bitter action will stimulate digestive secretions such as enzymes, bile, as well as activate the liver and pancreas, improve motility of food, improve HCL production in the stomach, and regulate bowel movements. Some bitter constituents of herbs can be found in the roots which also help populate the microbiome with good bacteria.
The bitter action is vital to enabling proper assimilation and metabolism of nutrient rich herbs and foods. This is often due to the inability of nutrient absorption due to deficiency in the microbiome, insufficient enzyme and bile production, stress and more.
Alteratives
Alterative herbs work by clearing the body of metabolic waste products. They are sometimes considered "cleansing" as they aid the removal of pathogens and toxins from the blood as well. This is often accomplished through the pathway of the liver, lymph, and immune system.
Many herbs that are nutritive are also considered alterative due to their ability to strengthen the immune system and build the blood's vital resources. Aleratives are supportive to folks with nutrient and blood deficiency, frequent infections, and metabolic conditions.
Combining the Herbs and Other Ingredients
The main ingredients in any herbal syrup aside from the herbs are water and sugar. The water serves as the solvent while the sugar serves as the thickening agent making the water based prep viscous enough to be considered a syrup. This nutrient rich syrup uses a different sugar than honey or granulated. It uses molasses as the thickener! Molasses possesses a constellation of minerals such as potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and selenium all of which are vital to our daily nutrient needs making for a well rounded, ultra rich formula.
Herbs Used in Formula
In this particular formula, the herbs used are Nettle, Dandelion leaf and root, Yellowdock leaf and root, Goji berry, and Alfalfa. All of which hold a vital and important role in the recipe. The primary herbs used are Nettle, Alfalfa and Goji while Dandelion and Yellowdock are considered secondary. Though each herb could truly be considered primary due to the spectrum of activity it withholds!
Nettle: Nettle serves as a main ingredient in this formula. It's actions fall into the nutritive, alterative, and tonic category. They are a wonderful super food widely available as a spring green to be cooked with and added to culinary creations. Nettles are rich in vitamins, minerals, plant proteins, and anti-inflammatory compounds that support the allergic response. The blood building capacity of this plant is manifested through minerals such as iron, potassium, silica, and magnesium (notice a trend here?!). Vitamin C, K and B make their way into the blood stream offering immune protection, nervous and endocrine system support, and cellular energy. When it comes to the immune and allergic response, this plant holds a variety of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant compounds which separate it from other herbs that fall into a similar nutritive/alterative category. These compounds are histamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and formic acid which exist in the small hairs that are less than pleasant when come into contact with. When the plant is processed these tiny hairs soften, which prevents the stinging sensation that is often a cause of concern when harvesting it.
Alfalfa: Alfalfa is another highly nutrient, mineral, and vitamin rich herb also considered a superfood. It is underrated in it's ability to support a wide variety of body systems! It is packed with endocrine, musculoskeletal, and blood supporting constituents. A wide variety exist from vasculature supporting carotenoids to many tissue toning polyphenols, and plant sterols that can modulate blood lipid levels. This herb is highly diversified in it's vitamin and mineral content. It contains vitamin A, Bs, C, E, K as well as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, zinc, selenium and more! This makes a great herb for hormone health, bone support, and general blood deficiency.
Goji: Goji berries are an overlooked herbal medicine however they are a well known superfood (another connection point across these herbs in formula!). Goji berries are anti-oxidant, vitamin rich, tonifying to the cardiovascular system, protective to the liver, nervous system, and largely considered blood building. They are packed with carotene, vitamin A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, and anti-inflammatory polysaccharides making for a nice moistening and sweet ingredient to this formula. The vitamins A and C in this herb help support immune function and fight oxidative stress in the body.
Dandelion: Dandelion leaf and root are wonderful components in this formula. Dandelion leaf is considered highly nutritive, tonifying, alterative, and bitter while the root supports the liver and overall digestive motility. Bitter properties can be found throughout the entire plant, even into the roots. Nutritive qualities such as long chain polysaccharides are found in the roots adding to the overall food-like nature of the plant.
Polysaccharides also promote the building of the microbiome which is largely due to the inulin content abundant in the fall roots of the plant. Spring roots are rich in liver supporting actions which help to promote effective metabolism and elimination of toxins.
Yellowdock: Yellowdock root is highly useful in it's eliminative action. As an herb that stimulates movement of the digestive tract, it is effective as an alterative helping to subsequently clear the body and blood of waste product. It is considered tonifying to the gastrointestinal tract including the liver. The greens contain high amounts of calcium, iron and magnesium making for optimal ingredients in a nutrient rich syrup.
Since Yellowdock is very bitter and contains anthraquinones known to stimulate the bowels, it is useful in smaller amounts within formula.
The Recipe!
Now we're onto the good stuff... the recipe! This a very simple preparation that can be made with both fresh or dried herbs. This recipe uses dried herb weights. For making a 24-32 oz jar of syrup follow the steps below.
Step 1: Gather Ingredients - It is effective to weigh ingredients to get the most therapeutic value out of your syrup
Measure 1 oz (about 1 cup) of Nettle and Alfalfa, 1 oz of Goji berries (about 1/4 cup), and .5 oz Dandelion leaf (about 1/2 cup), .25 oz Yellowdock leaf (about 1/4 cup), .5 oz Dandelion root and .5 oz Yellowdock root (about 2 tablespoons)
Add herbs to a simmer pot with 4-5 cups water and cover with a lid to prevent too much water from evaporating
Allow herbs to simmer on low setting for 45 minutes to an hour
Remove the simmer pot from heat and allow it to cool to room temp
Once cooled to room temperature, strain the herbal ingredients from the simmered herbal decoction and stir in equal parts Molasses- as a reminder this is our thickening agent!
This should equate to roughly 2 cups of molasses
Feel free to add more molasses until the syrup reaches the desired consistency
Jar and label the syrup for use! Make sure you label the jar with the ingredients and the date made.
The syrup should keep up to 6 months in the refrigerator. You can add Apple Cider Vinegar to the formula (about 1/4 cup) to enhance preservation.
Final Thoughts
A suggested daily dose of this nutrient rich syrup is 1 tablespoon which can be taken any time of day, with or without food, dissolved into a beverage or taken directly into the mouth. This is a great remedy for seasonal transitions, such as the one we are going through right now into spring. The awakening and supportive qualities of this bitter, alterative, and nutritive syrup help to attune one to the seasons by modulating challenging bodily responses. This is also useful as an everyday tonic to promote vitality, especially in deficient folks, special populations or those who experience conditions or ailments noted in the beginning of this article.
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About the Author
This article is written by Grace Krupkowski, Herbalist and Educator
Grace's innate and learned knowledge fosters a connection across many herbal traditions. In 2015 she began an exploration into the world of herbalism and plant connection which has since blossomed into a lifelong passion. Since 2020, Grace has served as an educator teaching courses in person and online. Grace also offers one on one herbal wellness consultations that encompass the whole individual, their ailments, and goals for healing and balancing the body.
Most popular are Grace's courses in plant identification, foraging, and wildcrafting. Many people gravitate towards Grace's unique perspective and personable, enthusiastic demeanor when it comes to connecting with and learning about medicinal wild plants. She has studied with Kenzie Khaliq of Wild Faith Wellness, the Boston School of Herbal Studies, California School of Herbal Studies, and is a graduate of the Family and Community Herbalist program at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism.
* DISCLAIMER: This blog post does not contain medical/health advice. This information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only.
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