Immunity Strengthening Smoothie with Elderberry

Drink this smoothie to recover or prevent any cold or flu that's circling around during this wonderful yet somewhat stressful time.

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A brief introduction to all the ingredients that make up this wonderful smoothie:

Lemon juice adds vitamin C and can help cut through any crud in the throat.

Elderberries are a powerful berry. These little jewels have powderful antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been proven to diasrm viruses and considerably shortens the duration of flu or cold symptoms. These berries are featured in my chai-spiced elderberry cobbler.

Coconut water helps replenish electrolytes and provides potassium. It prevents dehydration.

Steamed carrots make for a very easily digestible Beta-Carotene or Vitamin A which can help prevent sinus infections are help you recover from one. As an alternative, you can try steamed pumpkin or any orange winter squash.

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Cinnamon is a much-loved and used spice for very good reasons. Everyone loves its spicy sweetness. This warming spice has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. It helps to stimulate digestion which can be stagnate after being sick.

Ginger is extermely warming. It helps heat the extremities that otherwise can get cold in this winter weather. Ginger can kill cold viruses and is anti-parasitic.

Astragalus root tooks this whole smoothie to the next level. It is, of course, optional. However when you hear about all the amazing things it does, you'll want to stock up. This root contains immunostimulant polysaccharides and increases the number of stem cells in bone marrow. The herb increases the production of white blood cells that help to fight the germs we encounter on a daily basis. This root helps ground our energy and research shows it can help those who have poor nutrition or digestion, indecision and more importantly cancer and HIV.

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Immunity Strengthening Smoothie with Elderberry
2 TB squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 inch of ginger
1 cup fresh or frozen elderberry
1 1/2 cup steamed carrots
1 TB cinnamon
1 cup coconut water
2 tsp astragalus root, powdered
Small handful of ice *optional, only if you want it cold

1. Cook elderberries with two tablespoons water. Boil then simmer for ten minutes. Remove from stove and let cool. (This can be done the day before as well).
2. Using a garlic press, juice the ginger into your blender. Add remaining ingredients. Blend until completely mixed.

Serve and enjoy!

I purchase my herbs from:

And last but not least, I'm not a doctor. I'm not licensed to diagnose or prescribe. This is for educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Use information at your discretion, taking into account medical history. Always research!