When Ruth Mulligan’s daughter started a Mom’s Morning Out program as a toddler and often came home sick, Ruth was determined to find a better way. “How can we stay healthy and prevent the flu?” Ruth asked herself. The answer eventually came to her from her own mother: elderberry syrup.
Ruth grew up in Germany and came to Chicago as an Au Pair where she met her now-husband, John. During her childhood, elderberries were all around. In Germany, recalls Ruth, the berries were part of everything, and Ruth and her family used them frequently.
“But I just kind of forgot about them when I came to the U.S.!” Ruth admitted. That is, until she told her mother that her daughter was sick – again! “So my mother said, ‘Make elderberry syrup!’ So I did!”
A family recipe for elderberry syrup
Using a family recipe that both her mother and her grandmother used, Ruth began giving her children elderberry syrup on a regular basis. Friends learned about her new strategy. They asked Ruth where they could get elderberry syrup, too. So she started making it for friends and family.
“By word of mouth, it just started to spread!” Ruth remembers.
Today, Ruth rents an FDA-approved kitchen and sells Elderberry Syrup by Ruth teas and syrups in seven stores in the Cape Fear area, including ACE Hardware in Leland and Replay Resale in Porters Neck. For a complete list of vendors, visit elderberrysyrupbyruth.com). It isn’t unusual for Ruth to distribute 100-150 bottles a week.
Ruth laughed when asked if having a small business making elderberry syrup was ever in her plans. After all, she and John moved to Leland in 2010 to start CitruSolution Carpet Cleaning, a business that is successful and keeps the Mulligans busy enough.
But since 2018, the demand for Ruth’s elderberry syrup and teas for wellness has been growing. And as the cold and flu season begins with full force, many parents are looking for ways to stop colds before they start.
People have used elderberries for centuries for their medicinal properties. The berries are high in Vitamins A, B & C, which boost the immune system and help ward off viral and bacterial infections. Additionally, recent scientific research has shown that the berries help with inflammation, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
High quality ingredients
Ruth also adds ginger, cinnamon and cloves to her products, which help to aid digestion, lower inflammation, and help the kidney and liver, respectively. Elderberry Syrup by Ruth includes organic, raw honey (local when available).
The key secrets to a good elderberry syrup is that the berries are strained and there aren’t additives. Ruth keeps her syrup pure and simple, which means that it is actually more of a juice-like quality than table-syrup.
“I, personally, am cautious about what I put in my childrens’ bodies,” Ruth explains. “As a general rule, if I don’t have it in my pantry, we shouldn’t be eating it!”
This is why Ruth obtains her elderberries from an organic distributor in Germany that she has personally visited.
Ruth’s products are all safe for children: her own children were her first elderberry syrup customers. Now, customers from all over Wilmington, NC and beyond seek out Elderberry Syrup by Ruth. And as more parents look to keep their children healthy, many are trying an all-natural (and tasty) elderberry syrup option.
“What I really want are for people to be healthy,” Ruth said. “And I love that people are waking up a little to elderberries and willing to try natural solutions for their families.”
Learn more about and purchase Elderberry Syrup by Ruth:
www.elderberrysyrupbyruth.com
www.facebook.com/elderberrysyrupbyruth
Ruth is just one of the amazing people you’ll find in the Wilmington, NC region. Read about some of our other featured events in the Cape Fear area. We focus on the festivals and events in the Cape Fear area that are great for the whole family. Have fun exploring, and let us know what you find!