Elderberry's Surprising Role in Brain Health and Longevity - 280
You've heard of elderberry benefits for the cold and flu season. Did you know that it could actually impact your brain health, inflammation, and longevity? That's exactly what the latest research is showing, and I had to get my friend Emilia Rizzuto back on the show to break it all down.
Emilia went from a Crohn's diagnosis at 15 and cycling through immunosuppressants for decades, to becoming a certified health and wellness expert and CEO of All Things Elderberry. In today’s episode, we're talking about groundbreaking research coming out of universities around the world focused on what elderberry's powerful compounds are doing inside your brain.
If you care about aging well, staying sharp, and building a body that works with you, not against you, this episode is for you. We break down a simple morning elixir routine that takes thirty seconds and covers hydration, gut health, and blood sugar balance all at once.
Conclusion:
Elderberry isn't just an immunity supplement. It's a daily practice that can support your brain, fight free radical damage, reduce inflammation, and help protect your body from the toxins that are coming at us every single day. Check out All Things Elderberry and start your morning elixir tomorrow.
In This Episode:
00:00 Meet elderberry expert, Emilia Rizzuto
04:10 Emilia’s struggle with Crohn’s disease
07:00 Discovering elderberry and the results after consistent use
10:50 New elderberry research focused on brain health
15:00 Antioxidants, inflammation, and anti-aging benefits of elderberry
16:54 Combating free radicals and oxidative stress
19:24 Morning hydration routine with elderberry elixir
23:11 Find out more about All Things Elderberry
Mentioned in the Episode
New research on elderberry and Its Brain Health Benefits: https://centerforagroforestry.org/new-research-findings-show-american-elderberry-juice-may-help-mental-functioning-in-older-adults/
Previous Episode with Emilia Rizzuto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY-WlrWUQac
Preorder Carrie’s upcoming book, From Corset to Crown!
Get immediate access to the ebook and other special bonuses at: https://www.carrielupoli.com/corsettocrown
Carrie’s Live Event in Nashville in October (2026): https://www.disruptivenutrition.com/liveevent2026
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Emilia Rizzuto: I was told the whole time that it didn't matter what you do. Every doctor... I mean, I lived in New York, so I saw the top Crohn's doctors, all the best doctors. I have the best doctor here in St. Louis, and they all said, "It doesn't matter what you do. You just have to take your meds, because Crohn's disease is Crohn's disease, and you can't fix it, and you can't do anything about it."
[00:00:15] Emilia Rizzuto: So that's just what I believed.
[00:00:18] Carrie Lupoli: So check this out. She was 15 when she got the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Every single doctor, and she saw some of the best ones in New York City, told her the same thing. "It doesn't matter what you do. Just take the medication." So she did, for years, and then her immune system totally, totally fell apart.
[00:00:35] Carrie Lupoli: What they didn't tell her is that there was a plant literally growing in the fields of Missouri, where she lived, with research backing that was so significant, the universities around the world are now racing to study it, and it's not just for cold and flu season like you might think it is, but for your brain.
[00:00:54] Carrie Lupoli: I'm Carrie Lupoli, and this is From Corset to Crown, where we stop managing our symptoms and start actually [00:01:00] getting free. Today, I am sitting down with my friend and elderberry expert, Emilia Rizzuto, and what she shares about the new brain health research is the kind of thing you're gonna immediately text someone you love and be like, "Oh, my gosh.
[00:01:15] Carrie Lupoli: You have to hear this."
[00:01:20] Carrie Lupoli: Well, hey there, Crown Straighteners. I am super excited to introduce you to one of my really good friends who is an incredible female entrepreneur. In fact, I first met Emilia when we were in a mastermind together working on our businesses, and she got up on stage during this in-person mastermind that we were, that we were on, and she started talking about elderberry.
[00:01:47] Carrie Lupoli: To our business coaches who were trying to talk to her about, like, how she could continue to evolve and, and, and grow her business, but I was so focused on what she was talking about when it came to [00:02:00] elderberry that I was like, "What?" Now, you all know I want you to become the healthiest version of yourself, physically, mentally, in, financially, in all the ways.
[00:02:14] Carrie Lupoli: And when I heard Emilia talking about elderberr- berry, I was like, "You need to be on my podcast. We need to talk more about this." You are the only elderberry product I ever recommend to my clients. My kids are obsessed. It is absolutely incredible. But everything we had talked about, and everything I was obsessed about, was around overall immunity and our overall ability to combat all the germs that are out there.
[00:02:41] Carrie Lupoli: Like, elderberry is known to be this really dynamic opportunity that we grow literally in our own fields that can truly make us healthier. And I love, I love different types of supplements. I'm not about, like, [00:03:00] supplement harder, just smarter. And so we've known each other for years. She's been on our podcast before.
[00:03:06] Carrie Lupoli: And so welcome, welcome, welcome. But we're gonna talk about, yeah, some of the benefits of elderberry that I think a lot of people know, but I think there's... Well, I know the last time you and I met, we started talking about these crazy studies that have been happening around elderberry that is so far even beyond just what we need in cold and flu season, in immunity, and we are gonna dive into it now, because I promise you, this is stuff you don't know.
[00:03:37] Carrie Lupoli: So Emilia, welcome, welcome, welcome. I'm so happy that you're here.
[00:03:40] Emilia Rizzuto: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. I appreciate the opportunity to share all the things that I keep learning.
[00:03:45] Carrie Lupoli: You are so knowledgeable. It's so funny because, like, I, I feel like I know about a lot of things in, like, I don't know, surface. I mean, I, I think I go deep on a bunch of things.
[00:03:58] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah. But, like, I like to know about a lot [00:04:00] of things, and you're in, in... I mean, you're, like, a certified health and wellness expert, but you have decided to go deep in one particular thing around elderberry. So talk to us first about what gave you your obsession about elderberry. What made you make this, like, literally a full-time passion, and why does it matter for all of us?
[00:04:24] Carrie Lupoli: when it comes to elderberry.
[00:04:25] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, it's crazy. I never would've imagined, like, I didn't even know what an elderberry was at w- not that long ago, let's be honest with you. Isn't
[00:04:31] Carrie Lupoli: that funny?
[00:04:32] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, it's crazy that one thing just changes your, the trajectory of your life. Um-
[00:04:35] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah ...
[00:04:35] Emilia Rizzuto: but I was sick, you know, and that's where we see so many of these stories.
[00:04:39] Emilia Rizzuto: It's like you're sick, and you don't know what to do. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 15, which was a long time ago, and, um, you know, I've been on every medication. If you know any of, like, the biologics or steroids, immunosuppressants, I mean, I've been on all of them because either they were destroying my kidneys or my liver or so I had to change to a different one, or the [00:05:00] biologic would give me- And
[00:05:00] Carrie Lupoli: this is what we know, and all we know is how to prescribe.
[00:05:04] Emilia Rizzuto: It's just awful, and it's just like one to the other to the other, and through that time, you know, now I'm in my 40s, and I was 15, so by the time I started having children in my 30s, my immune system was just shot, like just shot. I was even having, like, folliculitis, like hair follicle infections. I had, like- Wow
[00:05:20] Emilia Rizzuto: infections in my belly button. My immune system was just wrecked. It couldn't handle anything.
[00:05:24] Carrie Lupoli: But you weren't sitting around eating Oreo cookies.
[00:05:27] Emilia Rizzuto: Well, I wasn't always like th- I mean, I wasn't always healthy. I was a smoker.
[00:05:32] Carrie Lupoli: You were?
[00:05:33] Emilia Rizzuto: I was.
[00:05:33] Carrie Lupoli: I didn't know that.
[00:05:35] Emilia Rizzuto: From, like, the age of, like, 13 to 30.
[00:05:37] Carrie Lupoli: Oh my gosh.
[00:05:39] Carrie Lupoli: That is so interesting.
[00:05:41] Emilia Rizzuto: You didn't know I grew up on Lucky Charms and Rice-A-Roni? No,
[00:05:43] Carrie Lupoli: it's totally true.
[00:05:44] Emilia Rizzuto: We had no idea. Totally. Yeah. My parents are, like, immigrants from the Soviet Union. They were just trying to keep the lights on-
[00:05:49] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah ...
[00:05:49] Emilia Rizzuto: until everybody started getting sick. Like, my dad got lupus. I got Crohn.
[00:05:52] Emilia Rizzuto: It just became, like, everybody started falling apart, and then we started learning. And so it was already after I had kids that I decided to go back to school, and I went to Bowman [00:06:00] College and studied holistic nutrition 'cause I was done. I just w- I just-
[00:06:03] Carrie Lupoli: What a, like- ...
[00:06:04] Emilia Rizzuto: wanted to be
[00:06:04] Carrie Lupoli: better ... full, like, 180.
[00:06:07] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, and I didn't even quit smoking, like, far before that.
[00:06:10] Emilia Rizzuto: I quit
[00:06:11] Carrie Lupoli: smoking- I was gonna say, were you smoking wh-
[00:06:14] Emilia Rizzuto: I know, it's so addictive
[00:06:14] Carrie Lupoli: That actually goes to show how addictive it is, right?
[00:06:17] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. Well, I quit smoking when I was 30 'cause I was pregnant with my son.
[00:06:19] Carrie Lupoli: Okay. Yeah.
[00:06:20] Emilia Rizzuto: So that's was the final... That was it. But I was already 30, you know? And I was just starting to get it together because I was told the whole time that it didn't matter what you do.
[00:06:30] Emilia Rizzuto: Every doc- I mean, I lived in New York, so I saw- Mm-hmm ... the top Crohn's doctors, all the best doctors. I had the best doctor here in St. Louis, and they all said it doesn't matter what you do. You just have to take your meds because Crohn's disease is Crohn's disease, and you can't fix it, and you can't do anything about it.
[00:06:45] Emilia Rizzuto: So that's just what I believed.
[00:06:46] Carrie Lupoli: Right. So that makes sense, right? Well, I might as well eat the Lucky Charms and smoke. Didn't... That's all I knew. Right. I didn't do any
[00:06:52] Emilia Rizzuto: different. And so anyway, we also didn't have the internet back then.
[00:06:55] Carrie Lupoli: It's weird, so- Yeah. Right, right ... but- It's the Google machine and the ChatGPT is a big, big advancement.
[00:06:59] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. [00:07:00] So, you know, once I started re- like going to school and learning about all the different just foods and vegetables and plants and herbs, things that are growing, things that are easy for us to get that can help us so much, and I started learning about the things that are harmful, like cigarettes, you know, I started really making big changes.
[00:07:15] Emilia Rizzuto: And one thing that I was really, really struggling with was my immune system, because now I had little kids and I was constantly sick. So anytime they were sick, I was sick, or I wasn't feeling well, I was run down. And, um, I even couldn't do a flu shot, and back then I w- was doing flu shot, not anymore. But, um-
[00:07:31] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah.
[00:07:31] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah ...
[00:07:31] Emilia Rizzuto: because I would get the flu immediately and get s- Mm-hmm ... super sick from the shot. Yeah. And so I was desperate, and I just started looking for something, and elderberry came up in the research that I was doing. I learned about it in school. And just I live in Missouri, so Missouri is leading the way in like commercial elderberry farming just by chance.
[00:07:47] Emilia Rizzuto: Isn't that
[00:07:47] Carrie Lupoli: crazy?
[00:07:48] Emilia Rizzuto: It's just wild. So I was able to immediately get like fresh local elderberries from a farm. It wasn't hard to get them around here. And I started kinda just making my own, 'cause when I bought them in the store, the elderberry syrup in the store, it was very [00:08:00] thick and syrupy- Yep. Yep ... and like goopy.
[00:08:02] Emilia Rizzuto: And, and-
[00:08:02] Carrie Lupoli: That's always been the problem I've ever heard, I've ever seen whenever I've looked at elderberry.
[00:08:07] Emilia Rizzuto: Well, there's glycerin. They use glycerin syrup. They use emulsifiers. They use thickeners. There's- It's
[00:08:11] Carrie Lupoli: just basically all sugar.
[00:08:12] Emilia Rizzuto: Right, because a lot of it is coming out of, from out of the country, whether it's China or Europe or wherever it's coming from.
[00:08:16] Emilia Rizzuto: Mm-hmm. So it has to travel, and they use concentrates and rice bran to fill and other things. So, you know, it has to have a certain consistency.
[00:08:24] Carrie Lupoli: By the time you're actually getting it, it's not much elder- elderberry.
[00:08:27] Emilia Rizzuto: Right. It's like
[00:08:28] Carrie Lupoli: oxidized.
[00:08:28] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah.
[00:08:29] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah, exactly.
[00:08:29] Emilia Rizzuto: Exactly. Anyway, so that's where it started. And once I found elderberry and I started making it, and I was taking consistently, I mean, that was it.
[00:08:37] Emilia Rizzuto: After like a year of being on it regularly, it just changed everything. I, it reset the system, and that's when I was like, "Wow, this is insane." Like, and then the more people I talk to, I've heard so many stories where a mom came up to me one time and she said... I have to tell you this story. She said it was years ago that her son, who was, I think he was like in high school.
[00:08:55] Emilia Rizzuto: She's like around that time constantly sick. And at, by the time you're in high school, you shouldn't really be [00:09:00] constantly sick. Like- Yeah, yeah ... you can be constantly sick when you're like a toddler, but not in high school. Yeah. And she said her doctor back then, he's in college now, she said, but this was so like five, six years ago.
[00:09:08] Emilia Rizzuto: And she said the doctor said to her, "Find a good elderberry and take it."
[00:09:12] Carrie Lupoli: Wow,
[00:09:12] Emilia Rizzuto: lucky her. And stay on it. Yeah, back then, so it was the, the doctor who actually said that, said, "Stay on it for at least a year."
[00:09:18] Carrie Lupoli: Yep.
[00:09:18] Emilia Rizzuto: He said, because that's what you need for... It's like a modulator, so it doesn't... People think it like spikes your, you know, immune system.
[00:09:24] Emilia Rizzuto: It doesn't do that. It really just strengthens it, supports it, and kinda heals it really.
[00:09:30] Carrie Lupoli: So this is what I say to my clients all the time, especially about your product, your elderberry. I say it's sort of like if you tile your kitchen or your bathroom, and the foundation that I'm setting for my clients as a nutritionist is to help them understand how food is fuel and how food can be medicine, it can be poison, and how we use it to balance our blood sugar and serve our body.
[00:09:55] Carrie Lupoli: However, just like when you literally tile a bathroom, if you [00:10:00] don't put grout in, the whole thing is shaky. And no matter what we do, because of the toxins in our environment, because of our chronic stress, because of the fact that we're just around people who are sick a lot, all of us have a compromised immune system in so many ways.
[00:10:18] Carrie Lupoli: And it's so amazing because I, it's like I will have, I, I just, I... How many people I hear are sick all the time. All
[00:10:24] Emilia Rizzuto: the time.
[00:10:25] Carrie Lupoli: And so as soon... I literally, all of my clients, I'm like, "This is what you need to be taking. This is what you need to be doing," in addition to the fact that we just laid down the tile, and it becomes the grout in the tile that keeps everything steady.
[00:10:37] Carrie Lupoli: And I'm like, "You're, this is a part of your routine now."
[00:10:41] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah.
[00:10:41] Carrie Lupoli: Because of that, and that immu- like, and now it's like my clients are just like, "I, I have to. This has to be a part of my, my routine and my system." But the last time you and I were together, and we started talking about additional research in the elderberry world, and this makes sense.
[00:10:58] Carrie Lupoli: After you first told me [00:11:00] this, I started thinking about it because I was like, if there is a, a plant, a flower that actually can do this much for our immunity, everything is connected, and we have been made to believe that we are like a whack-a-mole and that everything is separate. But if we improve our immunity- I- it goes to true, like, it makes sense to say, "What else does it improve?"
[00:11:25] Carrie Lupoli: And you are s- like, uh, not stumbling on because you literally live this world of elderberry all the time, but you are exploring and diving deep into the research of just how many additional benefits there are with elderberry.
[00:11:39] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, so I've been lucky because, again, living in Missouri, Missouri University here, they recently had a $5 million grant, and they did a whole study on brain health.
[00:11:48] Emilia Rizzuto: And so what they did is once the study was complete, they held an international symposium, and they brought in people from universities from all around the world that were studying elderberry. And I got to go, [00:12:00] and I spent a couple days there, and they did presentations. So every university pre-
[00:12:03] Carrie Lupoli: Really like an elderberry heaven.
[00:12:05] Emilia Rizzuto: It was. It was like, you know, farmers and, you know- Yeah ... people who have companies and people that are studying, so it was pretty fascinating, and I learned so much. And one of the main things that is being studied right now is brain health So not a lot of nutrients can cross the blood-brain barrier.
[00:12:21] Carrie Lupoli: Let's talk about that.
[00:12:22] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah. Because that blood-brain barrier is really important. That I think we say, but I don't know if people really understand what that means.
[00:12:28] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, we have a protective barriers, and it, it, we need it there because it's our brain, you know? Right. So it's not like we don't want everything that we eat to be able to get in there.
[00:12:36] Emilia Rizzuto: So the barrier- Can
[00:12:37] Carrie Lupoli: you imagine?
[00:12:37] Emilia Rizzuto: Can you imagine? It's like just- Yeah ... everyone's eating like Doritos and...
[00:12:41] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah.
[00:12:42] Emilia Rizzuto: I don't know why I thought of that, but yeah, so it's a pretty protective, it's a very good, it's a protective barrier, and elderberry can cross that barrier. So, and it's not like the berry, it's just like the nutrients in the berry or the, you know, elderberry has really high anthocyanins, flavonoids, polyphenols, quercetin.
[00:12:58] Emilia Rizzuto: So all of those, it can [00:13:00] get into the brain, which a lot of things can't, and so that's why if someone has any kind of tumors or inflammation, there's not much that can actually get in the brain, you know? Mm-hmm. And that's why elderberry has become such a popular plant to study 'cause they're like, "Okay, now that we know it can get in there, and it has all these amazing compounds in it, what are these compounds doing once they're in there?"
[00:13:21] Emilia Rizzuto: So the studies that they were doing was they were comparing it even to DHEA, 'cause that's one of the most powerful things used for brain health. It was a study with mice actually, which is kind
[00:13:30] Carrie Lupoli: of- Which I have learned is more like us than we realize. Yeah. And mice and rats are actually very, very, very different.
[00:13:38] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. Total sidebar. They don't use rats. They use mice. Yeah, exactly. Mice are much more like us. Yeah, they're much- Because they're closer to
[00:13:43] Carrie Lupoli: us, which is shocking.
[00:13:43] Emilia Rizzuto: That's why, yeah, that's why they're used in a lot of studies before they go to the human study. Yeah. So if they see potential in the mice study, then they know, "Okay, we can now do the human study."
[00:13:52] Emilia Rizzuto: And so what they did find is that inflammation was significantly lowered. The mice were happier. They were more social. They were able to solve [00:14:00] puzzles better. And this was a six-month study, and they just used straight elderberry juice, like the same kind of juice- So crazy ... we source for our elixir. So it's just great.
[00:14:08] Carrie Lupoli: And so that opens up so many, like really amazing opportunities if this really plays out to be such a benefit, because first of all, I believe in supplement smarter, not harder, and I'm such a fan, and like it's just so important to me that everybody is taking your elderberry, uh, in particular because I know how it's produced, and that matters more than anything else.
[00:14:34] Carrie Lupoli: But if we can actually help improve brain health, this is where longevity, our cognition, aging, like all the things that every single one of you listening say you care about when it comes to the healthiest versions of ourselves being around for as long as possible as the healthiest version of ourselves, this is like ex- uh, explosive.
[00:14:59] Carrie Lupoli: It's [00:15:00] amazing.
[00:15:00] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, I'm really excited to even hear as they continue researching 'cause they've also done studies on weight loss now with elderberry. So they're actually starting to study all the compounds in it for other benefits, because if it is anti-inflammatory, which is what they're finding, it's very anti-inflammatory, very high in antioxidants, which I know it's something that you talk about.
[00:15:18] Emilia Rizzuto: It's, you know, helps with free radical damage, so like also anti-aging, all those kinds of things. So any kind of cells in your body that are damaged and old, like this, it helps. It has like extra electrons basically is what, you know, it, it fixes the free radical cells. And quercetin, quercetin is the compound that they have really taken a part in elderberry, 'cause there's lots of different kinds of quercetins, and so they have been studying the different berries and finding which particular compounds do what, and they're finding that elderberry is one of the highest berries.
[00:15:46] Emilia Rizzuto: Like they say blueberries and w- even wine, all those kinds of dark purple- Yep. Yep ... fruits can contain these things. Beets are really great, too, and so they're finding that elderberry specifically has really powerful compounds. [00:16:00]
[00:16:00] Carrie Lupoli: It is so interesting 'cause it's not something we often like put in our yogurt.
[00:16:03] Emilia Rizzuto: The elderberry? Like
[00:16:04] Carrie Lupoli: we put, yeah, right? We put blueberries in.
[00:16:06] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, and we don't eat the berry. Nobody actually eats- Right ... just an elderberry.
[00:16:10] Carrie Lupoli: Right. You can- So you have to have it in a different format.
[00:16:13] Emilia Rizzuto: You have to have it in a different format, yeah. And so with our elixir, not only are you getting the elderberry, you're also getting ginger, which is really anti-inflammatory.
[00:16:19] Emilia Rizzuto: You're getting clove, which is anti-parasitic, antibacterial. Ceylon cinnamon, which is the considered true cinnamon, and that's really good for balancing blood sugar, too. Yes,
[00:16:28] Carrie Lupoli: it is.
[00:16:28] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. And that's kinda- Yep ... like our preservative 'cause we didn't use preservatives, so it helps.
[00:16:32] Carrie Lupoli: Right. It was such a smart way to do it, too.
[00:16:34] Carrie Lupoli: There's also a tea that's amazing. So like, uh, just kind of multiple ways to be able to get it in there. My kids have gummies in every-- in their-- They love the gummies, which I'm not a fan usually of gummies when it comes to vitamins. Uh, but yours are, I 100% love that I feel good about them, them taking it.
[00:16:55] Carrie Lupoli: But I wanna go back to free radicals, 'cause that is something that I talk about a lot. [00:17:00] Because every time we glycate, so every time our blood sugar spikes, we, our, our body just releases these free radicals, and these free radicals, I describe 'em like lightning bolts in your body, and they just start to zap all of your cells, your good cells, your bad cells, all of them.
[00:17:18] Carrie Lupoli: And that's what causes oxidative stress in our body, and once we have that, this is when metabolic disease and dysfunction start to come into play. Not just aging, but every single metabolic dysfunction- is impacted by this. And so it's inevitable that we're gonna be spiking our blood sugar, and it naturally occurs as we continue to age.
[00:17:41] Carrie Lupoli: But if there is a natural alternative or a natural option that we already know is so powerful for antioxidants and immunity, but it can also help support, 'cause this is where inflammation comes in too from all these free radicals- Absolutely ... this inflammation and this oxidative stress, it's [00:18:00] such a no-brainer.
[00:18:01] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, 'cause it's, it's daily It's such a
[00:18:03] Carrie Lupoli: no-brainer.
[00:18:03] Emilia Rizzuto: Like we're daily having this inflammation from the way that we eat, the way that we sleep, the air, just all-consuming, you know? I
[00:18:10] Carrie Lupoli: mean, everything is plastic. Like it's all, it, and this is why I say it's like the grout Because we can only be as stable as we can be, 'cause literally, like, the food, even the organic stuff that's being grown for us, is in soil that's not full of nutrients at all.
[00:18:29] Carrie Lupoli: No. It, it, it's, it... We stripped away so many of our nutrients, and we have to, we have no choice now but to have to supplement with some of these coming back. But I just, I really do love how multidimensional and multifaceted the elderberry is, and you've taught me so much over the years. But now that we're seeing this new research, I just felt like you had to come back and share it, because people need to know that this isn't, like, a cold and flu season kinda thing.
[00:18:55] Carrie Lupoli: When you're taking elderberry, it's A, it's like saying that I'm only gonna brush my teeth when I eat, [00:19:00] like, really sugary things.
[00:19:02] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah.
[00:19:02] Carrie Lupoli: Like, this is something that a consistent practice helps to build. And as we know now and are seeing more and more research on the promises around our brain health, it's just another reason to stay consistent with it.
[00:19:17] Emilia Rizzuto: Right, and especially since we're being bombarded daily, you know, like we talked about with all the plastics and all the other things. It's just you're balancing it out. And I'd love to share just a quick way that I personally use it in my daily life.
[00:19:29] Carrie Lupoli: Yes.
[00:19:29] Emilia Rizzuto: I believe that hydration is also probably, like, one of the key things that so many people are lacking.
[00:19:35] Emilia Rizzuto: Um-
[00:19:35] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah, it's one of our six spinning plates, right? It- Hydration is one of them. Supplementation is another.
[00:19:40] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. And I also like stacking my kinda, like, habits, because- Yes ... we're all busy. Everyone's busy. If we got kids- Yes ... everyone's running around. Whatever you're doing, people are busy. The world is just busy.
[00:19:49] Emilia Rizzuto: And so I love to just, like, in the morning, I start my day, like, while I'm making breakfast for the kids and doing all the other things, I immediately just do, like, a mason jar full of filtered water, and I add our [00:20:00] elderberry elixir. I add a little bit of apple cider vinegar, and I add sea salt. That's it.
[00:20:04] Emilia Rizzuto: Just, like, those three things. And I drink that every morning, so I know I'm, like, fully hydrated and really hydrated. Like, I'm, I have the sea salt in there, it's in the water. It's a little
[00:20:12] Carrie Lupoli: bit of, like, an electrolyte in there.
[00:20:13] Emilia Rizzuto: I'm, yeah, I'm basically making an electrolyte concoction. Yeah. But if you buy an electrolyte packet nowadays, those things are only, like, two bucks a packet, you know?
[00:20:19] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah, and it's, like, filled with either artificial flavoring or sugar, and it's just crazy to me-
[00:20:24] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, and they'll have, like, too much citric acid in it ... how,
[00:20:24] Carrie Lupoli: how we call this hydration, and how we've replaced water with it.
[00:20:27] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. It's all, like, yeah. And so, and the citric acid sometimes, it's not good citric acid in there, too.
[00:20:33] Emilia Rizzuto: So, and this is fresh.
[00:20:34] Carrie Lupoli: Never mind the quote-unquote natural flavors that are in all of them
[00:20:36] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah. No, and this is, so this is the way I start my day. I think this is the easiest thing you can do.
[00:20:41] Carrie Lupoli: So say it again. So you do the elderberry elixir- Mm-hmm. Into the
[00:20:44] Emilia Rizzuto: water ... which is
[00:20:44] Carrie Lupoli: awesome. Yeah. 'Cause it's literally the same ingredients that you use for your elixir, right?
[00:20:49] Carrie Lupoli: For, for your s- your syrup, but you can make it yourself.
[00:20:52] Emilia Rizzuto: Well- Am I right? ... I actually just use my, the syrup that's already made.
[00:20:56] Carrie Lupoli: Oh, so you're using the syrup. 'Cause I have both. Yeah. So I'm just, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, [00:21:00] like, be you.
[00:21:01] Emilia Rizzuto: Okay, so I'm, if-
[00:21:02] Carrie Lupoli: So I'm using the syrup ...
[00:21:03] Emilia Rizzuto: I'm using the pre-made syrup, yes.
[00:21:04] Carrie Lupoli: Got
[00:21:04] Emilia Rizzuto: it.
[00:21:04] Emilia Rizzuto: Most of the time- Got- ... just 'cause, like, life is busy. I do it when I have-
[00:21:07] Carrie Lupoli: I just usually take a swig every day.
[00:21:08] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, I know. When I have time, I do like to cook the dry k- the d- the brew kits, because then I can change the sweetness.
[00:21:15] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah, exactly. You know? Exactly. And I just like, at my
[00:21:16] Emilia Rizzuto: hou- I just enjoy doing it 'cause it reminds me of how it, when it all started.
[00:21:20] Emilia Rizzuto: I love that. And those are great for people who are keto, vegan, you know, trying to do no sugar at all. But the elixir only has a little bit of honey, so it's fine.
[00:21:27] Carrie Lupoli: Yeah.
[00:21:27] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I do, like, a nice big pour of the elixir into my water. I do apple cider vinegar. People can just do lemon, too. Some p- people don't like apple cider vinegar.
[00:21:35] Emilia Rizzuto: Yep, you
[00:21:35] Carrie Lupoli: can do lemon, but apple cider vinegar in that concoction, it's not like you're tasting just apple cider vinegar, but that really does help with blood sugar balance, too.
[00:21:42] Emilia Rizzuto: Yeah, and gut, so you got good bacteria. Yep. Yep. Starts to kinda, like, just, like, lines the gut well. Now I've got elderberry, I've got ginger, I've got cinnamon, I've got clove, I've got all of that in already in there.
[00:21:51] Emilia Rizzuto: Because that's
[00:21:51] Carrie Lupoli: already in the elixir. '
[00:21:52] Emilia Rizzuto: Cause it's in the elixir. And then I put Celtic Sea Salt in.
[00:21:55] Carrie Lupoli: So how much, how big is your glass? You said it's like a mason jar. Um, a 32-ounce mason jar. [00:22:00] A 32-ounce mason, and do you just sip on that? So how much of the elixir are you putting in?
[00:22:04] Emilia Rizzuto: I'm putting in a good table- like, a solid pour.
[00:22:08] Emilia Rizzuto: At least a tablespoon.
[00:22:08] Carrie Lupoli: Yep. Yeah. Yep. That's probably about what I swig. Just 'cause I'm just blindly
[00:22:11] Emilia Rizzuto: pouring. Yeah. Yeah. Probably about as much as your swig. I'm just blindly pouring.
[00:22:15] Carrie Lupoli: I love this idea. Mm-hmm. I'm doing this in the morning. It's great. I'm doing this tomorrow.
[00:22:19] Emilia Rizzuto: So by the time, like, I've even sat down to have my breakfast, I am, I mean, I'm good.
[00:22:23] Emilia Rizzuto: I'm, like, hydrated. Yeah. My gut's good. I'm, I'm, I'm ready to go.
[00:22:26] Carrie Lupoli: Yep. I love that. That is so great. Yeah, so it's really simple, and it's really powerful, and I love this new research that's coming out. Just another way for us to continue to become the healthiest version of ourselves, but in, like, such a simple way that doesn't even add more time, because I'm already, I'm already making everybody take elderberry in my life.
[00:22:45] Carrie Lupoli: But now we're gonna make this fun drink. That's right. And it's gonna keep me from having a second cup of coffee.
[00:22:49] Emilia Rizzuto: Yes, that does, too, 'cause you know, you know what? I find that a lot of people drink coffee in the morning to, like, go to the bathroom
[00:22:56] Carrie Lupoli: Oh yeah, I know.
[00:22:57] Emilia Rizzuto: I know. And, but when you hydrate this well, it also [00:23:00] helps with that.
[00:23:01] Emilia Rizzuto: Oh,
[00:23:01] Carrie Lupoli: interesting.
[00:23:01] Emilia Rizzuto: You know what I mean? It just gets everything- Yep ... moving, so-
[00:23:04] Carrie Lupoli: Yep ...
[00:23:04] Emilia Rizzuto: you don't need that massive cup of coffee to go to the bathroom in the morning. Yep.
[00:23:08] Carrie Lupoli: Yep, yep. All right, we got, we got lots of experimenting to do. So Emilia, tell everybody how they can find you, and go check out all of your good stuff, and start this, this beautiful routine of grouting your kitchen tile.
[00:23:22] Carrie Lupoli: That's right.
[00:23:23] Emilia Rizzuto: So just allthingselderberry.com. That's our website, and you can learn about the products there. We have lots of, you know, questions and answers and facts, and you can follow us on social media, @allthingselderberry on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok. We're @allthingselderberry on all the platforms.
[00:23:37] Carrie Lupoli: All Things Elderberry, and elderberry is all things, as we are seeing. So I'm so excited that we're able to share this with people. You're just an amazing woman entrepreneur. I love supporting women supporting other women, and I love when our listeners support small businesses. So this is really important.
[00:23:57] Carrie Lupoli: It's powerful for you, but it's also helping a [00:24:00] whole family and a woman entrepreneur as well. No, thank you very much. So I love it. Congratulations. You've done some such amazing work, and I love being able to share anything and everything about it.
[00:24:10] Emilia Rizzuto: Thank you. I appreciate it.
[00:24:12] Carrie Lupoli: All right, go, go All Things Elderberry, you guys.
[00:24:14] Carrie Lupoli: Thanks.
[00:24:15] Emilia Rizzuto: Thanks.
