For the last few years, I have been able to keep roughly 90% of my colds/influenzas away by taking elderberry extract. It seems like a miracle-cure, almost too good to be true, and therefore I can’t believe more people don’t know about it.
To be effective, elderberry extract must be taken regularly and must be started with the onset of symptoms–before you feel terrible. It works by boosting the immune system with its extremely high levels of antioxidants (flavinoids), by reducing inflammation with its anthocyanins, and by somehow binding to the virus to keep it from attacking the body–or so it seems. It is still unclear how/if it actually does this, but that does seem to be what the evidence shows. There is a multitude of articles on “green” or “holistic” blogs and websites describing the benefits of using elderberry extract (find them by doing a simple web search), but for the sake of credibility, I thought this 2003 article from the very mainstream WebMD touting the berry’s power would be most convincing–even though the language in the article is cautionary. The most incredible part of the article is the statement, “Nearly 90% of patients had complete cure within two to three days.” This compares to the group that received a placebo where the earliest recovery took 6 days.
More recently, though, a study out of Israel published in July 2009 suggests that elderberry extract can inhibit the H1N1 virus and compares favorably to Tamiflu® but without any side-effects.
There are a number of elderberry preparations available today. Most have a strange flavor that takes some getting used to. In our home, the favored brand is Nature’s Way. It tastes great and has been extremely effective for us. It is available at Whole Foods and Grassroots Natural Market in South Pasadena. I imagine it is available at other health-food stores, but I haven’t checked.
Prepared elderberry extract can be expensive–especially if the whole family is taking it. The recommended dosage is 1 teaspoon every 4 hours if you know you’ve been exposed to a cold or flu, or if you start to notice symptoms. In our home, if one of us gets sick, we all start taking elderberry extract to avoid passing it around. We all usually still get a mild case of whatever is going around–sniffles, a tickle in the throat–but none of us has ever been laid out while taking it.
Due to the high cost of the extract, and our pure belief in its effectiveness, we’ve decided to try making it ourselves. I purchased dried elderberries through the Frontier buying co-op I belong to through the Holistic Moms Network, and made a batch according to the following instructions. I gave it to my parents and siblings since they were battling an illness at the time. I’ve yet to try it out for myself. I can say, though, that the recipe is delicious!
Note: For more excellent information about elderberries, and another excellent (more thorough) recipe, click here.