Elderberry Has Not Been Proven To Prevent Covid
Some have even relied on elderberry products to help ease the effects of cancer, depression and HIV/AIDS. While people have been led to believe that elderberry can prevent COVID-19, no published research studies have evaluated the use of elderberry for COVID-19. Vaccination is still the best line of defense against COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission have also taken action against companies that market products with unconfirmed claims of elderberrys effectiveness against COVID-19.
How Should I Take Elderberry
When considering the use of herbal supplements, seek the advice of your doctor. You may also consider consulting a practitioner who is trained in the use of herbal/health supplements.
If you choose to use elderberry, use it as directed on the package or as directed by your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider. Do not use more of this product than is recommended on the label.
Do not use different forms of elderberry at the same time or you could have an overdose.
Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
Sambucol is used to relieve cold & flu symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever, and chills. Take at the the first sign of cold or flu symptoms.
If desired, you may mix elderberry liquid with water, fruit juice, yogurt, or a smoothie.
Store your elderberry product as directed away from moisture, heat, and light.
Side Effects Of Sambucol
Sambucol is a brand of standardized black elderberry extract marketed for cold and flu relief. It’s available in the form of syrup and tablets. Traditionally, elderberry has been used topically to treat wounds, as well as taken orally for cold and flu symptoms. The elder plant may possess beneficial anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-cancer effects, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Elderberry contains antioxidants that may help protect your cells from damage also.
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How Should I Take Sambucol
When considering the use of herbal supplements, seek the advice of your doctor. You may also consider consulting a practitioner who is trained in the use of herbal/health supplements.
If you choose to use Sambucol, use it as directed on the package or as directed by your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider. Do not use more of this product than is recommended on the label.
Do not use different forms of elderberry at the same time or you could have an overdose.
Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
Sambucol is used to relieve cold & flu symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever, and chills. Take at the the first sign of cold or flu symptoms.
If desired, you may mix Sambucol liquid with water, fruit juice, yogurt, or a smoothie.
Call your doctor if the condition you are treating with Sambucol does not improve, or if you have a fever for more than 3 days or cold symptoms for more than 7 days.
Store your Sambucol product as directed away from moisture, heat, and light.
What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Elderberry
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction:hives difficult breathing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Although not all side effects are known, elderberry is thought to be possibly safe when taken as directed for a short period of time.
Elderberry is possibly unsafe when uncooked leaves, stems, or fruit are consumed. The elderberry plant contains a chemical that produces cyanide in the leaves or other plant parts and in the unripe green fruit. This can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, or more serious side effects if consumed in large quantities.
Stop using elderberry and call your doctor at once if you have:
Common side effects may include:
- nausea, vomiting
- diarrhea or
- runny nose.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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What The Science Says
Does elderberry syrup really work? That depends on what your definition of work is. To be clear and avoid confusion, there is no such thing as a cure for colds. No berry, food, supplement, or medicine has been proven to do that.
That being said, there has been research involving the European elder and how it might help with respiratory illnesses.
Preliminary studies have suggested that it might shorten the duration of the flu by up to 3 days and help with cold symptom relief.
Officially this berry extract ingredient whether as Sambucol or another brand is sold as a dietary supplement only. It is not a medicine for treating, preventing, or curing any disease. Much more research needs to be done for there to even be a chance of that status ever changing. As of today, it is considered unproven.
With those caveats said, here is a review of the research so far.
Side Effect On Cytokines
If elderberry juice does work for colds and other viruses, why does it work? Yes, the ORAC value of elderberries, which is a laboratory measurement of its antioxidant content, is about 300% that of blueberries. But how much antioxidant activity it may have has nothing to do with antiviral activity.
Some speculate it may be the effect elderberries have on cytokines.
What are cytokines? In Greek, cyto means cell and kinos means movement cell movement. Thats exactly what they do.
Cytokines are types of proteins which are released by cells of our immune system. Think of these cytokines as a chemical messenger. They go and tell other immune system cells to move and do things like fight an infection.
In a nutshell, some theorize that having higher amounts of cytokines might boost immunity function.
This study is not specific to any type of viral infection. It looked at the effect of black elderberry on the immune system of healthy people .
12 participants who were young and healthy students were given a non-proprietary standard black elderberry extract as well as branded Sambucol products.
Effect on production of TNF-alpha cytokines. LPS = known activators, E.Ex = elderberry extract, B.E. = Sambucol original syrup, Kids = Sambucol for Kids, A.D. = Sambucol Active Defense/Immune System Formula
The results?
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Elderberry Fights Flu Symptoms
Jelly, Jam, or Wine Won’t Help — Only Extract Works
Dec. 22, 2003 — Sambucol, a black elderberry extract, appears to short-circuit flu symptoms, a new study shows.
This is more evidence that this herbal treatment for flu — if taken when flu-like symptoms first appear — could help people get through this year’s flu invasion a bit easier.
However, Andrew Weil, MD, director of the program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona, is cautious. The findings on Sambucol are only preliminary, he says. He advises people to take prescription drugs if they get the flu, but notes that Sambucol may help.
“Sambucol is for treatment, not for prevention,” Weil tells WebMD. “It has an unknown mechanism of action. Research suggests it inactivates the flu virus, but we don’t know that for sure.”
The flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are used for the treatment of the flu, if the symptoms have been present for no more than two days. They can also cut flu severity and shorten illness if taken soon after flu symptoms appear. Background on Black Elder
In folk medicine, flowers from the black elder bush have been used to ease flu symptoms, colds, and sinus problems. In recent years, researchers have begun formal studies of Sambucol — a formulation of elderberry extract — to better understand this herbal remedy.
This current study shows that, indeed, it works for type A flu, reports lead researcher Erling Thom, with the University of Oslo in Norway.
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What Is Elderberry Syrup And Oscillococcinum
Surprisingly, these natural flu fighters are sold in most pharmacies, so the average person has no idea that they arent real medicine.
Not real medicine?
Does that make them alternative medicine?
theres no such thing as conventional or alternative or complementary or integrative or holistic medicine. Theres only medicine that works and medicine that doesnt. And the best way to sort it out is by carefully evaluating scientific studies not by visiting Internet chat rooms, reading magazine articles, or talking to friends.
Paul Offit, MD on Do You Believe in Magic?
So Elderberry syrup and Oscillococcinum fall into the category of medicine that doesnt work.
That still doesnt help you understand what they are though
Elderberry syrup is made from the berries of the European elder tree . While it is sold like a traditional cough and cold medicine, it is just another herbal remedy.
Whats in Oscillococcinum?
Anas Barbariae Hepatis Et Cordis Extractum 200 CK HPUS
No berries or herbs in Oscillococcinum.
And not much of anything else either.
Wait.
Whose pancreatic juice do they use? The ducks?
While all of that sounds gross, if you have taken Oscillococcinum, you can rest assured that you havent eaten any duck heart, duck liver, or pancreatic juice.
Oscillococcinum is a homeopathic medicine and so that mixture is diluted so much, it is impossible that any of the original medicine is still in those little sugar pills.
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Air Travel And Catching Colds
Dont you hate it when that guy or gal next you on the plane is coughing and sneezing up a storm. Currently you are healthy, but you may not be after that flight!
This study didnt look at whether nearby passengers might be safer, but it did look at whether black elderberry might help prevent catching a cold .
If they did catch one, they then wanted to see if the supplement might reduce cold symptoms .
- 312 passengers who were not sick, flying from Australia to an international destination
- Average age was 51 and about two-thirds were women. Hardly any smoked . Average BMI was 25.
- 158 were given an elderberry supplement and 154 were given a placebo.
- The brand BerryPharma was used, which appears to only be sold in Europe and other countries outside of North America. Its formula contains Sambucus nigra grown in Austria. Each capsule contained 300 mg of the berry extract and 15% anthocyanins .
- Unlike the other studies, this evaluated elderberry for cold prevention since dosage began before being sick. Participants took 2 capsules daily for 10 days before travel, 3 capsules per day while traveling and during the four days which followed .
The results?
Percent of each group who were positive for RDS
Among all 312 participants, 29 of them got a cold.
Of those who got sick, 17 were on placebo and 12 were on elderberry supplements. Even though the latter got sick less, the difference was not statistically significant.
What Other Drugs Will Affect Sambucol
Do not take Sambucol without medical advice if you are using any of the following medications:
-
medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection
-
medicine to treat multiple sclerosis
-
medicine to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders
-
medicine to treat ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease or
-
steroid medicine.
This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect Sambucol, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.
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Is Sambucol Safe For Diabetics
4/5SambucoldiabetesSambucoldiabetes
Keeping this in view, can diabetics take elderberry?
Diabetes. Patients with diabetes must consult their physician before taking elderberry because it may lower blood sugar levels. Patients on prescription medication for diabetes who take elderberry may develop hypoglycemia, which is also known as low blood sugar.
Also Know, what are the side effects of sambucol? Common side effects of Elderberry include:
- Nausea/vomiting
- Weakness.
The Original Black Elderberry
Black elderberry has been used as an herbal remedy in traditional folk medicine for centuries. With such a rich history, its no wonder more and more people are turning to this wondrous berry to help support their immune system.* Sambucol® is special because our proprietary extract is recommended by experts and trusted by millions. Learn more about why people trust us as their immune support brand.
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Clinical Outcome Measurements And Statistical Analysis
Jackson Score: Over the entire study period, all participants maintained a diary. This was to record cold symptoms, as well as additional health issues or disease symptoms and additional medication taken. The diary helped participants with recalling information when completing the surveys and allowed researchers to identify possible inconsistencies in data documentation.
WURSS-21: In this study the upper respiratory symptom-related Quality of life was measured using the questions from the 21-item Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey . The WURSS-21 is a responsive, reliable and valid instrument for evaluating QoL outcomes related to respiratory illness, measuring all significant health-related dimensions that are negatively affected by the common cold . It includes 10 items assessing symptoms, nine items assessing functional impairments and one item each assessing global severity and global change over the last 24 h, all of which are based on 7-point Likert-type severity scales. A previous validation of the instrument showed that a cumulative score should be calculated by summing the severity scores of the first 20 items with high severity scores indicating high symptom load. The mean WURSS-21 score was calculated and analyzed and compared between groups using ANOVA.
How To Wash Your Hands
Warm water isnt essential but scrubbing with soap is.
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How To Blow Your Nose
Sniffing mucus back in leads to nasal congestion and blowing too hard can cause an earache by sending germ-carrying phlegm into ear passages. The best way to blow your nose is one nostril at a time. Press an index finger over your left nostril while you blow your right nostril gently into a tissue. Then press an index finger over the right nostril and blow gently into a tissue out of your left nostril.
May Lower Blood Sugar
Elderberry may lower blood sugar levels. Use caution if you have diabetes as this effect may increase your risk of hypoglycemia, which is when blood sugar levels fall too low. If you’re currently taking blood sugar-lowering medications, taking Sambucol may increase the effectiveness of your medication. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include nausea, rapid heartbeat, hunger, shakiness and sweating.
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Behold The Super Immune Support Berry
The elderberry is an incredibly powerful gift from nature that has been venerated and used throughout history. Hippocrates, father of medicine, touted its medicinal properties, and people have been using it for generations. With more antioxidants than most fruits , elderberries can help empower your immune system by fighting free radicals that damage it.* Hit the play button below to learn how Sambucol® bottles the power of these mighty berries into a convenient immune support product for you and your family.*
Best Elderberry Syrup Brand
Even though Sambucol appears to be the most studied, we feel there are not enough studies out there in order to decide what the best brand is . Plus since this ingredient is not yet proven to work for anything, a good or bad brand is largely a subjective opinion.
Not all of Natures Way Sambucus products are organic. We were not able to find their organic regular or kids syrup at any of the local stores we checked.
That being said, some people prefer organic elderberry supplements. There are a few which are USDA certified organic such as:
If you want the most studied brand though, where can you buy Sambucol? From our experiences, finding these products might involve traveling to multiple pharmacies/grocery stores. Whats for sale at Walmart may be different than Walgreens and Rite Aid pharmacy. Worse yet, some locations may have it while others do not.
Some Whole Foods sell Gaia but aside from that, it can be difficult to find a diverse selection of brands and sizes.
In the product photos featured at the start of this review, we actually had to visit 2 different stores in the Los Angeles area because one sold Sambucol while the other sold Natures Way Sambucus. Neither sold both brands!
Examples of Sambucol brand products for sale:
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What Other Drugs Will Affect Elderberry
Do not take elderberry without medical advice if you are using any of the following medications:
- medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection
- medicine to treat multiple sclerosis
- medicine to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders
- medicine to treat ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease or
- steroid medicine.
This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect elderberry, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.
Why People Buy Elderberry Syrup And Oscillococcinum
So if they dont work, why do so many people buy these products?
As I said, many people dont know that they are anything different than all of the other traditional cold and flu treatments on store shelves. After all, most pharmacies dont have a section or shelf for medicine that doesnt work.
We see the same thing when parents buy homeopathic teething medicines, colic tablets, pain and fever reducers, pinkeye drops, and cough syrup.
Unfortunately, since there are few good options to treat cold and flu symptoms, especially in younger kids, they buy Elderberry syrup and Oscillococcinum. It is also the remedy that is pushed on many anti-vaccine websites and by holistic pediatricians.
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