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fight cold & flu

Natural strategies to stay healthy this winter

Although COVID-19 (understandably) still steals the spotlight when it comes to infection news, regular cold and flu season hasn’t gone away. As you review your natural remedy arsenal, consider having the herb elderberry on hand for gardenvariety respiratory infections.

Elderberry, sometimes known by the name black elder, has served as a safe and popular food ingredient for centuries—especially in elderberry pie, wine, and jam. This herb has a long history as a folk remedy for the flu and other respiratory infections. As far back as Roman times, elderberry served as a flu remedy, which remains this herb’s forte even today.

Boost your recovery

Elderberry offers solid health benefits, but it’s a good idea to set expectations appropriately. The herb won’t keep you from getting sick, but evidence does show that elderberry users enjoy a quicker recovery from winter ailments. With elderberry by your side, you’ll get back to school or work faster than without it.

But there’s a catch: Elderberry seems to work best when taken early in an infection.

Research has shown that folks taking elderberry extract (as a liquid extract of the berries) in the first day or two of an influenza-like illness recover about four days sooner than those taking a placebo. Not only were those in the elderberry group back on their feet sooner, but they also didn’t take as much or as many medications for symptom relief.

In one meta-analysis researchers stated that relying on elderberry offered the side benefit of avoiding antibiotic misuse, which happens when people take antibiotics for viral infections even though antibiotics can help only with bacterial infections. Elderberry also serves as a safer treatment than prescription medications for the common cold and influenza.

How much should you take?

elderberry flowers to nurse yourself through a cold or flu, but more modern forms of standardized liquid extract are readily available, as well as capsules/tablets, gummies, syrups, and lozenges. Elderberry syrup is probably the most readily available form and it’s taken in the amount of 1 tablespoon four times daily for the first three to five days of an illness.

Remember: Experts advise starting elderberry at the earliest sign of a cold or flu for best results. ●

SELECTED SOURCES “Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) supplementation

effectively treats upper respiratory symptoms: A meta-analysis of

randomized, controlled clinical trials” by J. Hawkins et al., Complementary Therapies in Medicine • “Elderberry (herb/suppl),” https://reference. medscape.com • “Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral

elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections”

by Z. Zakay-Rones et al., Journal of International Medical Research, 2004 • “A

review of the antiviral properties of Black Elder (Sambucus nigra L.)

products” by R.S. Porter and R.F. Bode, Phytotherapy Research, 4/17

Victoria Dolby Toews, MPH, a health journalist for more than two decades, is the author of Life After Baby: Rediscovering and Reclaiming Your Healthy Pizzazz (Basic Health Publications, 2012).