Winter has many associations: long walks after a fresh snowfall, hot cocoa in front of a fire, the joys of the Christmas season, and, unfortunately, colds and the flu. Although we can’t always avoid a cold or flu, some members of the plant kingdom have demonstrated a powerful ability to boost the immune system and reduce the effects of nasty viruses.
Black Elderberry contains a treasure trove of healing properties and has been used medicinally by practically every culture going back thousands of years. Archeologists discovered that some early humans buried their dead with elderberry branches, and Native Americans used the berries, leaves, and flowers to protect themselves against viral infections.
Elderberry Throughout History
Hippocrates (460-375 BCE), regarded by many as the father of medicine, had a particular fondness for elderberry, calling it his “great medicine chest.”Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist and philosopher who lived until 79 AD, mentions the elder plant several times for uses as food, medicine, and hair dye in his famous work “Natural History.” This encyclopedic work, containing thirty-seven volumes, covered all known knowledge of the natural world at the time and was an authority on scientific matters until the Middle Ages.
Dioscorides (40-90 AD), the Greek physician and pharmacologist, recommended a wine made from elderberry roots as a remedy for snake bites. His work, De materia medica, was the leading pharmacological text for sixteen centuries.
Elderberry seeds found in neolithic dwellings in Switzerland suggest that it was in cultivation in Europe by around 2,000 BCE.
Well-known to ancient cultures as powerful antivirals, elderberry extracts are being shown by scientific studies to lower cholesterol and effectively reduce blood pressure.
Black Elderberry–Sambucus Nigra
Black Elderberry, or Sambucus nigra, is the species most commonly used by ancient people for its medicinal benefits, although other species also have medicinal uses. Black elderberry is in the Adoxacaeae family and grows as a shrub or small tree reaching up to 30 feet tall. Elderberry likes rich, moist, well-drained soil and prefers semi-shade to full sun.Other species of elderberry include blue elderberry (Sambucus caerulea), European dwarf elderberry (Sambucus ebulus), and red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa).
Elderberry grows as a broad, woody shrub with segmented stems with a soft, white pith (the tissue found in the stems of vascular plants). When young, the bark is smooth and green, gradually becoming smooth and brown as it ages and eventually developing round bumps and vertical furrows. Elderberry blossoms are a dense cluster of flowers, ranging in color from white to cream. The berries range from black to purplish-blue when ripe and grow in groups. The leaves range from green to dark purple and have an unpleasant odor, which is thought to act as an insect repellant.
Identification/Differentiation–Caution
Elderberry is sometimes mistaken for water hemlock, which is highly poisonous. Unlike elderberry, water Hemlock is a herbaceous plant and doesn’t have bark. The main stem of the water hemlock is hollow, while elderberry stems are filled with a soft pith. The stems of water hemlock often have purple streaks or blotches and purple nodes, and older plants may be entirely purple. If you are foraging, be careful to identify elderberry correctly and rule out water hemlock before consuming.All parts of the fresh elderberry plant are mildly toxic, so do not use any part of the fresh plant without drying or boiling it first. Leaves and bark are mainly used externally for bruises, sprains, and wounds, and the berries, flowers, and leaves are all used medicinally and should be boiled or dried completely before consumption. Elderberry tincture can be taken preventatively for colds and flu or when you feel the first symptoms coming on.
Elderberry is safe for children and can be taken as a tincture or syrup to boost immunity and help alleviate the severity and duration of colds and flu. Cooked, fresh elderberries can be used to make elderberry syrup and elderberry wine.
Elderberry for the Flu
The use of black elderberry has become very popular in recent years for its touted effects of boosting the immune system and helping ease the duration and side effects of colds and the flu. Thankfully, there are also several studies that demonstrate how black elderberry works its magic.A study published in The Journal of International Medical Research set out to study the effects of elderberry syrup on influenza A and B. Participants were split into two groups. All 60 participants had early flu symptoms (fatigue, body aches, congestion, and fever) for less than 48 hours. The test groups were given either 15 ml of elderberry or a placebo syrup four times daily for five days. Participants receiving elderberry syrup recovered four days faster than the placebo group.
A different study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine focused on a group of individuals during an influenza outbreak. Fever, feeling of improvement, and complete cure were recorded over six days. A significant improvement in symptoms, including fever, was shown in 93 percent of the participants taking the elderberry within two days. A complete cure was achieved within two to three days in nearly 90 percent of the elderberry-treated group compared to at least six days in the placebo group.
Elderberry for the Common Cold
A study published in the Journal Nutrients in 2014 examined the severity of cold symptoms in air travelers. The study included 312 economy-class passengers traveling from Australia overseas. The participants took an elderberry extract or a placebo 10 days before their flight until five days after they reached their destination. Participants were given a diary where they recorded cold episodes, duration, and symptoms.The study found that the placebo group had more cold episodes than those taking elderberry supplements. It also found that the placebo group had significantly more days with a cold and more symptoms during those days. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that supplementation with elderberry extract could substantially reduce the duration and severity of colds among air travelers.
In 2020, a review published in Advances in Integrative Medicine looked at five elderberry studies and concluded that if taken within 48 hours of initial symptoms, elderberry supplements can reduce the duration and severity of fever, headache, congestion, and runny nose associated with colds and flu.
Black Elderberry and Immunity
Elderberry also contains pigments called anthocyanins that have antioxidant properties and give the berries their dark color. Several studies have shown that anthocyanins are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, and neuroprotective, benefit eye health, and increase collagen.Lab tests have found that anthocyanins can inhibit neuraminidase, which is the part of a virus that allows it to replicate. For example, the antiviral oseltamivir, which you may know by the brand name Tamiflu, is also a neuraminidase inhibitor and reduces flu symptoms using the same mechanism.
Elderberry also contains very high levels of antioxidants and flavonoids, that act as natural anti-inflammatories and help our bodies fight cellular damage that can lead to forming free radicals. Some free radicals are a normal byproduct of metabolic processes, and some are even essential, but they can also develop from external exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, air pollutants, radiation, and industrial chemicals.
Evidence suggests that high concentrations of free radicals (an inflammatory state that causes oxidative stress) are at the root of some of our most destructive degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.
Studies have also discovered that elderberry has an effect on cytokines. Cytokines are an essential part of our immune system. They’re specialized types of molecules that tell the body to either increase or decrease the intensity of an immune response. When there is a serious threat from an invader, we want the body to mount a more aggressive immune response. Pro-inflammatory cytokines help direct this response. However, when the danger is gone, we want anti-inflammatory cytokines to tell the immune system to take it easy because the coast is clear. An immune system continually in overdrive causes chronic inflammation, which can lead to various problems, including many autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and multiple sclerosis.
We need cytokines to communicate to our immune system what kind of response is required, so keeping them functioning properly is an important part of maintaining our overall health. Studies have shown that black elderberry extracts increase and regulate cytokine levels in the human immune system. A study published in European Cytokine Network set out to assess the effect of black elderberry on cytokine production. The researchers found that black elderberry extracts activate the healthy immune system by significantly increasing inflammatory cytokine production.
Final Thoughts
Traditional cultures understood that elderberry was a valuable plant—nutritionally and medicinally—and science is now explaining how it works. Black elderberry is now so common that you can find it as a syrup or gummies in almost any drug or health food store and online. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to forage elderberry for yourself, just be sure your identification skills are top-notch, and boil every part of the plant (berries, leaves, and flowers) well before consuming.I recommend finding a good herbal handbook to help with identification and preparation. Knowing a little about plants and herbs is always helpful and will reconnect you to the beautiful planet we all call home.
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