ELDERBERRY RESEARCH
Important: If you have underlying health or auto-immune diseases or are pregnant or nursing you should always check with your health care provider before consuming elderberry. The information we provide is in no way medical advice, but informational only.
Research on Elderberry
Below are three of the many studies that investigate elderberry’s effect on virus inhibition and respiratory symptom relief.
Elderberry vs INFLUENZA. Here’s a good summary and here’s the actual study. “Elderberries have potent direct antiviral effect against the flu virus. They inhibit the early stages of an infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for both the viral attachment and entry into the host cells.” -Study’s first author Dr. Golnoosh Torabian
Elderberry significantly reduces upper-respiratory symptoms in an analysis of multiple studies involving clinical trials with humans.
Elderberry inhibits a strain of avian coronavirus An in-vitro study showed that elderberry extract inhibited an avian coronavirus (IBV) at an early point of infection, possibly by rendering the virus non-infectious.
Additional Information on Elderberry
(2) Summaries of Studies on Elderberry’s Effects on Colds and Flus
(3) Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro.
(4) Another good synopsis of health benefits
(6) Elderberry ranks #2 in antioxidant rich berries according to their ORAC Score
Research on Elderflower
Elderflower vs MRSA. Potent anti-bacterial properties. Antibacterial activity of elderflower against common hospital pathogens (including MRSA).
Elderflower tea as a high anti-oxidant source, “Elder beverages could be important dietary sources of natural antioxidants that contribute to the prevention of diseases caused by oxidative stress.”
What about Elderberry and COVID-19?
Posts claiming that elderberry could cause a severe immune reaction called a cytokine storm circulated at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. There is no scientific evidence supporting this claim.
To learn more, we highly recommend reading this thorough summary explaining how research on cytokines was misinterpreted, a comprehensive analysis of elderberry and inflammatory responses, and how existing research indicates elderberry could play a positive role against COVID-19 with low overall risk in otherwise healthy individuals.