Elderberry, also known as Sambucus nigra, is a shrub found in the wild and in gardens. Elderberry contains flavonoids, plant compounds that give the berries medicinal properties. If you're using fresh elderberries to make tea or to use in recipes, only gather them from a reliable source, and never pick elderberries in the wild, as they can easily be confused with berries that may be poisonous. While ripe elderberries are safe, the National Institutes of Health reports that raw berries, bark and stem can be potentially toxic.
Flu Treatment
The best known medicinal use for elderberry is as a cold and flu treatment. Researchers at Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem wanted to see if there was any validity to the traditional use of elderberry against flu symptoms, so they tested it on patients that had been exhibiting flu symptoms for at least two days. One group was given elderberry extract, while the other group was given placebo syrup. The results, published in the March-April 2004 issue of International Journal of Medical Research, indicated that patients given elderberry extract healed four days faster and needed less flu medicine while they still had symptoms. The National Institutes of Health reports that elderberry may relieve traditional flu symptoms of cough, aches and pains, fever, headache and fatigue.
Diabetes Treatment
The fact that elderberry can lower blood sugar is usually presented as a warning, rather than a potential use for the plant. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that those who are on medication for diabetes should avoid use of elderberry, as it can cause blood sugar levels to go too low. The blood sugar lowering effects, while harmful to some, may be useful to others. Researchers from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania published a report in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry stating that because of its ability to lower blood sugar, elderberry should be considered as a possible dietary treatment for diabetes and a source of compounds that can be used in diabetes therapy.
Dietary Uses
Elderberries contain vitamin C, vitamin A, B vitamins, iron and calcium, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. Elderberries can be made into tea, juice, jams, jellies, soup, vinegars and wine. In fact, elderberries can be used in any recipe that calls for berries. Elderberries are not very sweet and require additional sweetener in most recipes. Be aware that if you use too much sugar, you can minimize the health effects that elderberries can deliver.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Elderberry and Elder Flower
- PubMed: Journal of International Medical Research: Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry Extract in the Treatment of Influenza
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Elderberry
- PubMed: Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry: The Effects of Sambucus Nigra Polyphenols on Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Disorders in Experimental Diabetes Mellitus
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Elder
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