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Have you seen elderberry ALL over the internet recently? I have seen it everywhere, and I have had numerous readers and friends asking me for information on it. Today, we are going to share some chemistry secrets on the truth about elderberry for your health!
If you are confused and wondering if you need to starting taking elderberry right away, then you will love this post!
The problem with so many health fads is there are many biased articles you will read about the subject. It can make it hard to discern what is truth and what is not.
We love sharing chemistry secrets with you which tell you the answers based on science. Science is really the only thing that can prove the answers and the truth behind things.
So, let’s check out the truth about elderberry for your health! Also, here are some more popular articles sharing the truth about these subjects.
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- Eliminating Dairy for Auto-Immune Disease, What it REALLY Does!
- The Truth About Bone Broth for Your Health
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- Living with Chronic Pain Everyday for 20 Years
PIN THIS: The Truth About Elderberry for Your Health
The original elderberry (Sambucus nigra) originates in Europe. Mainly, England, parts of central Europe, and southern Europe.
A relative to Sambucus nigra is a North American variety called the American Elder (Sambucus canadensis). Most scientific research has been performed on the European variety. Both should have similar characteristics.
Chemical Breakdown Of Elderberry
I have analyzed numerous chemical testing done on elderberry for the last few decades. As with most fruits like this, you can even find records dating back from the early 1900s. For this post, I made sure to browse the most recent labs and experiments to get the information.
Vitamin C
Elderberry fruit contains a large dose of vitamin C. It has around 34.10 mg/per 100 g. That is a significant amount of vitamin C.
Cellulose
Another notable chemical component of elderberry is cellulose. Cellulose is found in all plants, but some have higher amounts than others. This report shows elderberry at about 1.65%.
Anthocyanins
There are about 864 mg/l of anthocyanins in elderberry. These are a group of antioxidants responsible for color and pigment. As you know, antioxidants are very powerful for your health. All fruits contain them, but levels vary. Fruits with rich, dark pigments tend to have the highest levels of antioxidants.
Minerals
There are numerous minerals found in elderberries. The largest amounts are Potassium (K), Phosphorous (P), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium.
Amino Acids
There are seven essential amino acids also found in this chemical analysis.
Other Contents
Elderberry also contains all the usual sugars that fruits have.
What Does This Mean?
It is obvious that elderberry has significant health benefits. With high levels of vitamin C, cellulose, and anthocyanins, it is a very healthy option for your immune system.
Benefits of Elderberry
Most information currently online is about elderberry for your immune system. It is true, elderberry will boost your immune system. Again, the vitamin C and anthocyanin content will always keep your immune system healthier
A diet rich in dark pigmented fruits is essential for healthy living. Elderberry has a very rich chemical composition, so as a fruit, it is a really great option. This is similar to blueberries and other dark pigmented berries.
How to Take Elderberry
Most elderberry found online is in the form of syrups or juices. Be cautious about this! Most of these syrups/juices are very high in sugars. Many of these are added sugars.
I have seen some products that are mixed with orange juice or other juice concentrate so it taste better.
You will probably still get the benefits of it, but it has so much added to the substance, you are getting a lot you don’t need.
Elderberry has naturally occurring sugars just like all fruits, so it would probably be more beneficial to take a supplement (like an extract) or anything without added sugar. I have heard good things about this one and this one. Remember that extracts are made with the substance and alcohol. The alcohol extracts the beneficial chemical from the substance so you are left with just the important ingredient. Don’t let the word alcohol concern you in an extract. You don’t use much of it, and they all have it! Just like vanilla or anything else you buy from the store. Or make at home like this 🙂
The Big Question…Does it Work?
I have asked around to everyone I know who has taken elderberry. Most people I know use it for themselves and their children to ward off the flu. I know people who have taken elderberry, but still have gotten the flu. I have talked with people who have never used elderberry, and have never gotten the flu. Then, I have talked with people who use elderberry and have never gotten the flu.
It depends on who you are and other healthy practices you use.
Will It Help the Flu if I Already Have It?
I see people ALL the time online worried about finding elderberry because they already have the flu. Anything that boosts your immune system can help you combat the flu, making it shorter in length. It won’t necessarily cure it right away. If you really want to give it a try, get the EXTRACT! It is more powerful and beneficial.
Why I Won’t Use Elderberry?
If you have an auto-immune disease, this important! Any type of supplement that BOOSTS your immune system can affect your auto-immune disease. Since I have rheumatoid arthritis, the last thing I want to do is make my immune system go into overdrive. People who suffer from these types of diseases need their immune systems to stay at a normal level, not boost it!
Any medical report you read online about elderberry cautions about this. If your kids have any type of auto-immune issues, always talk to your doctor first.
The problem with many of these supplements or concentrated foods is they are very potent. When you eat something normally like fruits or vegetables, you are getting a small amount, so it isn’t as powerful. It delivers the normally healthy dose recommended each day.
I have read numerous reports cautioning people who have any type of auto-immune issue to stay away from elderberry.
How to Really Stay Healthy?
If you want to take elderberry simply for not getting sick this time of year, I highly recommend a healthy lifestyle instead. Taking one supplement, like elderberry, won’t magically keep you in the best shape. It takes a healthy diet, keeping your home clean, staying active, and making sure to always wash your hands! And always clean off your phone! I see people wash there hands, then pick up there phone to use it. The phone will still have all the germs from anything you touched previously.
I am the crazy lady in the gym who carries my homemade hand sanitizer around, wiping down machines before I use them. Never use your hands to open doors or touch anything. Use a sleeve or elbow.
Children and adults should take a multi-vitamin each day to have a good balance of all the important components. One supplement will deliver a large dose of something, but your body needs a good balance.
Chemist Tip! Before you give ANYTHING to your kids, I would speak to your doctor first. Children can be sensitive to more things than we are, so it is best to be safe!
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Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been hearing so much about elderberry lately, and have been wanting to pick some up. These daycare germs are NO joke, and we need all the protection we can get <3
Green Fashionista
It’s been all over the internet this seasons, so I definitely wanted to do a post! So many people think it will just keep them healthy, but it doesn’t! Oh yeah, daycares and schools are always some of the worst!
You just answered a question I have wondered about. I have RA too and have wondered if I should try to increase my immune system since medications weaken it. I really didn’t know. I have thought it might be a good thing to do and at other times, I thought it might be the wrong thing to do. Now I know that it’s best to not boost it with RA. Thank You for the good information! Doctors seem to just want to prescribe medications without explaining things.
Thanks Linda! I have gotten into trouble trying to boost my immune system over the years, it really makes things go into auto drive for RA which is awful! It is best to keep things balanced and natural 🙂
I don’t think I’ve heard of elderberry until your post today but the picture looks familiar. Thank you for the info about elderberry/extract. As an RA patient, I’m careful about what supplements I take – so I will check with my dr first before adding more to my regimen.
It has gotten really popular this year! Mainly on Facebook 🙂 Yes, you definitely need to be careful with auto-immune diseases! So many things can mess up your chemical balance!
I knew none of this and found the whole post really interesting
Thanks Jo-Anne! It is so interesting!
Thanks for sharing the health benefits of elderberry but also creating awareness for those who shouldn’t include it in their diet. Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis
Thanks Emily! I am happy to share 🙂
This was a very helpful blog post. Thanks for sharing. I haven’t tried elderberry yet because there have been so many foods that were touted as miracle foods that later turned out to be really unhealthy (for example, brown rice syrup, which was treated like a miracle sweetener for a few years and then it turns out that it might contain arsenic, or agave that turned out to not be as healthy as people believed.) It’s so hard to sort out fact from fiction.
That is so true. There are so many health crazes that pop up only to really be bad for you. I am sometimes the unpopular opinion on these topics, but I just base it on science 🙂 Thanks Angela!
Love what you said, “healthy lifestyle instead.” The flu is everywhere and you can only do so much to prevent it and I see people rushing to find elderberry to prevent it yet so much of what they are not doing puts them more at risk. Glad to you mentioned with emphasis about autoimmune disease and this berry. Someone like me who has RA benefits from this info.
Thanks Michelle! I see that all the time too, and these people keep getting sick because they don’t make other healthy changes. It is really about balance and overall health 🙂
Hi Alexis,
I learned about elderberry more than ten years ago in an article that was in JAMA, the publication that Doctors receive. I use the capsules. I take one capsule year daily and year round since I read that article. I am 79 years old and spent my career in pediatrics. You can imagine how many germs are present in those rooms. I have never had the flu or a cold since taking elderberry. If I feel like I am coming down with something, I just take two capsules a day. This is not a miracle drug, it is not a substitute for poor diets, or lack of exercise. One of the most important thing is to wash your hands, than wash them again. Stay home if you are sick and keep your children home until they are fever free, not coughing, or have a runny nose for at least 24 hours. I advise everyone to get a flu shot. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot get the flu fro the shot. It is not a live virus. If you do get the flu it’s because you caught it from someone.
This is all very true! I wrote an academic paper a few years ago about vaccinations including information about the flu vaccine. So many people believe the vaccination for influenza causes the flu and other issues, but it doesn’t! And yes! Healthy diets, washing hands, and taking care of yourself are the best way to prevent illness 🙂
Thank you so much for this article! One of my pet peeves are those FB posts that do not tell you about possible interactions or things that should not be taken if you have a specific health issue. Most of those articles tout the next latest and greatest but leave out this information, potentially making medical issues worse or even creating new ones! New to your site, but definitely a fan!
Oh I agree. It’s so important to know the facts, especially about these things that can impact your health!
You lost me at the vaccine comment! My child ended up with severe neurologic issues from the shot? Shall we discuss about it also in your articles?
You should discuss this with your medical professional. This article has nothing to do with vaccinations. My comment above is in regards to an academic paper which discusses how a flu shot works. Again, this article has nothing to do with that nor do any of my comments. It is always important to talk with your doctor or medical professional about things like this
Multivitamins and benefit citation?
Hi Brittany! Can you be more specific to what you are looking for? Are you needing an outside link?
Thank you so much for this article! Back in October I got a false positive on a covid test. (I don’t have antibodies so my doctor said I never had it). Anyway when they thought I had it they told me to take elderberry syrup to help boost my immune system. I have been taking the gummies everyday since. Starting in November I have had moderate joint pain in my knees and some pain in my hands and wrists. I’ve gotten so bad that it is tough to get out of bed each morning because of stiffness in the knees. I just went to my doctor and found out I have RA. I have been trying to figure out how this joint pain came on and how it got bad fast. So I took a look at what has changed and the only thing is the addition of the elderberry gummies. This article has definitely proved my theory that the elderberry flared up my RA…a disease I didn’t even know I had. I am stopping taking the gummies today and I hope it makes a difference and that I can get some quality of life back. It’s been a rough few months. Thanks again for the info. (I had no idea)
Wow! Elderberry and all those immune boosting things make my RA really bad too. I am sorry you had to deal with that, but glad you found one of the culprits to flaring!!
Hi Alexis,
Thank you pointing out the risks of immune boosting supplements for people with RA! It reinforces that not every supplement is right for everyone. I was talking with my aunt yesterday who has RA, other members of my family have RA also. I have been referred to rheumatology by my doctor to get tested because of my family history, although I don’t have any symptoms. This is good information to be aware of.
I’ve read a lot about the benefits of turmeric in reducing inflammation and have been cooking with it for years. I also recently read that garlic is not recommended for anyone who has autoimmune disorders, because it increases the immune system; I cook with it everyday also. Do you have any science based information about garlic and autoimmune conditions?
I don’t have any articles on my website about garlic, but I will say that anyone who has an autoimmune disease has to be very careful about immune boosting foods and supplements. I have to be careful about taking vitamin C too. If I take a large vitamin C supplement, my RA immediately flares. That is the dangerous thing about this pandemic too. Everyone is saying well, we need to boost our immune systems with zinc and vitamin C…that is not good advice for those of us with too high of an immune system. I just have to limit the things I do in regards to immune boosting foods. Everyone is different though, so it really becomes trial and error. I have some friends who can take a lot of vitamin C and it doesn’t bother their immune disease. I am glad you found our article and website! I hope it can be helpful for you!
I can tell u from experience my friends so has bad asthma and kept getting strep throat from school and I 1 yr had been back to the dr appts and ER and then admitted in the hospital many times. my daughter also got the steep throat several times being around my friends son. well.she lives near a nice creek in the country and had several big elderberry bushes on her property. my grandma was a person who was very organic before it was advertised oh let’s all go organic. I found a recipe for lemon juice and elderberry juice. remove all seeds and stems because it contains cyanide poison. made the mixture of the juices and put in a jar and put in the freezer. a teaspoon or 2 at a time to make tea or just my daughter liked a spoonful in her mouth just to.sooth her sore throat. after we made it fir the kids and they started taking it the trips to ER and dr appt stopped for my friends son and asthma was so much better he got to stop using his Albuterol from his steam machine all the time. NO MORE ANTIBIOTICS when he was on them for a whole year from so much strep throat!!! my daughter didn’t gwt strep throat again that whole yr. my friends mom is a nurse so she thought it a great idea before covid!! everyone so scared of using too much antibiotics. it was amazing to see how well it put a stop to all the strep and help with the asthma too. I won’t say no to using it even making jam to have it in the house all the time!!
That’s great! My mom has severe asthma, but unfortunately, taking elderberry made her worse. She also doesn’t do well with high doses of vitamin c as it increases her autoimmune response. Everyone is different, so it is good it works for some people 🙂