The Elderberry Solution for Flu

Now that I’m in a state of a bit of ‘overwhelm’ in my Master Herbalist program component of my PhD, I thought it would be helpful to me (& possibly to you!) if I take some of the most commonly used herbs & give you the ‘Down & Dirty’ info you need to decide if it would be of benefit to you and/or your family. 

The use of herbs has been a part of people’s lives for centuries, although falling out of the current health track due in part to pharmaceutical drugs, ‘high tech’ medicine & our love, as a society, for a ‘Quick Fix.’  I consider the use of herbs as a simple and SAFE way to target health challenges as well as building prevention into our busy lives---being proactive is a good thing!  It’s not an either/or issue with western medicine practices.  Herbs can be used quite safely along with medications, although accurate information from a qualified practitioner is critical.  One quick reminder:  the use of herbs typically doesn’t provide the ‘Quick Fix’ solution (although sometimes results are pretty darn quick!)…rather, they provide your body with what it needs to function in a healthy way again.

So here goes…

Since we’re being inundated with Flu Vaccine promotions everywhere we look, I thought I’d start with a great, safe herb that has great benefits especially during the flu season:  Elderberry (sometimes called Black Elderberry or Sambucus).  The berries contain more vitamin C than any other herb except rosehips and black currant, which means it’s a great antioxidant as well (think cancer-prevention when you read antioxidants).

Elderberry strengthens the immune system to fight viral infections (flu is a viral infection… ‘colds’ are as well).  It prevents the flu virus from attaching to our cells thus shortening the duration and severity of the flu.  It is used around the world to enhance immune function and increase antibody response during infections.  It also has an anti-inflammatory effect, which is yet another cool benefit since inflammation can have short-term and long-term effects on our bodies.

Elderberry is available as a liquid, syrup, tincture, capsules, and lozenges. There are no known safety issues when taking---a very cool benefit!  In addition to the years of use around the world, there are solid studies to support what so many people have found with using Elderberry.  I’ve included two references below with their brief conclusion:

Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo. Elderberry extract seems to offer an efficient, safe and cost-effective treatment for influenza. 

J Int Med Res. 2004 Mar-Apr;32(2):132-40. 

No adverse effects were observed in either group indicating that the proprietary elderberry extract is safe and highly effective in treating flu-like symptoms.  Kong F, Pilot Clinical Study on a Proprietary Elderberry Extract: Efficacy in Addressing Influenza Symptoms, Online J Pharmacol Pharmacokin 5:32-42, 2009. 

Elderberry is widely available at health food stores, most commonly found as a syrup (great for kids!), capsules and lozenges.  Even if you live in the boonies, it’s quite easy to order online!  This is a staple in our home.  It's great to be able to ‘nip it in the bud’ if we ever feel a cold or the flu coming on…or if we’ve been in close contact with ‘sickies’! 

Let me know if you have questions…or if there is a specific herb that you would like discussed…in the meantime, enjoy this beautiful Autumn season!

To your long-term health…

Sana

Yes, Vitamin E is good for you!

Guess what? Yet another study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 2011;306 (14):1549-1556) found that taking vitamin E may raise the risk of prostate cancer. The study also reported that the men in the study taking just vitamin E (and not selenium) were at a 17% increased risk of developing prostate cancer. It was noted that the COMBINATION of vitamin E and selenium did NOT increase cancer risk. How does that work?? Hmmm…. Let’s check out a few things about the study before we make any decisions on this, OK?

First of all, there were 21 authors that contributed to this study, of which SEVEN had Conflict of Interest Disclosures all dealing with major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline…including one author who is a board member of the Merck pharmaceutical company. Realize that those with conflict of interest issues have been given grants and research support, travel support, payment for lectures, grants for the institutions they work for, consulting fees & payment for presenting educational sessions to pharmaceutical companies---all this from huge pharmaceutical companies who have much to lose and nothing to gain if a study shows that vitamins and basic nutrients reduce the risk of cancer.

Secondly, this study used a synthetic form of vitamin E (rac-alpha-tocopherol or dl-tocopherol) which is less available for use by our bodies & considered half as potent as the natural form (RRR-natural-tocopherol or d-alpha-tocopherol). Hmmm…one would think (obviously in a perfect world) that the best quality products would be used to provide the best data for the study…’Not So Much’ in this case!

Lastly (I could go on, but I want to keep this as brief as possible): vitamins weren’t meant to be taken alone…as in just taking some vitamin E…or even vitamin E and selenium. The ‘whole foods’ we eat (meaning not-processed foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, high-quality meats…) provide a wide array of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are designed to WORK TOGETHER—in synergy. That’s the value of taking a daily Multivitamin/mineral supplement as we realize the real-life challenges in consuming the appropriate amounts of high-quality foods to provide our bodies what they need each day. And that’s why it’s surprising (& frustrating!) to see ‘medical’ studies that continue to pull out one or two specific nutrients to test their value when studies have repeatedly shown the effectiveness high-quality blends of nutrients (as in a Multivitamin/mineral supplement). Holford, P: The New Optimum Nutrition Bible

Hopefully this is helpful in deciphering just what this last study is telling---or not telling us: there was/is great potential for personal interests to cloud some of the authors’ objectivity in the study…using a product that is poor quality will probably lead to poor results…and, most importantly, nutrients are not meant to be taken in isolation, rather as balanced blends that are easy for our bodies to use and benefit from. There are specific cases where additional nutrients can be beneficial in addition to a solid Multivitamin/mineral foundation----we’ll keep that for another posting! And speaking of postings…I plan on regular posting once again, now that I’m in my Master Herbalist Program, giving a ‘nutshell’ version of various herbs…Stay tuned! To your long-term health— Sana