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Encyclopedia of Health Benefits of Berries
12. Elderberries:
They have antioxidant properties that reduce cholesterol, boost vision, enhance
the immune system, and also heart problems, coughs, common colds,
influenza, bacterial and viral
infections, tonsillitis, besides also being used as ice cream toppings and many
other uses in milkshakes, jams, cake mix, muffins, and syrups. Also called
Sambucus, these small, dark black-blue berries grow in clusters.
Used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost
the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial
and viral infections and tonsilitis. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in
Panama in 1995.
Elderberries have been a folk remedy for centuries in North America, Europe,
Western Asia, and North Africa, hence the medicinal benefits of elderberries are
being investigated and rediscovered. Elderberry is used for its antioxidant
activity, to lower cholesterol, to improve vision, to boost the immune system,
to improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral
infections and tonsilitis. Bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice destroy
the ability of cold and flu viruses to
infect a cell. People with the flu who
took elderberry juice reported less severe symptoms and felt better much faster
than those who did not. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in
Panama in 1951 Elderberries contain organic pigments, tannin, amino acids,
carotenoids, flavonoids, sugar, rutin, viburnic acid, vitaman A and B and a
large amount of vitamin C. They are also mildly laxative, a diuretic, and
diaphoretic. Flavonoids, including quercetin, are believed to account for the
therapeutic actions of the elderberry flowers and berries. According to test
tube studies2 these flavonoids include anthocyanins that are powerful
antioxidants and protect cells against damage.
 Elderberries
were listed in the CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs as early as 1985, and are
listed in the 2000 Mosby's Nursing Drug reference for colds, flu, yeast
infections, nasal and chest congestion, and hay fever. In Israel, Hasassah's
Oncology Lab has determined that elderberry stimulates the body's immune system
and they are treating cancer and AIDS patients with it. The wide range of
medical benefits (from flu and colds to debilitating asthma, diabetes, and
weight loss) is probably due to the enhancement of each individual's immune
system.
At the Bundesforschungsanstalt research center for food in Karlsruhe, Germany,
scientists conducting studies on Elderberry showed that elderberry anthocyanins
enhance immune function by boosting the production of cytokines. These unique
proteins act as messengers in the immune system to help regulate immune
response, thus helping to defend the body against disease. Further research
indicated that anthocyanins found in elderberries possess appreciably more
antioxidant capacity than either vitamin E or vitamin C.
Studies at Austria's University of Graz found that elderberry extract reduces
oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Oxidation of LDL
cholesterol is implicated in atherogenesis, thus contributing to cardiovascular
disease.
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Dated 12 March 2013
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