Elderberries, small, dark purple berries grown on the Sambucus tree, are well known for their cold and flu-fighting properties. Used medicinally for centuries to reduce cold symptoms and other ailments, researchers believe elderberry may be one of the best natural antiviral substances and could be used to effectively treat the common cold and influenza A and B.

Broad-based antiviral therapies like elderberry supplementation block key viral proteins from entering host cells. Additionally, elderberry extract is also antimicrobial and works to fight bacterial infections, like pneumonia, that often develop as complications of the flu.

Elderberry is used for viral infection protection.

The common cold and flu account for more than 20 million doctor visits a year, causing numerous missed school and workdays. While conventional remedies address temporary symptom relief, researchers believe that elderberry extract could be used to effectively shorten the duration of colds and cases of flu.

Elderberry boasts immune-activating benefits. Elderberry juice encourages the production of cytokines, a protein that works to regulate immunity and inflammation. In one study, elderberry’s potent immune-boosting properties were shown to be effective against 10 unique strains of the influenza virus.

Elderberry extract is a powerful antimicrobial. Elderberry juice is high in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid that has both antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Many patients with severe influenza A or B are susceptible to bacterial infections like pneumonia, with pneumonia rates as high as 65.7% among hospitalized influenza patients.

Due to its potent antimicrobial properties, elderberry supplementation is a powerful natural compound in the prevention of both influenza and subsequent bacterial infections.

Elderberry syrup has potent antioxidant ability. Elderberries are high in phenolic compounds, a type of micronutrient found in berries and cacao. These compounds are responsible for the deep red or purple color of elderberries and are bioactive, which means they enhance the antioxidant status of healthy individuals.

Additionally, anthocyanins found in elderberries have been proven to inhibit inflammatory biomarkers and promote health and disease prevention against multiple viral and bacterial infections.

Elderberry treats upper respiratory symptoms.

Many researchers believe that there is a strong potential for misuse of antibiotics during cold and flu season, especially in Western countries. Elderberry is an alternative natural compound proven to effectively reduce cold and flu symptoms such as upper respiratory symptoms and maybe a safer alternative to prescription medications often used to treat these symptoms.

Other benefits of elderberry extract include its high vitamins A, C and E content, high levels of potassium and its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. For these reasons and its potent antiviral capacity, elderberry extract can be a useful natural compound to supplement with during cold and flu season.

Safety profile of elderberry products

While most elderberry products are safe to consume, researchers have found that consuming raw elderberries or the leaves or bark of the Sambucus plant can cause adverse gastrointestinal effects such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. For these reasons, it’s best to avoid ingesting any raw elderberries.

Due to a lack of sufficient trials, most health care personnel don’t recommend the use of elderberry during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Additionally, although a few studies have evaluated the efficacy of elderberry extract and it has been used effectively to treat influenza in children, there isn’t much research on elderberry’s safety profile for children.

For additional research on the antiviral benefits of elderberry supplementation, visit the https://www.GreenMedInfo.com elderberry research database. MyValleyNews

Amid the global outbreak of COVID-19, the world citrus community has stepped up its efforts to ensure the continuous supply of safe, healthy, and high-quality citrus fruit for consumers around the world. The global citrus sector has focused on ensuring the protection of workers across the chain, keeping global citrus production and supply going, and making sure that consumers have access to citrus fruit, essential for a nutritious and tasty diet. This is particularly important given the high nutritional value of citrus fruit, especially their high Vitamin C content. Among its many functions, Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.

You can find WCO’s statement here: WCO Statement on coronavirus and global citrus market – 06042020

In a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, the juice was found to lower the blood pressure of hypertensive lab rats. It was already known that by consuming berries that are rich in micronutrients known as polyphenols, people can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease – lingonberries, blackcurrants and cranberries.

Researcher Anne Kivimäki recently set about feeding cold-pressed and diluted juice of all three of these berries – separately, not mixed together – to different groups of rats that had been genetically modified to have high blood pressure. After eight to 10 weeks of this diet (in which the juice replaced the animals’ water) it was noted that the higher the polyphenol levels of any of the juices, the better they were at improving the function of compromised blood vessels. The lingonberry juice alone, however, also excelled at preventing the expression of genes that are associated with low-grade inflammation of the aorta.

This resulted in the rats that consumed the lingonberry juice experiencing more of a drop in their blood pressure than those that drank the other juices. It is believed that also contributing to this drop may have been the lingonberry juice’s effect on the animals’ renin-angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure. NewAtlas