What To Know Before Using Elderberry During The Coronavirus Outbreak

As cases of the coronavirus surge past a quarter million around the globe1, people everywhere are looking for novel and effective ways to support their immune systems. One long-trusted, traditional option for supporting your immune symptom and improving flu and cold symptoms is elderberry syrup.

But as with any medical claim, it's always important to do your research. And it turns out there may be some instances in which elderberry could wind up doing more harm than good.

First off, elderberries have indeed been scientifically proven to improve cold and flu symptoms2 in randomized studies. They've also been found to show a "mild inhibitory effect" during early stages3 of the flu but appear to work even better at lessening symptoms once infected. That same study also observed elderberries can stop a virus from getting into a body and replicating, as well as boost immune response.

Due to the way elderberries work in the body, they can end up activating certain immune cells that you don't necessarily want to activate.

Singh explains, "When you are exhibiting symptoms of infection or test positive for coronavirus, you should consider avoiding elderberry, because the immune-activating properties of it may cause increased levels of IL-1B and/or IL-18 in infected immune cells. These are inflammatory cytokines that could potentially make the illness more complicated."

"While I love vitamin D as an inflammation-modulating agent," he adds, "the same concern exists with vitamin D. Interestingly, there may also be some potential concern with polysaccharide mushroom extracts, Echinacea, and larch arabinogalactan, as well."