ELDERBERRY, extremely good for the immune system
Berries are extremely good for the immune system as they contain high levels of antioxidants including anthocyanidins. But elderberries have an extra-special property, discovered by a virologist Madeleine Mumcuoglu, who first identified interferon.
For a virus to take hold it must first get into the body cells, which it does by puncturing their walls with tiny spikes made of haemagglutinin. ‘Viral spikes are covered with an enzyme called neuraminidase, which helps break down the cell wall,’ says Mumcuoglu. The elderberry inhibits the action of that enzyme. My guess is that we’ll find elderberry acts against viruses in other ways as well.’
In a double-blind controlled trial in Israel, researchers tested the effects of Sambucol (a specially prepared extract of elderberry) in people diagnosed with any one of a number of strains of the influenza virus. Their results showed a significant improvement in symptoms — fever, cough, muscle pain — in 20 per cent of patients within 24 hours, and in a further 73 per cent of patients within 48 hours. After three days 90 per cent had achieved complete relief of symptoms, compared to those on the placebo who took at least six days to recover.
While this is only the first published trial of elderberry extract, the results to date are very encouraging. Sambucol, which comes as a liquid extract, is available in the UK from healthfood stores.
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