Elderberry remedy: Is there any true homeopathic flu antidote?
Share this post:
Sick with the cold or flu and symptoms seem everlasting?
With flu cases running rampant, it’s no surprise that Americans turn to alternative remedies to try and feel better in a pinch. However, not all methods work, according to experts.
Lately, people have been drinking herbal supplements like elderberry as an attempt to combat the viruses, but experts say they might not be very effective, the Washington Post reported.
A handful of small studies show elderberry supplements may reduce the duration and severity of a cold or flu, but there’s no evidence the supplements can protect someone from catching a respiratory illness.
Specifically, it was found that found elderberry supplements may shorten flu symptoms by four days compared with a placebo, the Post reported. International travelers who caught a cold recuperated faster and had fewer symptoms if they took elderberry supplements before, during and after their flights.
The herbal supplement purports to boost the immune system, and it’s becoming more popular in the country.
According to the Nutrition Business Journal, consumers spent an estimated $175 million on elderberry pills, syrups and powders last year.
Elderberry supplement labels say “supports immune health.” The claims have not been verified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the products have not been proved effective “for any health purpose,” according to D. Craig Hopp, deputy director of complementary and integrative health extramural research at the National Institutes of Health.
Michael Macknin, a professor emeritus of pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, conducted his own study that published in 2020 because he thought the research was so encouraging, the Post said.
There was no evidence that elderberry supplements helped adults and children in the emergency room with the flu.
Macknin now encourages people “not to waste their money” on the supplements “until there’s more information.”
“I mean, I went out and bought elderberry for myself,” he said. “And then when I finished the study, I threw out all the elderberry I’d bought.”
Kori Flower, chief of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of North Carolina’s Department of Pediatrics, said the best way to boost your immune system is to eat a healthy and wide-ranging diet, exercise, sleep, get vaccinated and wash your hands.
“When it comes to preventing infections like colds and flu, there’s just no substitute for hand-washing and vaccines,” she said.
A natural remedy for the common cold that leading experts on sinus health actually recommend is nasal irrigation.
The low-risk treatment is cheap and safe, the Post reported, and it’s one of the best-studied non-pharmaceutical treatments for nasal symptoms, including respiratory infections and even allergies.
Nasal irrigation is the practice of rinsing the nasal passages with saltwater to help remove mucus and debris, hydrate the nasal passages and reduce swelling from the common cold.
Not only will it reduce symptoms, it may shorten the duration of cold symptoms and reduce the levels of cold virus in the nasal passages.
In Pittsburgh, it’s still not too late to get a flu vaccine, said Dr. Joseph Aracri, chair of pediatrics at Allegheny Health Network.
“Amid an extremely harsh flu and respiratory winter season, a vaccination can still protect our young and most vulnerable family members against life-threatening illnesses and hospitalization,” he said. “While no vaccine is 100% effective, the flu shot significantly reduces your risk of getting sick, and even if you do contract the virus, it can lessen the severity of the illness, minimize risk of hospitalization, and allow for a quicker recovery time.”