When early European settlers came to the Americas, they only brought with them the essentials — axes, shovels, livestock, plus plants and seeds for growing food. They even brought treasured herbs rooted in traditional medicine for supporting immune health and recovery. One of their favorites was the European elder plant (Sambucus nigra), a flowering shrub that produces dainty, dark, delicious berries. Ancient Europeans used elderberries to make wine, pies, jam, and medicine.
In the sixteenth century, Hippocrates – popularly known as the “Father of Medicine” – called Sambucus nigra his “medicine chest”. So when colonists arrived in North America, they must have been pleasantly surprised to find indigenous elder plants (Sambucus canadensis) were already in use by Native Americans. In fact, people from both sides of the Atlantic had been using elderberries for centuries to promote health and wellness.
What Do Elderberries Do?
To this day, elderberries are often used as a natural and complementary way to support the body’s innate processes of healing and recovery. Scientific studies have started to verify what traditional healers and classical physicians observed for generations — that people who took elderberry supplements weathered fewer or shorter seasonal symptoms. And not only are nutritious and antioxidant-rich elderberries especially good at supporting upper respiratory health, they even nourish a healthy heart, circulatory system, brain, and eyes.
How Do Elderberries Work?
Elderberries are packed with phytonutrients that benefit our health in many ways.
Some of the nutrients in elderberries include:
- Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, folate, C and E
- Minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium
- Anthocyanins, carotenoids, phytosterols, and polyphenols
Anthocyanins are a type of pigment found in certain plants that produce their lush red, purple, blue, or black fruits. And, you guessed it, dark purple elderberries are packed full of these compounds. Anthocyanins are not only powerful antioxidants, but research indicates that some of these compounds found in elderberries are potent partners with our immune cells to bolster our wellness defense. By supporting the healthy production of cytokines - the chemical messengers that help our immune cells communicate - elderberries can help us recover quickly and stay well.
Where Do Elderberries Grow?
Elder plants are prevalent in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, if you know where to look. They grow along rivers and lakes, on the edge of forests and fields, and are even a common garden shrub!
Elder bushes can grow from six to thirteen feet tall. In late spring, they’re covered in clusters of tiny white flowers that mature into dense clusters of deep purple berries by the end of summer.
Can I Eat Elderberries?
Europeans found year-round treasures from Sambucus nigra bushes, using both the flowers and berries for foods and health support. Elder flowers can be used to make tea and other beverages, while the berries offer a variety of culinary and therapeutic uses — from pies and jams, to syrups, lozenges, and herbal extracts. Nowadays, it’s best to use finished preparations or extracts of elderberries prepared by professionals, since the plant contains toxins that require careful selection and cooking techniques.
Elderberry Supplements
Elderberry powders, syrups, and extracts have grown dramatically in popularity in recent decades, and they remain a top pick for immune-supportive supplements. So much so, that you can go to most supermarkets or health food stores and find elderberry products lining the shelves, especially in fall and winter. But while the options may be abundant, not all supplements truly respect the elderberry. Making sure this “medicine chest” is packed with immune potential requires careful attention to where elderberries are grown, how they are handled, and how their potency is preserved.
At Pure Synergy® we’ve made and included the purest, highest quality elderberry extract in several of our formulations including: Rapid Rescue®, Organic Berry Power™, Eye Protector®, and PureNatal®. We adhere to the strictest, certified organic standards in both the growing and SuperPure® processing of this treasured herb. After harvesting at peak freshness, the power-packed berries are filtered and concentrated into a rich syrup that’s carefully dried at low temperature to maintain all the active goodness inside. The result is a high potency, standardized elderberry extract that’s strictly controlled to yield its valuable immune-supporting polyphenols and anthocyanins.
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