21 Health Benefits of Elderberry (No.16 No Doctor Uses)

Elderberry fruit is one type of fruit that has many benefits for humans. Unfortunately, elderberry is not widely known yet to the fruit lovers. These tiny berries are not yet as popular as strawberry, blueberry or raspberry. Elderberry itself is one of the plants with related families with berry plants which are found in Europe and western Asia.

Elderberry with an official name Sambucus nigra, is a genus of flowering plants in the family of Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry, is a plant that comes from Europe, Africa, and some Asian. Elderberry most widely grown in the United States, but unisex type of elderberry that grow wild in the mountains of Indonesia named Sambucus Javanica or called “sangitan”.
Currently elderberries fruit is widely used for herbal medicine and a food ingredients, especially in Europe. Approximately 40-50 percent is used as medicine, and other benefits are widely used in mixed drinks syrup, juice, soda, jelly, even pie filling. Besides processed into a variety of food, the fruit is also delicious to be eaten directly.

Plants that bloom between May and July can be grown in a variety of conditions, both wet and dry. Elderberry has a large plant size and usually grows wild on the ground that are not maintained or even on the roadside. Elder commonly grows near farms and homesteads. It is not fussy about soil type or pH level and will virtually grow anywhere where it gets enough light. Elderberry plants love nitrogen so much and could grow up faster near organic waste disposal.
Elderberry shrubs, leafy trees could grow as high as 9 meters. Elderberry leaves grow with opposite pairs and have 5-7 leaves. Outskirts of the elderberry leaves have serrations, while its white flowers grown with maximum five petals. Elderberry has flocking natural fruit color changes ranging from green, red, and then went black when ripe. It has small size of round fruits with a diameter of only 3-5 mm.

Raw elderberries consist of 80% water, 18% carbohydrates, and less than 1% of protein and fat. Elderberries also have some contents of vitamin B6 (18% DV) and iron (12% DV). Also, we can fulfill our 43% of our Daily Value in Vitamin C by consuming 100 grams of elderberries, with only 73 calories inside them.

This tiny fruit is fresh acid is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, flavonoids and amino acids. Often elderberry is used as an antioxidant, lowers cholesterol, improves vision, strengthens the immune system, improve heart health and of course to treat coughs, colds, and flu.

Fruit with purple color that has a round shape is widely used for the treatment of cancer or diabetes cure. But even so, you should not be careless in processing the fruit of elderberry because it might toxic to be eaten. Toxicity of elderberry fruit can be found, especially on the stem, the leaves and the roots. The toxic effects of this fruit could be serious problem, because it can cause death. Apart from the plant poisoned, elderberry fruit has many health benefit remembering its compositions that are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Black elderberry has been used medicinally for hundreds of years. Some preliminary studies suggest that elderberry may have a measurable effect in treating the flu, alleviating allergies, and boosting overall respiratory health.

1. Heals Influenza

Elderberries are well-known as a influenza potential healer. Elderberry juices contain of Sambucus agglutinins niggra which can protect a healthy and productive cells inside our body from cold or flu. Its fruits contain flavonoid that can crush cold and influenza virus. According to the research that says, elderberry effects on our body could be felt within 24-48 hours after consumption, and could reduce more than 50% duration of the symptom. Its ability to treat flu has been proved as there were so many infected-free from flu people in Panama on 1995.

Elderberry contains chemical compounds which is anthocyanidins, that is known for having an immune stimulant effect. Elderberry extract has been prove to be the economically and medically efficient and safe for both cold and flu.
Several studies also shown that flavonoid inside elderberry extract could tie up influenza virus in human bodies (H1N1) and also bird flu virus (H5N1).

A study in 2009 randomly picked a patient and group them into 2 groups: one group had been given a four dose of 175 mg of daily exclusive elderberry extract, and another one group had been given a placebo every day for 2 days. The group with elderberry extract shown a significant healing process for flu while the Placebo group had no healing process and even had a worse symptom. The researchers than concluded that this elderberry extract has an ability to control the influenza tendency.

2. Treats Sinusitis

Elderberry juice could prevent and anticipate various types of disease related to breathing system such as asthma, bronchitis, cough, sore throat, influenza, and cold. With elderberry nature as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, it is logic that it could also help us with sinusitis. A sinusitis infection is a state where our cavity around nose is sore and this antivirus mixture has the natural ability to reduce the sore and pain from it.

3. Prevents Cancer

Elderberry fruit contains many antioxidants that play a role in combating and preventing the growth of cancer cells. In addition, elderberry fruit juices also contain flavonoids which prevent cell damage in the human body. The study is one done by the University of Missouri’s Center for Botanical Interaction Studies. During research they found levels of antioxidants in fruits elderberries are known to fight prostate cancer.
Edible berry extracts such as elderberry extract rich in anthocyanins and have been shown to have a broad spectrum of therapeutic properties, pharmacological and anti-carcinogenic. Special Laboratory studies showed that elderberry have some chemo preventive properties. A chemo preventive could inhibit, delay or reverse the formation of cancer.

Another natural cancer preventive alternatives:

4. Treats Diabetes

Elderberry fruit contains anti-virus, anti-histamine and antioxidants that are good in maintaining a healthy body everyday including in the fight against diabetes. Both the flowers and berries have traditionally been used to treat diabetes. Research has confirmed that elderflower extract stimulates glucose metabolism and insulin secretion, lowering blood sugar levels.

5. Prevents Heart Disease

Elderberry has the ability to reduce or lower the cholesterol number and minimize the amount of bad cholesterol inside our body which can also minimize the potential of having a serious heart disease.

6. Maintains Eye Health

Elderberry fruit contains vitamin A which is well known as a good vitamin for our eye visions & health.

How to Consume the Elderberries

According to all the health benefits of elderberry situations above, we can conclude that elderberry has its own compounds inside its fruit and leaf and plant which we can use to prevent (or maintain) our health activities. Organic & non-chemical is always a good idea for our body, but as a note, we should be able to process it properly in order not to get the wrong side of compound to consume. So, here are some of the procedure recommended to do before consuming the Elderberry;

There are another alternatives outside using Elderberries as a medical treatment. Here are some of the procedure to turn it into a delicious and worth to try side dish :

1. The Elderberries Fruit Jam

This how to process elderberries fruit jam:

Wash clean the persimmons beneath a flowing water
Finely sliced and chopped the fruits
Pour down 4 cups of the fruits into a big pan, and heat it up
Add some sugar. Stir it firmly.
As an addition, add some cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or grated orange peel. And wait until it boils

2. Fried Elderberry Flowers

This how to process fried elderberries flower:

Create a batter of flour, egg, pepper, salt and enough water
Stir until everything is well mixed (dough is exactly as we want to make the dough for corn-bakwan)
Examine and wash the flowers firmly (As a note: flowers should be picked with the stem, about 5cm long, and should not be broken).
Then, dip the flower heads, that looks like a clump, into dough
Put it into the hot oil, fry until slightly brownish color

3. Elderberry Juice

This how to process elderberries fruit juice:

2 spoons of Elderberry extract
Add some water
This could be consumed on a daily basis to earn its benefit to our health

4. Elderberry Pastry Frosting – Elderberry extract can also be used as a topping donuts, breads and cakes.

As a result, there are many ways to consume elderberry according your taste. No matter how you would love to consume this fruit, there are many health benefits of elderberry that you can try.

Another Elderberries Cautions

1. Pregnant women are forbidden to drink a decoction of this medicinal plant.

2. Even though this fruits has a lot of good compounds inside, we still can not consume too many fruits because it could in reverse give us not the benefit we want but a bad outcome for our digestion system like diarrhea for people with sensitive digestive system

3. The Sumbucus species are recommended to be eaten after cooked because the raw ones are still doubtful to have such poisonous potential inside.

4. The most secure and edible one without the need to be processed is Sambucus nigra. Although, it is better if the elderberries are being cooked especially for culinary purposes.

5. Since a very long time ago, elder had been using this fruits in traditional Chinese medicine, for rheumatism and traumatic injury. The way to use it is dissolving it into wine and drink up the mixture.

6. In Britain, elderberry plants are known as “an instant hedge plant” as they grow really fast and has the ability to sharply curved or having an angle.

7. People usually plant elderberries to support native butterfly and bird species in their surroundings.

As a result, elderberry is beneficial for body to maintain health. Thus, you have to also check out the cautions of it.