| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood glucose No effect | NoneNo effect | 10 people | ||||
| Carbohydrate Oxidation | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured carbohydrate oxidation | ||||||
| Fat Oxidation | Improves (the measure goes up) | 10 people | ||||
| Metabolic Rate | Improves (the measure goes up) | 10 people | ||||
Supplement
Elderberry is the dark purple berry of the Sambucus plant, rich in anthocyanins, plant pigments that have shown antiviral and immune-signaling activity in lab work. People mostly look at it for influenza and other respiratory infections, and the evidence is moderate: in a few small trials of colds, upper respiratory symptoms improved. That rests on only three studies with about 180 people, so it says little about how well it works for flu itself or for anyone outside those groups.
Sources: PMID 30670267; PMID 33827515
- Updated
- How we grade
- 8 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 10
- Outcomes
- 19
- Graded outcomes
- 0103
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 3 studies | 180 people | ||
Studies that measured upper respiratory tract infection symptoms
| ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eczema Symptoms No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 94 people | |||
Studies that measured eczema symptoms | ||||||
| Itching | Improves (the measure goes up) | 94 people | ||||
| Quality of Life | Improves (the measure goes up) | 94 people | ||||
| Wound Healing | Improves (the measure goes up) | 94 people | ||||
Body Composition
- Blood glucose
- Carbohydrate Oxidation: improves
- Fat Oxidation: improves
Metabolic Health
- Blood glucose
- Carbohydrate Oxidation: improves
- Fat Oxidation: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood glucose No effect | NoneNo effect | 10 people | ||||
| Carbohydrate Oxidation | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured carbohydrate oxidation | ||||||
| Fat Oxidation | Improves (the measure goes up) | 10 people | ||||
| Metabolic Rate | Improves (the measure goes up) | 10 people | ||||
Flu
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 3 studies | 87 people | |||
Studies that measured upper respiratory tract infection symptoms
| ||||||
Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI)
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 3 studies | 87 people | |||
Studies that measured upper respiratory tract infection symptoms
| ||||||
Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 3 studies | 180 people | |||
Studies that measured upper respiratory tract infection symptoms
| ||||||
Cardiovascular Disease
- Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 57 people | |||
Studies that measured risk of cardiovascular disease | ||||||
Dyslipidemia
- Total cholesterol: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 34 people | |||
General Oral Health
- Dental Health Metrics: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Health Metrics | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 64 people | |||
Studies that measured dental health metrics | ||||||
What the published studies found
2 automated readings
LDL cholesterol
The studies read are too weak to tell whether Elderberry changes LDL cholesterol. The evidence is very weak.
2 studies counted of 8 read: 1 trial (34 people in the trials).
- Study, 2014; 21 people; healthy volunteers aged 20 to 59: improves.
decrease in triglycerides (14.92%), total cholesterol (15.04%) and LDL-C (24.67%)
Improved lipid profile and increased serum antioxidant capacity in healthy volunteers after Sambucus ebulus L. fruit infusion consumption - Randomised trial, 2004; 34 people; healthy young volunteers: no clear difference.
statistically not significant change in cholesterol concentrations
Effects of elderberry juice on fasting and postprandial serum lipids and low-density lipoprotein oxidation in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- Study, 2014; 21 people; healthy volunteers aged 20 to 59: improves.
Influenza
The best available review (2019, 180 people) found an improvement in influenza. 3 of the 4 studies read agree; 1 found no clear difference. The evidence is limited.
4 studies counted of 9 read: 1 review and 3 trials (147 people in the trials).
- Meta-analysis, 2019; 180 people: improves (the review the verdict rests on).
Supplementation with elderberry was found to substantially reduce upper respiratory symptoms. The quantitative synthesis of …
Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) supplementation effectively treats upper respiratory symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials - Randomised trial, 2020; 87 people; emergency room patients with influenza: no clear difference.
no evidence that elderberry benefits the duration
Elderberry Extract Outpatient Influenza Treatment for Emergency Room Patients Ages 5 and Above: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial - Randomised trial, 2004; 60 people; patients with influenza-like symptoms: improves.
Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier
Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections - Randomised trial, 1995; individuals in agricultural community during outbreak: improves. Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama
- Meta-analysis, 2019; 180 people: improves (the review the verdict rests on).
Key findings
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Eczema Symptoms
- Blood glucose
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- Grade B
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Studies cited
8 studies from PubMed
- One-Week Elderberry Juice Treatment Increases Carbohydrate Oxidation after a Meal Tolerance Test and Is Well Tolerated in Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.
- Effects of elderberry juice on fasting and postprandial serum lipids and low-density lipoprotein oxidation in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Elderberry Extract Outpatient Influenza Treatment for Emergency Room Patients Ages 5 and Above: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
- A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating of a mouthwash containing Sambucus williamsii var. coreana extract for prevention of gingivitits.
- A Comparison of the Effect of Topical Preparation of L. and Hydrocortisone on Hand Eczema: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.
- Cardiovascular disease risk biomarkers and liver and kidney function are not altered in postmenopausal women after ingesting an elderberry extract rich in anthocyanins for 12 weeks.
- Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review.
- Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) supplementation effectively treats upper respiratory symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials.