Elderberry Concentrate
A Beginner’s Guide to Elderberry Concentrate
Even if you feel that you already know a great deal about herbs and holistic remedies, you might not have heard about elderberry concentrate. In fact, it might be one of the herbal world’s best kept secrets! Very few other natural remedies can do so much for so many different ailments in the human body. If you are still looking for the one natural supplement to help with your health concerns, you might want to take a closer look at elderberry.
The Latin name some use for elderberry is “sambucus nigra,” which actually translates into “black elder.” This is the plant that produces the berries used to make elderberry extract, syrup, concentrate and a number of other forms intended for homeopathic use. There are other names often used for elderberry including North American elderberry and black elderberry.
Homeopaths have turned to the elderberry for a very long time because they simply have faith in the berry’s abilities, but recent laboratory research is now supporting those beliefs that the elderberry does, in fact, benefit the body. Not only does it provide benefits to the body, but it now has a proven record of being safe for use by people of all ages.
As with most herbal remedies, there are a number of healing properties associated with elderberry concentrate. The most common properties often connected with any form of elderberry include laxative, diuretic, sudorific, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Anyone who knows about homeopathic remedies can tell you that this is quite an impressive list of properties for one fruit!
Throughout history, elderberry has been recorded as being used on many continents including Europe, the United States, Canada, Northern Africa and Western Asia. As more cultures mingle with each other, the health benefits of the elderberry is shared and spread.
Because there is a growing interest in elderberry, there are more people researching the extract and discovering its benefits than ever. Studies have shown that people with various strains of influenza who ingested elderberry juice claimed that they felt much better and even recovered faster than those who did not take the supplement. It is believed that the bio-flavonoids and various proteins in elderberry extract inhibit cold and flu viruses and don’t allow them to attack cells. In fact when a flu outbreak hit Panama in 1995, the people used elderberry juice to help those infected to recover.
So what, specifically, can you expect from elderberry concentrate? The nutritional benefits alone might have you thinking about adjusting your multivitamin routine. Elderberries have vitamin A, vitamin B, and a huge amount of vitamin C, tannin, antioxidants and rutin, which is believed to act as an anti-inflammatory as well as circulation improver. They also have flavonoids in them and these are believed to be another source of strong antioxidants that can protect cells from being damaged.
The elderberry is quickly earning itself a reputation as an effective and reliable homeopathic remedy. It even has a place in Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference as being effective for congestion, colds, flu, allergies caused by hay fever and even yeast infections. The Hasassah Oncology Laboratory in Israel is using elderberry to help cancer and AIDS patient boost their immune systems.
Additional studies at the Bundesforschungsanstalt Research Center in Germany indicated that one of the flavonoids present in elderberries increases the production of proteins that help to regulate the immune system. This indicated that the elderberry could be very effective in helping the body fight disease. It also suggested that elderberries actually have much more antioxidant function than both vitamin C and vitamin E.
An exciting new research development in Austria has shown that elderberry concentrate can be effective in helping to reduce cardiovascular disease. It does this by lowering chemical reactions in LDL cholesterol.
Regardless of the research, many people swear by any elderberry product because they have experienced their own personal benefits. Some of the more common reasons people are enjoying elderberry concentrate includes treating urinary and bladder infections, as a vision enhancer, helping with tonsillitis, bronchitis and both viral and bacterial infections.
Elderberry offers so many benefits that its popularity continues to grow. People who haven’t had faith in homeopathic remedies are finding that elderberry has changed their views on alternative medicine options. Take a look at what elderberry can do and you might just find that it is the one natural medicine you can’t wait to try.