Elderberry

What Is Elderberry?

Elderberry is the fruit of Sambucus nigra, a scrubby tree that lines hedgerows across Europe and much of North America. The berries hang in flat clusters, ripen almost black, and stain whatever they touch. This is a ten-to-one fruit concentrate at 500 mg per serving.

How It Works in the Body

That black-purple color is the point of the fruit. Elderberries are rich in anthocyanins, chiefly cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside — the same pigment family that colors blackcurrants and blueberries.

Anthocyanins are flavonoids, and flavonoids are polyphenols: ring-shaped plant molecules that give up electrons easily. That readiness is what makes them antioxidants in the berry, and a concentrate exists to carry it across. Elder fruit also brings vitamin C and a set of flavonols.

What It Supports

• Normal immune function: Elderberry supports normal immune function, which is why it has a place in so many seasonal routines.
• Antioxidant chemistry: Anthocyanins contribute to the body's ordinary antioxidant chemistry, the same job they do in the fruit.
• Polyphenol intake: Few foods are as dense in anthocyanins as dark elder fruit, and a concentrate packs that into far less material.
• A long kitchen history: Elder has been a European hedgerow staple for centuries, as cordial, syrup and country wine.

Who It May Suit

It suits people who want the fruit's chemistry without simmering berries down every autumn, and anyone who leans on whole-food botanicals in the colder months. The capsule is plant-based, so it fits vegetarian and vegan eating.

Good To Know

One fact about the plant is worth carrying: raw berries, along with the leaves, bark and stems, contain cyanogenic glycosides, so elder is always cooked or processed before anyone eats it. A concentrate like this one starts from processed fruit. Talk with your healthcare provider before use if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you take medication that acts on the immune system.