Moonlight Memories: Research confirms elderberry effective against swine flu

Flu Treatment With Antibiotics http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/flu-treatment-antibiotics-or-not
Looking for an effective flu treatment and wondering if antibiotics will work? Antibiotics are medications that fight infections caused by bacteria. Chances are that antibiotics will not help your flu symptoms. That's because flu, colds, and most sore throats and bronchitis are caused by viruses. In addition, taking antibiotics when you have a virus may do more harm than good. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that may resist antibiotic treatment.
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http://www.examiner.com/natural-health-in-portland/research-confirms-elderberry-effective-against-swine-flu October 4th, 2009 3:36 pm PT
Recent findings by HerbalScience, an American research laboratory, confirmed elderberry's ability to block the swine flu (H1N1) virus from infecting cells. The lab discovered that elderberry extract prevented the H1N1 virions from entering the cell and thus guarding the body against infection. HerbalScience used spectrometry to isolate the antiviral components of elderberry fruit. The species examined was Sambucus nigra commonly known as black elderberry. ...
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Sambucol against Viral Infections and Influenza http://www.inspirednutrition.com/3/Sambucol_Against_Viral_Infections_and_Influenza.html
Clinical Studies

Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies demonstrated the elderberry extract, Sambucol, effectively inhibited both influenza A and B strains when given orally to patients in the first 48 hours of influenza symptoms.
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Recalls of over the counter cold, flu and pain medicines and shortages of vaccines and prescription remedies have people scrambling to find relief of their cold and flu symptoms. Double-blind studies of black elderberry extract conducted between 1995 and 2009 show that it is a safe, effective treatment. Its antioxidant effects boost the immune system and its anti-inflammatory properties relieve pain and reduce feve

Reduces Influenza A and B Duration

Black elderberry extract proved 90 percent effective against influenza B Panama virus within two to three days in a 1995 double-blind study reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Israeli researcher Zichria Zakay-Rones conducted the study at kibbutz Kfar Aza. A second 2004 study in Norway confirmed its effectiveness against influenza A. "Symptoms were relieved on average four days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo," states Zakay-Rone

Fights H1N1 Influenza Virus Dr. Andrew Catchpole tested the same elderberry extract used in the 1995 and 2004 studies against H1N1 influenza in 2009. Results of the unpublished Retroscreen Virology double-blind study conducted in London found it 68 percent more effective against H1N1 virus than placebo.

Reduces Free Radical Activity

Free radicals can cause cell death. The U. S. Department of Agriculture examined 12 fruits and found that only chokecherries absorbed more free radicals. Black elderberries absorbed 1.5 times as many as cranberries and more than twice as many as blueberries. "Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd, unpaired number of electrons...formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules," states Caryn Honig, R.D., nutrition consultant and contributing author at Rice University's Sports Med Web.

Reduce Phlegm

You can boil black elderberry flowers with yarrow and peppermint to make an effective expectorant, according to Dr. Bob DeMaria of Healing with Home Remedies. Black elderberry tea reduces phlegm, lowers fever and relieves sore throat pain. Black elderberries should never be ingested raw, only boiled and strained, according to Gregory Tilford, author of "Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West," quoted in The Herbal Quarterly, Summer 2010. The seeds can release hydrocyanic acid when cracked, chewed or ground.

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Elderberry vs Tamiflu (read for info on reported Tamiflu Hazards)

http://www.naturalnews.com/026354_Tamiflu_elderberry_health.html

More:

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-elderberry.html

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA300839