I’m not typically one to believe in old wives' tales or trust most claims about “ancient” medicines purported to have healing properties. Even the products or elixirs my crunchy friends swear by usually get a side-eye of skepticism from me. At a certain point, however, I had heard enough positive proclamations about elderberry that I decided to look into it.
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Elderberry, scientifically known as Sambucus nigra, is a berry that grows on the black elder tree commonly found across the globe in places like Europe and North Africa. This dark purple berry has been used for centuries as a natural medicine claimed to have several major health benefits, particularly in regards to immunity and blood sugar regulation.
Despite my wariness of so-called wellness tonics, I have been curious to try elderberry and determine for myself whether it’s all that people claim it to be. I’m currently pre-diabetic, so I was especially interested in the claim that elderberry can help my blood sugar and insulin levels (which are pretty out of whack). I picked up some elderberry juice powder and gave it an honest try for a week — my results were pretty surprising.
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Lexi Inks
Lexi Inks
The immunity-boosting benefits of elderberry are the primary reason I’ve heard friends and family rave about it. The herb comes in many medical forms, like lozenges or mixed in with syrups, and you can typically find these products on the shelf at most pharmacies or grocery stores. While natural remedies like elderberry are rarely backed up by medical professionals as truly effective, there’s no denying that it has gathered enough interest to encourage some research.
One study in the medical journal Nutrients found that elderberry seems to impact the severity and length of symptoms from the common cold or flu. The study tested a group of 312 adults traveling on an overseas flight from Australia, all of whom began taking elderberry 10 days before the flight and 4-5 days after traveling. The results found that passengers who were sick and took elderberry experienced a shorter duration of their illness, as well as less severe symptoms.
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It can help balance blood sugar.
Boosting my immunity sounded like a great benefit when I decided to try drinking elderberry juice, but the claim I was most interested in testing was the way it allegedly helps to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.
As someone with pre-diabetes, my body’s ability to process blood sugar, aka glucose, and turn it into energy instead of fat is pretty dysfunctional. Because my body doesn’t process glucose the way it is supposed to, my pancreas tries to pump out way more insulin—the “key” to turning glucose into energy—than it needs to, which is bad. This means my blood sugar and insulin are off the charts, and it also means it is very difficult for me to maintain a healthy weight.
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Another study in Nutrients found that drinking elderberry juice for one week showed positive effects on glucose levels and fat burning. The glucose levels in the study’s participants went down by 24% and their fat oxidation levels went up by 27%, indicating that elderberry’s regulating properties may actually be beneficial for people with obesity or diabetes. Further research is needed, of course, but the information we have so far seems promising.
My Results
While I wasn’t sick during the week I tried elderberry juice every day, I did spend a bit of time around my brother-in-law who was sick as a dog with the flu (not a great idea, in hindsight). My sister ended up picking it up from him and had a terrible time being bedridden for a few days.
I, on the other hand, flew through the week without a cough or sneeze in sight. I won’t conclude that the elderberry juice was the only reason I didn’t get sick, of course, because it's impossible to know why I didn't get sick. Still, it’s interesting that I wasn’t affected at all by my brother-in-law's plague. Maybe there’s something to those immune-boosting claims after all—I think further research could tell us one day.
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My blood sugar improved slightly.
I’ve been taking a prescribed medication for my insulin and glucose levels for a few months with great results, so I was intrigued by the idea that elderberry could potentially boost those results. After drinking it over the week, I can honestly say I noticed a slight difference. I felt like I had slightly more energy, even on days when I didn’t get great sleep, and I felt less bloated and sluggish in general. I can’t confirm that it was just the elderberry leading that charge, but I won’t deny that it could have had some positive impact.
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Although I’m not a medical professional nor a scientist, I am open-minded enough to admit that I could see why people swear by elderberry when they have a cold or just want to do something to boost their overall wellness. There’s no way to fully confirm that drinking elderberry juice for a week had a huge impact on my blood sugar levels or prevented me from catching the sickness going around in my family, but in some ways I did feel that it had some positive results on my health.
At the very least, I can’t imagine that drinking elderberry juice or taking it in a supplement form would cause much harm (but absolutely check with your doctor before starting any sort of regimen, because all of our bodies, needs and sensitivities are different). I will note that elderberry in its raw form, powder or otherwise, has quite a bitter taste. If you’re curious to try it out yourself, you might want to mix it into a smoothie or try it in a flavored yogurt bowl. Who knows—maybe you’ll find a new favorite step in your wellness routine.
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Sources
Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air-Travellers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients.A One-Week Elderberry Juice Intervention Augments the Fecal Microbiota and Suggests Improvement in Glucose Tolerance and Fat Oxidation in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. Read More Details
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