Active Ingredient Elder (sambucus Nigra L.)

several species of sambucus produce elderberries. most research and publications refer to sambucus nigra . other species with similar chemical components include the american elder or common elder ( sambucus canadensis ), antelope brush ( sambucus tridentata ), blue elderberry ( sambucus caerulea ), danewort ( sambucus ebulus ), dwarf elder ( sambucus ebulus ), red-fruited elder ( sambucus pubens, sambucus racemosa ), and sambucus formosana . american elder ( sambucus

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: elder (sambucus nigra l.)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
bronchitis not specified as acute or chronic	there is a small amount of research on the combination herbal product sinupret in patients with bronchitis. this formula contains elder flowers ( sambucus nigra ) as well as gentian root, verbena, cowslip flower, and sorrel. although benefits have been suggested, due to design problems with this research, no clear conclusion can be drawn either for sinupret or elder in the management of bronchitis.	c
influenza	elderberry juice may improve flu-like symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, headache, sore throat, cough, and aches, in less time than it normally takes to get over the flu. additional research is needed in this area before a firm conclusion can be reached.	b
pure hypercholesterolemia	reliable human evidence is currently unavailable evaluating elder alone as a treatment for high cholesterol. early study reports that elderberry juice may decrease serum cholesterol concentrations and increase low-density lipoprotein (ldl or "bad" cholesterol) stability. additional research is needed in this area before a firm conclusion can be reached. elder should not be used in the place of other more proven therapies, and patients are advised to discuss with their primary healthcare provider	c
unspecified sinusitis (chronic)	elder has been observed to reduce excessive sinus mucus secretion in laboratory studies. there is only limited research specifically using elder to treat sinusitis in humans. combination products containing elder and other herbs (such as sinupret ) have been reported to have beneficial effects when used with antibiotics to treat sinus infections, although the majority of this evidence is not high quality and requires confirmation with better research.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.