Maybe the first “Snake Oil” that has proven its mettle in clinical trials.
Numerous clinical trials have been run in the US and abroad that clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of Elderberry as an antiviral (proven effective against Influenza A and B, as well as H1N1) treatment. The research is impressive. An article published in 2004 showed that 93% of flu patients in a small (60 patients) study treated with Elderberry where symptom-free in two days versus 6 days for those who received the placebo. It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted during the flu season of 1999-2000. Article's have been published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the Journal of International Medical Research, and Phytochemistry to name a few. One study in particular showed Sambucol Elderberry helps activate healthy immune systems and they believe it may help patients with various diseases (including AIDS and Cancer patients) where the immune system is compromised and slow to activate the body's natural inflammatory process. So, it may even be immunoprotective or immunostimulatory when used concurrently with treatments for patients who are immunocompromised. Study results are forthcoming. Snake oil? Check the research and then decide for yourself
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