Elderberries...Likely Cure for Bird Flu

An Israeli virologist, Dr. Medeleine Mumcuoglu (pronounced mum-shu-glu), was interested in studying about the elderberry from the black elder tree. She knew that elder, called the "medicine chest" of country people, had been used in medicine for many centuries. Elderberry wine, for example, has traditionally been used for influenza and the ill effects of the chills.

In 2006, Retroscreen Virology, a leading British medical research institute associated with Queen Mary College, University of London, announced that Sambucol, a supplement made from elderberries, was 99% effective against the avian flu virus, H5N1, and in cell cultures significantly neutralized the infectivity of the virus, which was taken from a strain isolated in Turkey.

Sambucol is known as a clinically proven treatment for regular flu. In in-vitro tests, Sambucol also proved effective against avian flu. Another trial at Hadassah Medical Organization Ein Kerem is expected to confirm these findings.

Sambucol is valuable because, as Mumcuoglu says, "it's the only product that can cut the flu in half, before complications have a chance of setting in."

Mumcuoglu tested her research on patients in the Southern Israel flu epidemic of 1992-1993.

Within 24 hours, 20% of patients taking Sambucol had dramatic improvements in symptoms like fever, muscle aches and pains and coughing. 73% were improved by the second day. 90% were improved by the third day.

In the untreated group, 16% felt better after two days. Most of this group took about a week to start feeling better.

Laboratory studies conducted in 1995 showed Sambucol to be effective against human, swine and avian influenza strains.

A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study done in Norway showed Sambucol to significantly reduce the duration of flu by about four days.

Use of pain relievers and other rescue medication was significantly less in the group receiving Sambucol than in the placebo group.

This study concluded that Sambucol stimulates the healthy immune system by increasing production of inflammatory cytokines.

It is believed that Sambucol can combat bird flu, but clinical research into H5N1 is hard to do at this point, becasue there have only been around 140 cases around the world, and the mortality rate is over 50%.

The company will do in vivo studies to look at the effect of Sambucol against the disease caused by avian influenza virus.

Sambucol now controls about 80% of the elderberry remedy market in the United States. This liquid food supplement is distributed by Nature's Way Products and sold at most health food stores.

Another advantage of Sambucol is that it has no side effects, unlike Tamiflu, an antiviral drug. Sambucol can also be given to children, unlike Tamiflu, which cannot be given to children under 12.

Patients have been known to develop resistance to Tamiflu. Sambucol, on the other hand, can treat every type of flu virus.

"Our research has shown that the antiviral effect of Sambucol is not strain-specific," says Mumcuoglu. "It was effective against all influenza viruses tested. The original formulation of Sambucol is the product we have tested in all cases - both in the laboratory and in clinical studies for the common flu. It is what was also used in the recent experiments in London against avian influenza virus thus any Sambucol already on the shelves is the same as any we would produce now."

The results of tests of this natural remedy are very encouraging. This makes me want to stock up!