I am not a great sick person… I complain, like a lot! I get through it but I complain the whole time I am sick. So when I felt sick the day after Christmas, I complained! I complained publicly to all my FaceBook friends and they responded. One friend commented and suggested I try Elderberry syrup.
I don’t live under a rock. I have heard of Elderberry. I mean, any mom on Facebook that is a member of a mom group has seen that word. Elderberry seemed to be a new trend.
Check out my YouTube Review HERE
What in the world is Elderberry???
Disclaimer: I’m not an MD. I’m not a Nurse. I’m not any medical professional! I am just a desperate mom that hates being slowed down by a cold! This blog is simply about my experience with Elderberry syrup and what I found from my own research. Now… onto the good stuff.
WebMD says that Elderberry is from a European Tree and its used to make medicine. It also says that is SHOULD NOT be eaten raw. Elderberries should be cooked or you’ll definitely regret it later. *insert toilet joke here*
Some people take it for the common cold and the flu. There are a few other reasons that its taken but for the purposes of this blog, I’ll stop here.
There isn’t sufficient scientific evidence to back up the effectiveness of Elderberry as a preventative treatment but it can shorten your cold and relieve some of the symptoms. So I get a cold but its not so bad… I can still call that a win.
I took the challenge! I bought a bottle of Elderberry syrup from a local shop and started immediately. I even dragged my husband in as a control for my experiment. We both took the recommended amount of Elderberry for sick individuals (after a few days my husband went down to once a day) until the bottle was done. I was also on a course of other medications as instructed by my doctor.
A Few Things About Elderberry Syrup
- Its a seriously unique taste
- Its not thick, its thinner like juice
- Its not Elderberry alone. It has other natural ingredients mixed in.
My husband was a great control because he was just starting to show symptoms of a cold (runny nose and mild congestion) by Day 4, he felt those symptoms were better and he decided to just take it once a day until I was done with my little experiment. Day 4 for me was still miserable. I called in sick and kind of lounged around all day. Lounging with an almost 4 year old is not really lounging at all. Day 5 was still horrible and the bottle was almost gone. The only symptom I could admit was a little more mild was my upper respiratory symptoms. My nose wasn’t as runny/congested and my face didn’t hurt anymore. Not sure if to chalk this up to Elderberry or my Z-Pak.
The last couple days of finishing the bottle were much better. I was done with antibiotics, steroids, and taking any recommended OTC meds and was simply taking the Elderberry.
I really found that the results for me were INCONCLUSIVE. My husband thinks it prevented him from catching what I had but he also refrained from any and all PDA while I was sick.
I want to state that I have Type 1 Diabetes (an autoimmune disease) so Elderberry may not have the same affect on me as it does on another individual with a functioning immune system and pancreas.
CONCLUSION
I think Elderberry works differently for each individual. I have heard countless success stories and even saw a story on it on the local news. I don’t feel it did much for me but that’s the price I pay for having a body that doesn’t like it’s own pancreas.
GIVE IT A SHOT! For the price, I would say its a good investment. If the Elderberry syrup helps you keep away or fight a cold faster, SUCCESS!!! It is seriously worth a shot. I mean… it did keep my hubby from catching the dreaded MAN FLU!
Leave a comment below if you found success or failure with Elderberry. I like to hear ALL! The good, the bad, and the congested!
Nerdy Mom 
I love this Mel! Thanks for the insight, I was wondering about it myself.
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