New flu fighter

It’s the sneezin’ season, and it seems that, when it comes to improving your immune system so it can fend off flu, everything old is new again.

As long ago as 400 B.C., Hippocrates — nicknamed “the father of medicine” — called the elder (Sambucus canadensis) his “medicine chest”. The dark purple berries and white flowers were used to treat many ailments, from arthritis to asthma as well as flu and other infections, in both Europe and America. However, it wasn’t until recently that science confirmed elder’s traditional benefits.

Writing in the Journal of International Medical Research, Israeli researchers found that flu sufferers given elderberry syrup recovered four days faster than those given a placebo (dummy syrup). Exactly how elderberry works is not clear, but researchers say that, like other dark-coloured fruits, elderberry contains powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins which help combat infections. Elderberry also increases production of cytokines, a type of immune compound.