- What is elderberry? Elderberry is a small purple berry from the European (or black) elder bush (Sambucus nigra). Among the berry's chemical constituents are phenolic compounds that include anthocyanosides that laboratory tests show to have immune-stimulating, anti-microbial, and other properties (see What It Is).
- What does elderberry do? Small, company-funded clinical studies have shown various elderberry extracts to reduce the duration of cold and flu symptoms, but they do not prevent colds or flu. The chemical make-up of these extracts and the most effective dosing, however, has not been well-defined (see What It Does).
- What did CL's tests of elderberry find? ConsumerLab found that the amounts of anthocyanosides in elderberry products ranged more than 2,000-fold — from as little as 0.03 mg to 69.3 mg per suggested serving. This suggests that each product was made with at least some, if not a large amount, of elderberry. However, it is still not clear what amount, if any, indicates that a product will be effective. Even two versions of a popular and clinically-tested elderberry brand differed significantly in their amounts of anthocyanosides and neither formulation exactly matched what was shown to work clinically (see What CL Found).
- Which is the best elderberry supplement? Due to a lack of clinical and scientific research, it remains difficult to know whether any of the elderberry supplements truly work. However, for those still interested in trying elderberry, CL selected two Top Picks for Elderberry — one that provides the most anthocyanosides and the other that appears to be most similar (although not identical) to a product shown to work clinically.
- Elderberry safety and side effects: Elderberry supplements are generally well tolerated, although allergic reactions can occur. Do not eat raw elderberries, as they can be toxic. For more details see Concerns and Cautions.
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Elderberry Supplements Review
Find the Best Elderberry Supplement. Tests and Reviews of Popular Elderberry Supplements & CL's Top Picks.
Reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.
Elderberry supplements compared in this review
365 [Whole Foods] Liquid Elderberry
Garden of Life Mykind Organics Elderberry Immune Syrup
GNC Elderberry Fruit 550 mg
Havasu Nutrition Premium Elderberry Gummies
Nature's Answer Sambucus
Nature's Way Sambucus Standardized Elderberry
New Chapter Elderberry Force
Sambucol Black Elderberry
Sambucol Black Elderberry Syrup
Vitacost Elderberry Complex
Make sure the elderberry supplement you take passed our quality review and is right for you!
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Summary
You must be a member to get the full test results along with ConsumerLab.com's recommendations and quality ratings for popular elderberry supplements, including capsules, gummies, tablets and liquids. You will get results for seven elderberry supplements selected for testing by ConsumerLab as well as for three others that passed the same testing in CL's voluntary Quality Certification Program.
In this comprehensive review of elderberry supplements you'll learn:
- Which elderberry supplements failed our tests and which ones passed
- CL's Top Picks among products based on elderberry formulas used in clinical studies, anthocyanoside content, quality, and price
- The health benefits of elderberry supplements, and evidence for and against elderberry for fighting colds and flus and for cardiovascular health
- How to take and store elderberry supplements
- Safety and other potential concerns with elderberry supplements
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