Elderberry
While there are no cures for covid-19 and scientists are feverishly working to create a vaccine and come up with effective therapies, sometimes mother nature has lent us a helping hand. Elderberry or Sambucus has shown itself to be effective against viruses in peer-reviewed journal articles. The abstract for this article is listed below. I won’t post in full, since this would violate copyright laws. Elderberry comes in capsules, chewable gummies or syrup (see my shop). When taken according to the label, there are few side effects.
I’ve taken Elderberry for many years and I love its taste and I don’t remember the last time I had a good flu. But again, to emphasize, it is not a cure for covid-19. To your good health!
Virus Res. 2019 Nov;273:197767. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2019.197767. Epub 2019 Sep 24.
Antiviral activity of Sambucus FormosanaNakai ethanol extract and related phenolic acid constituents against human coronavirus NL63.
Weng JR1, Lin CS2, Lai HC3, Lin YP4, Wang CY4, Tsai YC4, Wu KC5, Huang SH6, Lin CW7.
Author information
Abstract
Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63), one of the main circulating HCoVs worldwide, causes respiratory tract illnesses like runny nose, cough, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Recently, a severe respiratory illness outbreak of HCoV-NL63 has been reported in a long-term care facility. Sambucus FormosanaNakai, a species of elderberry, is a traditional medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory and antiviral potential. The study investigated the antiviral activity of Sambucus FormosanaNakai stem ethanol extract and some phenolic acid constituents against HCoV-NL63. The extract was less cytotoxic and concentration-dependently increased anti-HCoV-NL63 activities, including cytopathicity, sub-G1 fraction, virus yield (IC50 = 1.17 μg/ml), plaque formation (IC50 = 4.67 μg/ml) and virus attachment (IC50 = 15.75 μg/ml). Among the phenolic acid constituents in Sambucus FormosanaNakai extract, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and gallic acid sustained the anti-HCoV-NL63 activity that was ranked in the following order of virus yield reduction: caffeic acid (IC50 = 3.54 μM) > chlorogenic acid (IC50 = 43.45 μM) > coumaric acid (IC50 = 71.48 μM). Caffeic acid significantly inhibited the replication of HCoV-NL63 in a cell-type independent manner, and specifically blocked virus attachment (IC50 = 8.1 μM). Therefore, the results revealed that Sambucus Formosana Nakai stem ethanol extract displayed the strong anti-HCoV-NL63 potential; caffeic acid could be the vital component with anti-HCoV-NL63 activity. The finding could be helpful for developing antivirals against HCoV-NL63.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
