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Elderberry

Supplement botanical immune
Aka: Sambucus nigra, black elderberry, Sambucol
Brands seen in Singapore: California Gold Nutrition, Sambucol, Nature's Way, NOW Foods, Nature's Answer
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Cold and flu symptoms — small trials, uncertain evidence
When to take
From symptom onset
Studied for
Trial courses ran 2–5 days
Pros & cons
Pros
  • May shorten cold and flu symptoms — evidence uncertain
  • No sign it overstimulates the immune system
  • No serious adverse events in the five pooled trials
Cons
  • It may not cut the risk of catching a cold at all
  • Only five randomised trials, small and mostly old
  • Raw or unripe berries and leaves are cyanide-forming
Sources
  1. NCCIH — Elderberry (What Have We Learned) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Some preliminary research suggests that elderberry may relieve symptoms of flu, colds, or other upper respiratory infections.”
  2. NCCIH — Elderberry (COVID-19 and enforcement action) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission have taken action against companies that marketed elderberry products with unsubstantiated claims of effectiveness for COVID-19.”
  3. NCCIH — Elderberry (Safety: raw and unripe plant parts) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Raw or unripe elderberries and other parts of the elder tree, such as the leaves and stem, contain poisonous cyanide-producing substances that can cause nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea; cooking eliminates this toxin.”
  4. NCCIH — Elderberry (Safety: pregnancy and breastfeeding) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Little is known about whether it’s safe to use elderberry for health purposes during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.”
  5. NCCIH — Elderberry (Safety: medicines) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using elderberry or other herbal products; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.”
  6. Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review (Wieland et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021; 5 RCTs, GRADE-assessed) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Elderberry may not reduce the risk of developing the common cold; it may reduce the duration and severity of colds, but the evidence is uncertain. Elderberry may reduce the duration of influenza but the evidence is uncertain.”
  7. Wieland et al. 2021 — conclusions on safety and immune overstimulation · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Elderberry may be a safe option for treating viral respiratory illness, and there is no evidence that it overstimulates the immune system. However, the evidence on both benefits and harms is uncertain”
  8. Wieland et al. 2021 — adverse-event reporting in the included trials · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “no serious adverse events were reported in any study, the limited attention to adverse events overall means that we are very uncertain about types and rates of more minor adverse events”
  9. Wieland et al. 2021 — Table of included studies (Zakay-Rones 2004; Kong 2009) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “15 ml syrup with 38% proprietary elderberry extract (Sambucol) taken 4 times/day … Lozenge with 175 mg proprietary elderberry extract taken 4 times/day”
  10. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025), Annex A/B — searched, no row for this ingredient · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  11. iHerb Singapore — Elderberry Sambucus category (default order, 1 - 48 of 165 results) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “California Gold Nutrition, Adult Sambucus Elderberry Syrup … Sambucol, Black Elderberry, Effervescent Tablets + Vitamin C & Zinc … Nature's Way, Sambucus®, Immune Gummy, Elderberry … NOW Foods, Sambucus Zinc-C … Nature's Answer, Sambucus, Black Elderberry Extract Spray”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.