Black elderberry: a tried-and-tested natural plant and modern superfood
2024 is the year of the black elderberry (Sambucus nigra). The award as medicinal plant of the year by the German association NHV Theophrastus is intended to ensure that knowledge of the positive properties of this native plant is more widely recognized and used.
In the fall, small red to almost black elderberries adorn the landscape in our latitudes. But hardly anyone knows that the darker the berries, the better! The fruits of the black elderberry are much darker than those of the shrub, dwarf or wild elderberry. For this reason, the black elderberry in particular has been used in a variety of ways for generations and its black berries are made into teas, juices or schnapps and used as a home remedy for a number of occasions, especially in the cold season. Please note: As a general rule, the berries should not be eaten raw, but should always be boiled, as elderberry contains the weakly toxic sambunigrin, which only decomposes when exposed to heat and can lead to nauseous diarrhea when raw.
Black elderberry is one of the most anthocyanin-rich fruits. These water-soluble pigments are responsible for the intense coloration of the berries and are also very effective. The decisive factor in black elderberry is clearly the special composition of the secondary plant substances. The trio of flavonoids, polyphenols and anthocyanins is the showpiece - it is precisely this combination that makes black elderberry so valuable. The anthocyanins found in black elderberry are a special fingerprint of three biologically active ingredients in an unmistakable ratio that is unique to elderberry.
From Hippocrates to Pastor Kneipp
The Greek physician Hippocrates of Kos is regarded as the founder of medical science. He was already convinced of the active ingredients of elderberry and used the plant.
Our Central European ancestors also regarded elderberry as a kind of universal remedy. Due to its many positive effects, the well-known herbalist Kneipp recommended dried elderflowers as part of every medicine chest.
Black elderberries as a source of valuable secondary plant substances
While our ancestors also used the leaves, branches and bark of the elderberry for medicinal purposes, today the focus is primarily on the flowers and berries. As we now know, the deep black fruits of the black elderberry are exceptionally rich in valuable phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals.
Elderberry is not always elderberry
Most cheap products on the market are produced using ethanol/methanol and therefore do not contain polysaccharides. The elderberry extract that EnergyBalance uses in its products is produced by a completely mechanical, solvent-free separation and ultrafiltration process. The plant substances, an active mixture of natural fruit anthocyanins, polysaccharides and berry micronutrients, are gently extracted in a unique process and are therefore particularly valuable. The elderberries come from Austria and are grown by a cooperative of 250 farmers.
FluImmune from EnergyBalance combines the valuable extracts of black elderberry with blackcurrant and the active ingredients of echinacea, acerola (a natural antioxidant that provides 30 times as much vitamin C as is normally contained in a lemon) and the mineral zinc.
Source: Wikipedia