Illness is unwelcome in any season, but especially when traveling for business or pleasure.  Standardized black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) in extract form (alcohol, glycerine tincture or syrup) is the ideal herb to pack for antimicrobial protection.  Not only does elderberry provide protect against colds but the herb has demonstrated important antiviral properties.  Elderberry appears to strengthen cell membranes to prevent virus penetration and replication. In lab experiments the extract proved effective against 10 different strains of influenza virus.  Lab experiments have demonstrated elderberry’s ability to prevent the influenza virus from entering respiratory tract cells.  In addition to protecting against colds and flu, Elderberry is thought to enhance and strengthen the performance of the immune system. The berries also contain multiple nutrients, among them alkaloids, beta-carotene, Vitamin C, iron, potassium and tyrosine. There are no reported side effects or drug interactions from elderberry or elder flower extracts or tea. However, since the herb may have diuretic and laxative properties, it shouldn’t be taken if a person is also taking conventional diuretics or laxatives.

The plant’s long history is traced back to ancient Egypt . Matthew Wood writes that the plant  “…was so widely used in folk medicine that it was said to comprise an entire pharmacopocia …”  Shakespeare ranks it with the worthies of medicines. “What says my Aesculapius? My Galen, My heart of Elder?”  The elder tree has a rich lore. The plant is not only lauded in Europe but its healing properties are also praised in Asian, North American Indian, East Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican and Central and South American cultures.  In North America , Quaker herbalists began using elderberry for colds, influenza and fevers in the early part of the twentieth  century.  A simple infusion of peppermint and elder flowers taken at the first signs of symptoms became an infallible remedy against colds and flu. Current studies of the plant focus on the anti-inflammatory and diuretic uses of the flower and berries, in addition to their antiviral properties.

In the Integrative Herbal Guide For Nurses, Martha Libster advises nurses to use elderberry when there are flu vaccine shortages or delays (but the herb is not considered a substitute for the flu vaccine). She reminds health care professionals that “Respiratory viruses  have a pattern of causing longer term illnesses that can weaken the immune system and make it more susceptible to bacterial infections (among them) pneumonia.”  Laboratory and anecdotal accounts affirm elderberry’s efficacy in reversing or arresting the onset of symptoms associated with influenza, double blind studies have demonstrated that elderberry significant reduce flu symptoms to days rather than weeks.  Reason alone to include elderberry in your plastic travel baggie and to use a dropper full when boarding and exiting aircraft.