Happy summer! Back to school time is just around the corner. Along with the race to stock up on all the right supplies, from backpacks to binders, we can’t forget about our children’s health.
Consider all the bacteria and viruses that make their microscopic home in an average school setting, as well as the draining schedules schoolchildren often have. That’s why we need a safe and natural way to bolster our kids’ immunity and help fight common illnesses. Elderberry — with its antiviral, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties — is one back-to-school basic kids shouldn’t be without.
Elderberry is an easy, safe and tasty way to boost children’s health, readily available in kid-friendly forms such as delicious lozenges. For centuries, the fruit has been known as a therapeutic mainstay, used in folk medicine and family recipes, lauded by physicians in Ancient Greece and Rome.
Today, thanks in a large part to modern processing methods that standardize and concentrate its potency, elderberry is a natural, reliable treatment for common illnesses such as the cold and flu (influenza). Studies have shown that concentrated, membrane filtered elderberry extract is active against viruses and bacteria that cause upper respiratory symptoms, and can significantly shorten the duration of symptoms, as well as significantly reduce the severity of colds. That’s great news come flu season.
How Elderberry work:
What research has found is that elderberry is absolutely packed with substances that contain powerful healing abilities. Even elderberry’s colour is indicative. The dark, red-black pigment of the berry comes from an abundance of anthocyanins. These are powerful antioxidants that deactivate free radicals before they can damage healthy cells in our bodies. The anthocyanins in elderberry are also partly responsible for its potent antimicrobial characteristics.
Elderberry is thought to deactivate the glycoprotein spikes (haemagglutinin) on the surface of viruses. This prevents the virus from attaching itself to the cell membrane, and makes it impossible for the virus to enter the cell.
Elderberry has also been shown to bolster immunity by increasing the production of vital proteins in immune cells. Immune cells secrete these proteins (cytokines and chemokines) in order to communicate with each other. As our bodies go under attack, one immune cell releases its cytokines, and another immune cell receives them. It’s this exchange that enables a coordinated response against the oncoming illness.
Tasty and safe, elderberry provides potent protection, a natural tool for keeping children functioning at their best. That this dark little berry contains such immune-boosting power is one more reason to look for natural remedies when it comes to supporting our kids’ health. And parents, elderberry is not just for kids! Make sure to bolster your own immune system, because chances are, your little ones are bringing it all home with them.
Chelsea Sittler is Science and Communications Associate at Artemis International and assists with research projects and berry science communications. She has been focusing on efforts to reduce and/or eliminate common cold-flu symptoms via natural remedies. Melanie Bush is the Director of Berry Science for Artemis, focusing on the science and research of berry phytonutrients.
Rubiny – Delicious Elderberry Lozenges
Available in all good pharmacy’s and health stores nationwide – www.rubiny.ie
Rubiny are produced using a unique extraction method. It is called “membrane filtration“. The juice of pressed elderberries is filtrated by a specific filter system which separates the different sizes of the molecules due to their active agents. Subsequently, the resulting flavonoid-concentrated liquid is either used in our production of our lozenges. The juice concentrate is flash-pasteurized in order to ensure the manufacturing of a sterile product. We do not add any preservatives or sugar, neither in the liquid, nor in the gel or the lozenges. Due to the standardization of the flavon-content, we can also guarantee the level of active substance throughout every production run. Ongoing lab analysis, internal and external, undertaken by highly-qualified stuff, and the permanent control of hygiene and health officials make Rubiny a natural and safe product with a great taste.