 Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is seen in many medicinal preparations and has widespread historical use as an anti-viral herb. Based on animal research, elderberry is likely most effective in the prevention of and early infection with respiratory viruses.One in-vitro study reported an increase in TNF-alpha levels related to a specific commercial preparation of elderberry leading some to caution that its use could initiate a "cytokine storm.” However, these data were not confirmed when the same group performed similar studies, which were published in 2002. Therefore, these data suggest it is highly implausible that consumption of properly prepared elderberry products (from berries or flowers) would contribute to an adverse outcome related to overproduction of cytokines.
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