Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a magnificent flowering bush that has been known and valued for thousands of years, owing to its benefits for the human body. The benefits of elderberries were known to Egyptian magicians, the ancient Greek scholars Hippocrates and Pliny, and to folk healers in medieval Europe. Elderberries are now known to be rich in beneficial nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins, as well as many natural bioactive substances.
- Elderberries contain flavonoids (rutin, quercetin, kaempferol and epicatechin), anthocyanins, phenolic acids, organic acids, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folic acid and tannins, omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-sambubioside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside) and various other substances.
- Black elderberries are thought to contribute to the normal immunity functions thanks to an abundance of bioactive substances, especially phenolic acids, flavonoids and anthocyanins.
- Clinical studies have shown that elderberries and their extracts have a positive effect on the immune system.
