**Does elderberry overstimulate the immune system? What about the concern over cytokine storms?**
This question came up frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people became concerned that elderberry might increase the risk of an excessive inflammatory response.
The concern wasn’t entirely unreasonable. In severe cases of COVID-19, an overactive inflammatory response involving pro-inflammatory cytokines contributed to tissue damage and organ dysfunction. Since some early laboratory research suggested that elderberry could stimulate cytokine production, researchers questioned whether it might make this problem worse.
But here’s what the research actually found. 👇
🔬 **1. Immune stimulation isn’t the whole story.** Elderberry appears to have complex effects on immune signaling. Depending on the study and the cytokine measured, researchers have observed both increases and decreases in inflammatory mediators. It isn’t accurate to assume that elderberry simply turns the immune system up.
🧪 **2. Researchers looked specifically at the cytokine storm concern.** A 2021 systematic review by Wieland and colleagues examined the available evidence on elderberry, respiratory infections, and inflammation. The authors found no evidence that elderberry overstimulates the immune system. Some small human studies even found reductions in certain inflammatory markers, including IL-1 and TNF-alpha, although the findings were inconsistent.
⚠️ **3. Does that mean elderberry prevents cytokine storms?** No. This is an important distinction. The review found no studies measuring clinically meaningful outcomes such as cytokine storm, sepsis, or multiorgan failure in people taking elderberry. The available evidence is reassuring regarding the concern about immune overstimulation, but it doesn’t establish that elderberry can regulate an overactive immune response in patients with severe infections.
I find this particularly interesting because it challenges the idea that an herb described as “immune stimulating” must necessarily increase inflammation in every situation. The biology is more complicated than that, and we need to look at the actual research rather than relying on broad labels.
🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Naturopathic Pediatrics Podcast for more on elderberry’s mechanisms, clinical evidence, and safety considerations.
**Reference:** Wieland LS, et al. *Elderberry for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses: a systematic review.* BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2021;21:112. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03283-5
#Elderberry #HerbalMedicine #Immunology #Cytokines #EvidenceBasedMedicine #NaturopathicMedicine