Elderberry: Safe Flu Treatment for Breastfeeding Moms

Tamiflu and Relenza are extremely popular as treatments for adults with flu. While these medications are marginally effective in relieving the symptoms of influenza they generally not prescribed for breastfeeding mothers. The risks associated with pharmaceutical antiviral drugs generally outweigh the benefits for nursing mothers, especially if the breastfed child is less than one year of age. While elderberry products remain little-known by mainstream health care providers, many naturopaths and lactation consultants consider elderberry to be an effective, safe medication for breastfeeding mothers with flu.

Lactation expert Dr. Jack Newman notes that most drugs and supplements that are used in children are considered safe for nursing mothers. The risks associated with a medication are only significant if the drug is known to cause serious side effects in young children. Tamiflu and Relenza are both considered by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be unsafe for young children and nursing mothers. Serious side effects have been reported in young children, including respiratory distress and heart problems. In fact, Tamiflu is only administered to infants and toddlers in life-or-death, emergency situations. While the risks associated with trace amounts of antiviral drugs are fairly minimal, they are serious enough to warrant concern.

Unlike these pharmaceutical drugs, elderberry is generally considered to be safe for use in all stages of life, including lactation and early childhood. In some parts of the world, including Israel and Sweden, elderberry products are extremely popular for babies and toddlers, and may even out-sell conventional treatments. In the U.S., one major company offers an elderberry syrup created specifically for children 0-3 years of age. Despite its immense popularity among infants and toddlers, no significant side effects have ever been reported. If full-strength elderberry syrup is recognized as safe for children, it stands to reason that elderberry is a safe medication for breastfeeding mothers with flu.

Despite elderberry's overall safety, breastfeeding mothers should be cautious about using homemade elderberry preparations. Homemade elderberry syrups are often poorly made and may contain trace amounts of plant-based toxins. There are some reports of children suffering negative effects because of this, but commercial elderberry products carry no such risks. In fact, one recent clinical trial in Israel demonstrated no side effects whatsoever in over 200 individuals who took a standardized elderberry extract.

Elderberry's safety and effectiveness are acknowledged even by skeptics. Medline Plus, a service provided by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, gives elderberry a "B" rating for treating influenza. While this may seem like only a mediocre achievement for the supplement, it is actually quite remarkable given the organization's general wariness of botanical medicine.. Numerous scientific studies have investigated the use of elderberry as a treatment for flu, and all have demonstrated efficacy similar to Tamiflu and Relenza. Appropriately, the National Institutes of Health can not give the fruit extract an "A" rating because such a high rating would require even larger studies.

After taking elderberry, a nursing mother can expect a recovery from flu symptoms within the time frame typically applied to adults who have taken Tamiflu or Relenza. Elderberry possesses powerful antiviral action and can reduce the duration of flu symptoms by 2-3 days. Additionally, elderberry is anti-inflammatory and may help to reduce fever and aches associated with flu. As always, check with your doctor before self-diagnosing or self-medicating, and do not stop taking any prescription medication without first discussing it with a qualified expert.