Sherry Torkos
Pharmacist & Author, The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine
With cold and flu season on the way, consider adding Sambucol black elderberry to your prevention and treatment strategy.
The cold weather season is approaching. That means more time spent indoors and increased exposure to viruses and bugs.
Colds and flus can often strike at the most inconvenient times, forcing us to take time off work to recover or take care of sick children. Fortunately, there are things families can do to prepare their immune systems for the fall and winter months as well as natural health products they can take to speed up recovery time if they do get sick.
Mediaplanet recently spoke to Sherry Torkos, pharmacist and author of The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, to learn some of her cold and flu prevention and treatment tips.
What do you recommend for cold and flu prevention?
I always recommend eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and antioxidant-rich foods. Other things like regular exercise, not smoking, drinking lots of water, and getting enough sleep are also important, as is stress management. We tend to be more susceptible to illnesses when we’re under stress, as it makes it harder for our bodies to fight back.
What about natural remedies and plant-based health products?
Things like vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc are very important to the immune system. Black elderberry is another product that can help prevent colds and flus as it has strong antioxidant properties and has been shown to be an antiviral. Sambucol, for example, has many different products that can be taken for year-round immunity and acute symptom relief when needed. My favourite is the new Immunity + Cold & Flu powdered drink which tastes amazing, and is perfect for on-the-go! The Immunity gummies always go over well with kids because they also taste great.
What should we do if we do get sick?
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, illnesses will strike. Again, black elderberry extract can be used for symptom relief and to speed recovery. Sambucol Anti-Viral syrup helps relieve cough, congestion, and aches and pains and also comes in a new Day/Night formula for those who don’t like syrups.
How safe and effective are black elderberry products?
Not all black elderberry products are the same. Lots of products have black elderberry but Sambucol uses a very specific type of black elderberry that has been the subject of many peer-reviewed clinical studies.
I always recommend people talk to their pharmacist, but in my experience Sambucol is generally very safe and well-tolerated. It’s not contraindicated for high blood pressure and has no known drug interactions, plus it tastes good.
What should people look for in selecting a black elderberry product?
It’s important to look for products that are backed by clinical research. Sambucol has been around for over 20 years, has been the subject of clinical research, and has Health Canada-backed claims for helping to reduce the symptoms of viral illnesses and aid recovery. It is the #1 Black Elderberry brand in the world so trusted by millions.
Stay healthy this cold and flu season with Sambucol’s range of black elderberry products for the whole family. Learn more at sambucol.ca.
