Steps for Taking Elderberry and High Blood Pressure Meds

High blood pressure medicine became an important part of my life a few years ago. Like many others, I worked with my doctor to find the correct medication that lowered my high blood pressure to normal levels without any unpleasant side effects. If you’re like me, you look to natural remedies to aid your health without negatively affecting your high blood pressure meds. Keep reading this article to learn the effects of taking Elderberry and high blood pressure meds.

What is elderberry?

 

You may have heard of Elderberry if you’ve had a cold or flu. The popular virus fighter comes from the Adoxaceae family and grows on a shrub, which you may also hear called an elderberry tree.

The most common species, Sambucus nigra, is native to Europe and North America, but you will find it and many other similar species worldwide. Elderberries are, of course, the fruits of the plant.

The most well-known thing about these berries is that they are used to make medicines that fight viruses. Also, they are used to make wine, jam, syrup, and even pie filling.

 

History of the elderberry plant.

Elderberry is known as the “Holy Tree” in the Middle Ages because people thought it could keep people healthy and make them live longer. People thought the plant had even more power. They would use the leaves to protect against witches and ghosts. They put elderberries on window sills to keep vampires away.

Elderberry has been around since prehistoric times, but Hippocrates, known as the “father of medicine,” may have given it its reputation as a healer. He called Elderberry his “medicine chest” in 400 B.C.

Before antibiotics came along, elderberries were a crucial part of healing in the modern world. People thought the leaves and bark, as well as the rest of the plant, had healing properties. They used them to treat pain, as an anti-inflammatory, for toothaches, fevers, and more. Native North Americans also valued the berries as a food source.

Elderberry, or more specifically Sambucus nigra, is an alternative or complementary treatment for the common cold and flu. You can find forms of liquid, gummy, or capsule supplements from the berries.

They have a lot of flavonoids like anthocyanins, which are powerful plant pigments that reduce swelling and fight viruses.

 

Elderberry’s potential health benefits.

Elderberry became popular in folk medicine for treating almost any illness: pain, coughs, skin problems, shortness of breath, swelling, and so on.

Plants have different extra-nutritional compounds with high antioxidant potential, which can significantly affect people’s health. Elderberry (S. nigra) seem good for you, according to the results of many studies like the one published in ACS Publications. They can fight free radicals and protect against respiratory illnesses, colds, heart diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Also, proof shows that it dramatically affects the immune system, kills viruses and bacteria, and protects against ultraviolet radiation. Even though the results look promising, more research is needed to determine how interactions with other compounds may change the way elderberry components work.

 

 

Here are some possible benefits of elderberries:

• Helps battle against the flu: Laboratory studies on mice showed elderberry juice stimulated the immune system to keep out flu viruses.
• Common cold prevention: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 312 economy-class overseas flyers took liquid elderberry extract or placebo capsules for ten days before and five days after their trip. Even though there were more colds in the placebo group, the authors said the difference wasn’t statistically significant. The good news is that taking Elderberry cut the length of a cold by two days and made the symptoms less severe. The researchers think Elderberry’s antioxidant properties, similar to vitamin C, may “stabilize” a person’s health while traveling.
• Helps prevent infections: Some research shows that phenolic acids and flavonoids in plants, which are antioxidants, give elderberry extract antibacterial properties. However, as with the other data, more research needs to be done, especially on what this might mean for humans.
• Promotes metabolic health: Another study cited studies indicating that the antioxidant-rich elderberry extracts known as anthocyanins may help reduce triglycerides and liver fat while enhancing insulin levels. 

 

Potential harmful side effects.

The best way to take Elderberries is oral. aking elderberry extract for up to 12 weeks may be safe. There isn’t enough reliable data to determine whether using it for more than 12 weeks is safe.

When taking Elderberry and high blood pressure meds, you must use some precautions. Elderberries that are immature or undercooked pose a potential health risk. Although cooked elderberries appear harmless, unripe, uncooked fruit may make you sick or give you diarrhea.

 

Is taking elderberry and high blood pressure meds safe?

I will start by saying that while on high blood pressure medication, I have taken many natural products like Elderberry and others. But before I started taking Elderberry and high blood pressure meds, I consulted my doctor. Risking anything that will make your medication not work or cause other side effects is not wise.

Therefore you should talk to your doctor first. Especially if you’re taking prescription drugs like blood pressure meds (elderberry products may lower blood pressure, compounding the drug’s effect).

 

Steps to follow when taking elderberry and high blood pressure meds.

When I talked to my doctor, I told him I wanted to see if I could get the benefits of Elderberry and still get the vital protections provided by my high blood pressure meds. My doctor loved my approach and approved the condition that I reported any changes in my health to him.

 

Step 1:

• Before taking Elderberry with high blood pressure meds, take home blood pressure readings at least twice daily (mornings and evenings).
• Do not measure your blood pressure close to when you take your meds.
• Record the results for a few days.

 

Step 2:

Start taking low doses of Elderberry. Measure your blood pressure one hour after taking the Elderberry and record the time and results. Elderberry may cause your blood pressure to drop slightly, which is normal.

 

Step 3:

If no significant change in blood pressure occurs, increase the dose of Elderberry to the suggested amount.

 

Step 4:

As mentioned earlier, you should take Elderberry with high blood pressure medicine for no longer than 12 weeks. Take a one-month break and start back at step on if necessary.

 

Conclusion:

There is no evidence that taking Elderberry with high blood pressure meds will have adverse effects. But if you take elderberry supplements and high blood pressure meds together, you should check your blood pressure often to be safe.

Elderberries don’t interact with typical blood pressure medicines like ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and other diuretics. Still, it would be best if you always talked to your doctor before you start taking this or any other vitamin, mineral, or herbal supplement.