The flu season has hit unusually early this year with the pandemic spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus spanning the globe and creating widespread fear and panic. This is a new form of the flu that has never circulated through humans before and therefore is expected to spread rapidly affecting a larger population than the normal seasonal flu. It seems, at this point, that most of the cases have been mild to moderate and have not required medical treatment.  This is quite fortunate although, it is important to keep in mind that the flu can and has mutated during mid-season which has been part of the difficulty in creating effective vaccines from year-to-year.

The current medical treatment for the seasonal and H1N1 flu viruses is vaccination and anti-viral drugs such as tamiflu and, although these are no doubt helpful and sometimes necessary, they are not always enough.  There is not yet a vaccination available for H1N1, but the CDC speculates that one will be available by about mid October. My opinion on vaccinations is provisional as I have heard convincing arguments from both opposing camps and have formulated a middle-of-the-road perspective.  I could, and probably will, provide an entire post on vaccination philosophies, but for this post I will just say that the flu vaccine seems to have moderate efficacy and potentially serious side effects. I will also say that there seems to be controversy, even among medical doctors, on the safety of vaccinations in general.  Paul Bergner gives statistics on flu vaccine effectiveness in his Summer 2009 Medical Herbalism  journal:

“Influenza vaccines have mixed effectiveness. A vaccine well-matched to the influenza strain may prevent 80% of cases in normal healthy adults.  Because of difficulty matching vaccines to the exact annual strain of influenza, and because the virus can mutate in the midst of an epidemic, typical seasonal vaccines reduce incidence in healthy adults by only about 50%.”

It is my belief that the decision to get flu vaccines in general and particularly this new vaccine must be well-thought out and based on the likelihood of side effects balanced with the known virulence and morbidity rate of the current flu strain.  In the meantime, there are several herbal and nutritional approaches that have been found to be effective in preventing and treat influenza.

The most popular and most available herbal remedy for prevention and treatment is Elderberry tincture or syrup made from the Elder bush or Sambucus Canadensis.  Elderberries are ripe in the late summer to early fall and I make them into a syrup using  a combination of alcohol and glycerine. The berries are picked and then placed in the blender, covered with alcohol and glycerine and macerated.  The tincture is then allowed to sit in dark place for 6 weeks. I usually make enough for a whole year as we take elderberry for the entire flu season as a preventative at the dosage of ¼-1/2 tsp. 3-4 times per week. If flu symptoms arise the dosage is ½ teaspoon 3-4 times a day.  Elderberries can also be taken as a honey or cooked in jams and pies.

The effective of Elderberry as a flu preventative and treatment has been the source of several studies and many traditional references in old herbal texts. The elder bush has been used throughout history for its profound healing properties. Matthew Wood has pointed out that Elder is one of the original “primal remedies” of the European herbal tradition, and that “Charlemagne (c.800 CE) decreed that an elder be planted in every yard in his realm, to be a “medicine cabinet” ready for immediate use.

Results of research on Elderberry have shown that it stimulates and modulates the immune system and appears to directly inhibit the influenza virus (Azkay-Rones et al., 1995; Mumcuoglu, 1995).   “Madeleine Mumcuoglu, Ph.D., of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Ein Karem, Israel, performed the initial research, and found that Elder seems to be designed as a specific weapon against the flu virus.  This virus forms tiny spikes, called hemagglutinins, which are laced with an enzyme called neuraminidase.  The enzyme helps the virus to penetrate the cell membranes of a healthy organism.  The virus then sets up shop in the cell, reproducing more viruses.  The active ingredients that Mumcuoglu discovered disarm the neuraminidase enzyme within 24 to 48 hours, halting the spread of the virus.”(from Medical Herbalism, Paul Bergner, Spring 2009)

Patients who took Elderberry also proved to have higher levels of influenza antibodies than those that took a placebo and 20% of those that took Elderberry showed significant improvement within 24 hours, 70% by 48 hours and 90% reported to be cured after 3 days. The placebo group didn’t report recovery for 6 days.

Other recommendations for Flu prevention and treatment are:

Prevention:
1.    Echinacea with Usnea- ¼ teaspoon 2x/day  3-4x/week as preventive as well as to take if sick. When sick increase dose to ½ body weight in drops 4-6x/day. (eg. If 150 pounds take 75 drops each time, 4-6x/day.)
2.    Vitamin C- 1000mg/day
3.    Zinc lozenges up to 30mg/day

Treatment At First Sign of the Flu:
1.    Take homeopathic Oscilococcinum- 1 tube under your tongue 3-4x/day
2.    Elderberry
3.    Echinacea with Usnea
4.    Eat lightly- clear liquids, juices and broths.
5.    Increase vitamin C to 1,000 mg 4-5x/day….or  to bowel tolerance.
6.    Zinc lozenges up to 30mg/day