Elderberry for colds in long-haul air travellers
What it found
In 312 people flying long-haul, those taking elderberry had colds that lasted about 2 days less and were less severe than those taking a placebo.
The number of people who caught a cold was similar in both groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Cold episodes
29 of 312 people had a cold. More colds occurred in the placebo group (17) than in the elderberry group (12), but the difference was not significant.
Cold duration
The placebo group had 117 cold episode days in total, compared with 57 in the elderberry group. On average, a cold lasted about 2 days less with elderberry (4.75 days vs 6.88 days).
Symptom severity
The total symptom score over the cold days was 583 in the placebo group and 247 in the elderberry group. The average symptom score per cold day was 34 for placebo and 21 for elderberry.
Physical health
Physical health declined significantly in the placebo group from just before travel to 4-5 days after, but stayed stable in the elderberry group. The difference between groups at the overseas time point was not significant.
Mental health
Mental health improved significantly in both groups from travel to after travel. There was a non-significant trend for the elderberry group to have a higher average mental health score than placebo.
Side effects
Five participants reported side effects such as itchy throat, fatigue and kidney pain, but a causal relationship with elderberry could not be established. Treatment was generally well tolerated.
What the authors conclude
“Travellers using elderberry from 10 days before travel until 4–5 days after arriving overseas on average experienced a 2-day shorter duration of the cold and also noticed a reduction in cold symptoms.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that elderberry significantly reduced cold duration and symptoms in travellers.
- They state that physical health may stabilise during air travel due to elderberry, but further studies are needed to confirm this.
- They advise that more clinical research with high quality elderberry preparations is worthwhile to better understand its health benefits.
How it was done
Intercontinental air travel can be stressful and may increase the risk of respiratory problems. Elderberries have been used traditionally for colds and flu, but had never been tested in air travellers.
312 economy class passengers flying from Australia to an overseas destination took either elderberry capsules or placebo for 10 days before travel and 4 to 5 days after arriving. They kept daily diaries of cold symptoms and completed health surveys.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial was in healthy adults travelling long-haul, so the results may not apply to other groups or settings.
- The number of people who caught a cold was low, which may have limited the ability to detect a difference between groups.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Griffith University, Australia; Queensland University of Technology, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air-Travellers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Tiralongo E, Wee SS, Lea RA (2016). Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air-Travellers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu8040182Free full textPubMed 27023596DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error