natural medicine

Question: Besides getting my rest and exercise and eating well, what else can I do to prevent flu and colds?

Take some advice from Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, naturalist, and philosopher who also commanded the Roman navy and army. Pliny called elderberry the “medicine chest of the people.” In the 1600s, clusters of these black berries hung from doorways because people believed this fruit warded off evil spirits and the illness they brought with them. You can take elderberry to help prevent flu and colds.

Elderberries contain chemicals called anthocyanidins. These flavonoid pigments (yes, this is why elderberries are black) help balance your immune system. In laboratories, anthocyanidins prevent several strains of flu viruses, including the swine flu, from entering cells.