Does Nature’s Way Sambucus Elderberry Have Any Drug Interactions?

Answer

Thanks for reaching out! I'm more than happy to go over this topic.

According to the manufacturer's website, Nature’s Way Sambucus Elderberry Gummies contains Black Elder (Sambucus nigra extract), a type of elderberry. So, I'll be discussing whether or not this specific elderberry has documented drug interactions.

Below is an image of the bottle and the 'Supplement Facts'.

Does Black Elder Have Drug Interactions?

Black Elder, commonly known simply as 'elderberry' or 'Sambucus nigra', has been reported to be relatively safe in the drug interaction department.

Multiple studies have reported that elderberry does not seem to cause significant changes to metabolizing enzymes in the body and does not appear to otherwise affect how drugs are absorbed or metabolized. 

The only interactions that have been documented with elderberry are theoretical ones with immunosuppressant drugs since elderberry may have immune-boosting effects.

So, this would include drugs like cyclosporine, mercaptopurine, sirolimus, and tacrolimus. It also could theoretically reduce the effectiveness of drugs that work by inhibiting specific components of our immune system (like Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)), such as Humira and Enbrel.

However, as mentioned, this is all based on elderberries' purported effects of having immunostimulant activity, but I could not find clinical studies that thoroughly evaluated whether or not elderberry reduced the effectiveness of any specific drug. It's just important to be aware of though if you are taking a drug that works by altering the immune system or any component of it.

There are no known interactions between the drugs you mentioned in your question (Adderall and Zyrtec) and elderberry).

If you'd like a comprehensive list of reported drug interactions, take a look at our specific 'elderberry interaction page'.

Other Ingredients In Nature’s Way Sambucus Elderberry Gummies

I want to point out also that Nature’s Way Sambucus Elderberry Gummies contain vitamin C and zinc.

Zinc does have documented drug interactions, but the amount contained in this product, 1.1mg, likely isn't an amount that would cause any clinically significant problems. That amount is well within the amount you would take in daily as part of your normal diet.

Final Words

I highly recommend using our 'drug-herbal interaction tool' if you want to search for any interactions between a natural product (like herbal or plant-based medicine) and OTC or prescription drugs.

Thanks so much for reaching out to us!