Cureus. 2022 Apr 18;14(4):e24250. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24250. eCollection 2022 Apr.
ABSTRACT
Hepatic injury due to dietary and herbal supplements can often share similar clinical characteristics with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Sambucus species, commonly known as elderberry, have been used in traditional medicine for centuries to prevent and treat respiratory problems. Although there are no clear reports on the association of elderberry with AIH or drug-induced hepatitis, there have been concerns about negative health manifestations linked to elderberry and the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines. In this article, we discuss a case of a patient who developed autoimmune hepatitis while on long-term elderberry-containing supplements and a probable association between the two.
PMID:35602846 | PMC:PMC9116981 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.24250
About The Author
Patrick Blanchard MD
Meet Dr. Blanchard
Dr. Blanchard’s medical practice is an embodiment of Integrative health which brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. Conveniently located in sunny Florida and over the internet with ValiseMD’s secure HIPPA compliant telXmed servers. Since 1994, patients with a wide range of challenging medical problems have achieved optimum health using the best of natural medicine, judiciously combined with high-tech innovations. Breakthroughs are often achieved even after patients have consulted mainstream specialists and holistic practitioners.
Dr. Blanchard is founder and CEO of ValiseMD, Inc. He is board certified in Family Medicine since 1994 and awarded Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2001. He received the ‘Teacher of the Year’ award from the University of Kansas School of Medicine at completion of his residency in Family Medicine. He completed a fellowship at Wake Forest University in the field of vascular neurosonology. He holds a medical patent in the field of Gastroenterology. He holds an unrestricted license to practice medicine and surgery in Florida. He started his medical career as a Emergency Medical Technician, then as a Paramedic and later a Medical Doctor.
