Elderberry and Zinc Together

Quick answer

No source we read documents an interaction between elderberry and zinc, but their records are very different. Zinc has established nutrient roles at 8 to 11 mg a day and a 40 mg adult limit. Elderberry has no graded benefit, no recommended amount, and a record of short trials.^1,2

Key facts

Adults need 11 mg of zinc a day for men and 8 mg for women, and the upper limit is 40 mg a day from all sources.^1,3
NCCIH gives no recommended amount of elderberry, and in two small studies 30 mL of a commercial extract supplied 147 mg of anthocyanins in one case and 278 mg in the other.^2,4,5
The longest trial of elderberry in healthy people that we found ran for 12 weeks and measured blood markers that did not change.⁶
Taking 50 mg of zinc a day or more for weeks can block copper absorption, which is why the zinc limit is 40 mg.¹
Raw or unripe elderberries and other parts of the plant can cause nausea, vomiting and severe stomach upset, so processed products matter.²

A mineral and a fruit extract

Zinc is needed for the activity of hundreds of enzymes.¹

Elderberry is the dark purple berry of the European or black elder tree, Sambucus nigra, which grows in Europe, North America, Western Asia and North Africa.²

These two are not the same kind of ingredient. Zinc is an essential mineral with a recommended daily amount, a food supply and a known upper limit. Elderberry is a plant extract with none of those, and NCCIH says only a small number of studies have been done in people.^1,2

What each one is graded for

Zinc carries graded nutrient functions. Elderberry carries none on this site, because the trials were small and mostly in people who were already unwell, and the one long trial in healthy people measured blood markers that did not change.^2,6,7

Contributes to the normal function of the immune system*^1,7,8

Moderate evidence

A well-established nutrient function. NIH describes zinc as needed for lymphocytes, the immune cells that respond to specific germs, to form, mature and become active, and for the activity of other immune cells. EU regulators permit this wording for foods that are at least a source of zinc. It is about getting enough: NIH notes that when people are not short of a nutrient, routine supplements probably add little.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women, from food and supplements

Helps you reach the recommended daily zinc intake when food falls short*^1,3,8

Moderate evidence

Most people in the United States get enough zinc from food, but national survey data from 2005 to 2016 show that 15% of adults take in less than the estimated average requirement. Teenage girls (20.9% below it), older adults, people who are pregnant and people who eat no meat are more likely to fall short. NIH says people who follow vegetarian or vegan diets might benefit from zinc supplements.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women, from food and supplements

NCCIH says little research has been done in people on other uses of elderberry, and there is not enough information to show whether it helps any other health purpose.²

What is known about taking both

None of the NIH, NCCIH or review sources we read describes an interaction between the two, and the few trials we found that included both were multi-ingredient products, which cannot show what the pair does alone. That is silence, not a finding of no effect, and it does not rule out the ordinary risks of each.^1,2

Taking a supplement with 25 mg of iron or more at the same time as zinc can reduce zinc absorption. The iron added to fortified foods does not have this effect.^1,9

In six healthy volunteers, elderberry anthocyanins had a half-life of about 1.9 to 2.6 hours, and less than 0.4% passed unchanged into urine within 7 hours.⁵

What the sources do show about absorption is separate for each. Zinc is taken up less from meals rich in phytate and from supplements with 25 mg of iron or more. Only a small share of elderberry anthocyanins is absorbed whole, and 4 older women given 720 mg passed just 0.077% of it in urine within 4 hours.^1,10

Best time to take them

NIH's zinc fact sheets give no advice on the time of day to take zinc.^1,3

Elderberry has no stated time either. Its anthocyanins are mostly cleared within hours, and in the 12-week trial in healthy women the extract was taken as two capsules twice a day.^5,6

So neither source sets a time, and none covers the pair. If you take a product that holds both, the label's single daily serving is the only schedule there is. If you take them separately, there is no study telling you to space them.³

Amounts, and how zinc adds up

Amounts the sources describe and what our labels give^1,2,6
	Zinc	Elderberry
Recommended daily amount	11 mg for men, 8 mg for women	None set by NCCIH
Upper limit	40 mg a day from all sources	None set
Amount from food	About 13 mg a day for men and 9.2 mg for women	No usual amount: cooked ripe berries are eaten in pies and jams
Longest trial in healthy people	Not applicable	12 weeks, 500 mg of anthocyanins a day
Our elderberry product	11 mg	500 mg of extract, strength not stated on the label
Our Men's Multi	15 mg	None

Zinc is where the arithmetic matters. An average man gets about 13 mg from food, and adding our elderberry product (11 mg) and Men's Multi (15 mg) would bring the day to about 39 mg, a milligram under the 40 mg limit. For an average woman the same day comes to about 35 mg. The two products overlap on zinc, so the sum is worth knowing before taking both.¹

What's in ours

What’s in ours

Immune Support: Elderberry Extract, 500 mg per serving, from the label

What’s in ours

Men's Multi: Zinc, 15 mg per serving, from the label
Immune Support: Zinc, 11 mg per serving, from the label

One of our products carries both ingredients in a single serving: 500 mg of elderberry extract and 11 mg of zinc, which is the full Daily Value. It also holds vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin E, vitamin B6, echinacea extract, citrus bioflavonoids and L-lysine, so check it against any other supplement you take.^1,2

Cautions, medicines and who should ask first

Raw or unripe elderberries, and the leaves, stems, bark and seeds of the plant, contain substances that can release cyanide and cause nausea, vomiting and severe stomach upset. Cooking destroys them, so properly processed products do not carry this concern.²

Taking 50 mg of zinc a day or more for weeks can block copper absorption and lower copper status, reduce immune function and lower HDL cholesterol.^1,3

Too much zinc can cause nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, diarrhea and headaches. Dizziness has also been reported.^1,3,8

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Because elderberry may stimulate the immune system, NIH says it might reduce the effect of medicines that suppress the immune system.^11,12

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

Quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and tetracycline antibiotics such as tetracycline, can bind zinc in the gut, so less of both may be absorbed when they are taken close together. NIH advises taking them apart, and the ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tetracycline labels list zinc among the products that reduce absorption.^{1,3,13,14,15,16}

On the medicine's label

Do not use elderberry supplements during pregnancy, because their safety is not known. Ask first if you are breastfeeding, since there are no data for nursing mothers or infants.^2,17
Ask first about elderberry if you have diabetes or take a medicine that lowers blood sugar, or any prescription medicine.^2,12
Ask first about zinc if you take penicillamine or a thiazide diuretic, have a gut condition such as Crohn's disease or have had weight loss surgery, or want more than 40 mg a day.^1,3

Questions people ask

Can you take elderberry and zinc together?

No source we read describes a problem with taking both, and none tested the pair on its own. Count the zinc from every product and from food against the 40 mg limit, and ask a doctor first if you take a medicine that suppresses the immune system or an antibiotic, because each ingredient has its own medicine cautions.^1,12

What is the best time to take elderberry and zinc?

No source sets one. NIH's zinc fact sheets give no time-of-day advice, and in the 12-week elderberry trial in healthy women the capsules were taken twice a day. A product that holds both is taken as its label directs.^3,6

Do elderberry and zinc have benefits together?

Not shown. Zinc's graded claims are nutrient functions that apply when you get enough, and NIH notes that routine supplements probably add little for people who are not short of a nutrient. Elderberry has no graded benefit, and we found no trial that tested the pair on its own.^2,8

How much zinc is too much?

The adult upper limit is 40 mg a day from all sources, set to protect the body's copper. Taking 50 mg a day or more for weeks can block copper absorption, and too much at once can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea.^1,3

See what we make

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See the Full Measure line Immune Support Men's Multi

Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.