This berry may give you a boost you need to feel better faster

Halle Berry, Chuck Berry, Berry Gordy Jr: That’s Berry power, for sure. Without Halle’s best actress performance in “Monster’s Ball,” Chuck Berry’s hit song “Johnny B. Goode,” and Berry Gordy’s Motown empire, the popular arts would be lacking a lot of vitality.

But another berry — the elderberry, aka Sambucus nigra — may deliver even more of a healthy boost to body and soul, according to Dr. Mike’s Cleveland Clinic.

During this sniffle, cough, wheeze and feel dreadful season (at the beginning of January, up to 14 million Americans had come down with the flu, up to 150,000 people had been hospitalized and as many as 12,000 people had died), consuming the tasty fruit may lessen symptoms and shorten the duration of both the common cold and flu. In fact, one study found that elderberry extract (Sambucol) could reduce the symptoms of illness by an average of two days and ease symptoms too.

How does it do this? Long a favorite in making jams and wines, the elderberry contains both antibiotic and antiviral agents, according to lab studies, and is loaded with goodfor-you flavonoids such as anthocyanins and vitamin C.

If you’re looking to add elderberry to your flu-season defenses, check with your doctor to find out which form (syrup, lozenge, etc.) of this natural remedy is best for you. Also, avoid consuming the raw fruit or any part of the plant; they contain small amounts of lectins, which can cause gastrointestinal upset, as well as trace amounts of cyanide. Cooking KOs them.