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As part of community service in our pharmacies we provide advice, help and support on the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. This has been especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic as many of our customers are understandably even more concerned about their immune health and how they can help boost their immunity during this time in order to protect themselves as far as possible. We help them understand the relevance of good nutrition, the importance doing exercise (where possible), and how they can take steps to reduce risk over these worrying times. For example, through our pharmacy services, we offer the flu jab to customers and support the NHS in administering the jab, for which demand has been greatly increased this year as people look to protect their immune system from flu (which for some - can prove fatal). By protecting from illness, our body's immune system can remain stronger, as is not distracted into fighting illnesses that could have been prevented.

Community pharmacists are readily accessible healthcare providers and medicine experts in the community setting and their counsel is often sought by patients and consumers on a number of subjects including the use of dietary supplements. Their role in the sale of and advice regarding natural health and drug alternatives has never been more relevant. The recent National Health Service (NHS) Interim People Plan calls for the NHS to put all staff front and centre of the way it operates and identifies pharmacists as a critical part of multidisciplinary teams, providing care across a wide range of increasingly complex patient needs. Despite existing demand to counsel patients on a vast range of medicines, more and more consumers are looking to their pharmacist to support and enhance their knowledge regarding the relevance of a growing range of supplementary nutrients now available. Nutritional supplementation is increasingly becoming the consumer's first choice for 'drug free' treatment or natural prevention that provides a true sense of taking control, which the prescription process often denies them. The vast and growing depository of information on the internet is certainly fuelling this, but as much of this is brand derived content, information, it can often be generic with a 'one size fits all' marketing message.

Many advertised the elderberry due to its immune-boosting effects during the pandemic. Elderberry has been sold to benefit colds and flu. Some exponents even asserted they benefit against COVID-19. You also may have heard that they can help with other ailments, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Still, no one-size-fits-all remedy for sickness like turmeric exists. Exponents of the elderberry say it is a versatile fruit of nature and is a solution to what ails you. About 30 types of elderberry plants exist worldwide. In the European version, it is Sambucus nigra, which means closely affixed to your health and healing. It dates back to 400 BC. Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) called the elderberry his "medicine chest." Now elderberry is viewed as one of the world's most healing plants in folk medicine. So what's the deal? Is the elderberry plant a godsend fruit that can give you super immunity? What are Elderberries? You're probably familiar with elderberries, which look like any other dark blueberry. But there are many plant species, and they all have unique characteristics that might surprise you. Sambucus contains over 30 species of shrubs in the Adoxaceae family, including honeysuckle and snowberry (Symphoricarpos). The elderberry grows throughout Europe, Asia, and North America-and even as far north as Alaska! It thrives in moist areas such as river banks, fields, and forest margins, where it can grow up to 8 feet tall (2.4 meters). Elderberry flowers from May through July, depending on region; clusters of white flowers grow on cymes at the ends of branches before turning into red berries by late summer or early fall. Historical and Regional Uses People have used Elderberries for decades since the fifth century AD. Still, if you see the plant's name, you'll notice that the Elder shrub was so revered that its very name shows the respect it was given. Being grown by Native American and European herbalists throughout history,