16/03/2026
For a big portion of my life, I had struggled with vertigo. I was first diagnosed in my early 30s, (I'm 56 now), and for years, I searched for answers. In the end, desperate for some relief I went to see a doctor (and if you know my history, which you can read all about in the 'about me' section on my website), and that was not an easy thing for me to do. The doctor told me it was the ālittle bones in my ears,ā , that it was incurable and i would have to learn to live with it. But deep down, I knew they were wrong. Something else was happening.
Over time, I discovered that my vertigo wasnāt just about my ears. For years, I had learned to somewhat manage it through consuming massive amounts of garlic ( I know right - not pleasant at all!), and resting a lot whenever it occurred, yet the vertigo would still return in the form of debilitating attacks, without warning.
Like most health conditions it was connected to deeper rhythms going on in my body as well as what I was eating and how my sinuses and ears responded to all of that.
About five years ago, I saw a video of a guy on utube saying he had cured his vertigo by going on an elimination diet. I decided I was desperate enough to try anything. The diet consisted of not eating anything but beef and lettuce for a whole month, and salt. I kid you not! No herbs and spices. Nothing. Then, you reintroduced food, one food at a time, 1 a week and looked for a reaction. The effect was intense. As soon as I had a food my body was sensitive to, I would wake up the next morning with vertigo! It made the process very easy. It ended up there was a lot of things I couldn't eat with wheat and dairy being the main culprits - also the nightshade family and many nuts and seeds. And it may be interesting to note that I had allergy screening of many different forms before, which did pick up some, but not all. I now believe the only certain way to pick up all food intolerances is through an elimination diet. Just a small note: as time has gone by and I've healed I have been able to add back in the nightshade family and be ok with that now. Yay for potatoes! Oh how i missed them.
So I spent almost 3 years vertigo free. But.... now and again I get such bad yearnings for foods I shouldn't eat, that I succumb and them. And yes, now instead of going straight to vertigo I get stunning sinus infections, with a touch of vertigo.
Enter Elderberry.
Iāve long used Elderberry for immune support, but what has surprised me (after 30 years experience in working with herbs) was its effect on sinus infections. If I take 20 drops every 30 minutes when the pressure starts, within hours the pain and congestion begin to ease. By the next morning, I often wake completely clear. This isnāt something I had read anywhere. We were not taught this when I did my training. Elderberry isnāt typically listed as a go-to for sinus pressure - but in my experience, the effect is almost immediate (within 1 to 2 hours).
Why might this be? Elderberry is known to support the immune system and reduce inflammation. It helps calm mucous membranes and can assist the body in managing viral or secondary bacterial loads. For me, that translates into relief from sinus congestion, and because my vertigo is triggered by sinus inflammation, it stops the dizziness at its root.
I am still amazed every day, that herbs often work in ways that textbooks donāt fully capture. Elderberry isnāt just for colds or flu. And for those of us sensitive to sinus issues, it can be a quiet, powerful ally, easing pressure, calming inflammation, and helping restore balance.
In my life, Elderberry has become more than a preventive. Itās a tool for acute support, a reminder that plants often hold knowledge our modern studies are only beginning to uncover.
For best results I take Elderberry at the first sign of sinus congestion or pressure, and I take 1 dose every 30 minutes. The amount you take will depend on whether you are using the syrup or the tincture ( I have dosage instructions on each bottle).
I made some choices last week foodwise that were perhaps not in my best interests š
(I hate labeling food good or bad so try to stay away from that type of language), and yesterday, woke up with such a stunning, painful sinus infection combined with mild vertigo, that I had to stay on the couch all day and not do anything) but in came Elderberry and today I'm feeling so much better!
I do believe you can never know everything about plant medicine, and perhaps I only know just a fraction of what they are truly capable of. The photo below is of an Elderberry tree in full flower. How stunning is she!
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