This review examines a product called Wise Woman Herbals Elderberry Syrup. This product claims to offer immune system support from its botanical formula. We liked that this formula is organic and GMO-free. With an impressive website and a company that has been around since 1989, this product piqued our interest. Above all, the question we wanted to answer in this review is: Is this 8-ounce product worth $125?
The Wise Woman Herbals website and labels have an apothecary feel to them. Both the design and the locally sourced plant-based materials seem to emanate quality. While we like this message very much, we also noted that the source of Elderberries in this syrup is from Oregon. We were slightly disappointed as research shows that the best source of Elderberries is from European Black Elderberries (Sambucus nigra). This is because they contain a higher level of naturally-occurring flavonoids. Most products we have come across use European Elderberries as its source because of this reason.
We sought to further examine this formula for details such as how potent the dosage of Elderberries is, as well as what other ingredients are included here. However, we hit a roadblock as Wise Woman Herbals Elderberry Syrup contains a proprietary blend. Perusing its website revealed that all of its botanical blends are, in fact, proprietary blends. Wise Woman Herbals are proud of this fact as it says it has been using the same proprietary blends for decades. However, we are not so convinced that proprietary blends are in the best interest of most consumers.
When manufacturers choose to include a proprietary blend in their formula, they are exempt from listing what the doses are of all the ingredients contained in that blend. We may know how much of the blend is included, but there is no way to know what exactly is inside. The FDA only requires exact doses to be listed for ingredients that are not within a blend. Therefore, it’s much easier for a consumer to know exactly what they are getting when they buy a non-proprietary blend health product.
Added to all of this is the exorbitant price. Quality Elderberries are not cheap, but paying $125 for an 8-ounce bottle is not feasible for most people. As such, this product may not be a long-term option for the average consumer as this manufacturer doesn’t offer any sort of discount for multiple purchases. Larger, more established companies usually will offer bulk discounts to try and garner loyalty in their client base.
Where this product fails to impress us is with its return policy. While there is one, it is very restrictive. Customers must receive pre-approval to return this product and it must be within 7 days of receiving it. Products must be sent back within 30 days and must be unopened, with the seal still on. This means that customers are not able to try out this Elderberry Syrup to see if it works for them. Is the manufacturer assuming that this product won’t work? It’s unclear and leaves us uneasy as to what we can expect. Wise Woman Herbals expects its customers to take quite a large leap of faith to the tune of $125.
Because of the extremely short time period for this return policy and no mention of a money-back guarantee, we needed to check customer reviews to ascertain the chances of this product working. We didn’t see any reviews on the Wise Woman Herbals website and there are scant reviews available on Amazon. However, we were pleased to see that most of the reviews are positive.
Unfortunately, the reviews were each only about one line and didn’t give us a lot of information. The negative reviews that were there were mainly about the lack of a dropper with this syrup. Many customers were disappointed and upset that theirs did not come with a dropper as advertised. Even though most Elderberry Syrups do not come with a dropper, this one is to be taken only 1/8 of a teaspoon at a time. This can be difficult for consumers without a dropper.
We believe this product is safe as this manufacturer offers many botanical-based products and has been in business for many years.
As with any new supplement or diet introduced into your daily life, we always advise talking to your healthcare professional about possible contraindications of any pre-existing medical conditions or medications that you are taking. Supplements work differently for everyone and the effects vary between individuals so it is always a good idea to run any health changes with a professional.
Our goal when reviewing Wise Woman Herbals Elderberry Syrup was to determine if this product was worth its exorbitant price tag. Could it, in fact, deliver more than other products we have reviewed?
What we uncovered is that while it is admirable to locally source botanicals from the Pacific Northwest, in this case, it is optimal to source Elderberries from European Black Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) because they contain a higher level of naturally-occurring flavonoids.
Additionally, the amount of Elderberries contained in their product is found in a proprietary blend. We are discouraged when we see proprietary blends because it means that manufacturers do not have to be transparent about what exactly is included in their formulas. Here there is a dose of 0.6 ml. Even if it contains mainly Elderberries, it still contains less than is found in our top two products.
Furthermore, there is no mention of the inclusion of Vitamin C or Zinc in this product. Both of these ingredients are found in most Elderberry Syrups due to the amount of supporting scientific studies that back up their immunity-boosting benefits. To have not included either one definitely leaves this formula lacking.
While there are not many customer reviews, the ones we found were mostly positive. If there was a solid return policy in place, we would be inclined to encourage consumers to try this product out for themselves. However, the flimsy return policy that is in place does not allow customers to actually try the product before returning it. In addition, there is no guarantee on your purchase. When an 8-ounce bottle costs $125, this can be a make-or-break decision for most consumers.
If we could turn to a solid money-back guarantee, we would have felt better about Wise Woman Herbals Elderberry Syrup. When a manufacturer truly believes that their product will work, they offer a real money-back guarantee. We call your attention to Approved Science Elderberry Syrup which has a guarantee for 60 days with the option of returning open and empty bottles. For us, that says it all.
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