The elderberry is a dark purple berry of the European or “black elder” tree (Sambucus nigra), the North American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), as well as the red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa). These shrubs or woody plants are found in Europe, North America, Western Asia, and North Africa. The berries are very nutritious but are often quite acidic. The flavor of these berries are not well liked by everyone but they are popular for use in pies. Elderberries are also used in juices, jams, and elderberry wine. They are also used in the form of dietary supplements and are claimed to help with cold and flu symptoms as well as provide a number of general health benefits due to their high antioxidant content, especially in the form of anthocyanins and polyphenols.
However, raw or unripe elderberries contain poisonous cyanide-producing substances called cyanogenic glycosides. These can release cyanide when ingested raw. The stems, seeds, and other parts of the tree also contain these substances. Lower levels are found in fully ripe berries than in unripe berries. Even so, the berries must be thoroughly cooked to eliminate the toxins. Exposure to heat destroys the cyanogenic glycosides. The American red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is reported to be the most toxic.
If not eliminated, the toxins in elderberries can cause nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. Eating large amounts could cause serious illness. Heat treatment does not always completely eliminate the cyanogenic glycosides in elderberry but processed elderberry products such as juice, liqueurs, and spreads are safe to consume. Unfortunately, cooking not only reduces the amount of toxins, it also significantly reduces the amount of beneficial phenolic compounds. 1Mateja Senica, Franci Stampar, Robert Veberic, Maja Mikulic-Petkovsek, Processed elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) products: A beneficial or harmful food alternative?,
LWT – Food Science and Technology, Volume 72, 2016, Pages 182-188, ISSN 0023-6438, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2016.04.056.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002364381630247X),2Elderberry. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/elderberry
Although caution should be used, most raw berries are not as poisonous as they are sometimes claimed to be, though, and most of the toxins are found in the leaves and bark of the plant. Wild raw berries may be somewhat safe to eat although they are likely to produce nausea. It’s best to only consume them cooked or as a prepared commercial product. It is possible that some reports of severe poisoning from raw elderberries could be the result of mistaking other poisonous berries for elderberry. Again, the seeds of the red-fruited elderberry species should never be consumed.
Since the available information on which elderberries are safe is mixed in inconsistent, such information should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, it is often claimed that the berries of the common American Elder are safe to eat raw, but may cause nausea in some individuals. Since raw elderberries are not likely to be an important part of your diet, except in a survival situation, and you are not likely to like the taste of them, there is no need to test the reality of the conflicting advice. Again, commercial elderberry products are safe to consume.
Facts About Elderberries
- Elderberry trees are sometimes cultivated in the United States and Europe, but are not an important commercial crop. Their softness makes them unsuitable for shipping so you are more likely to find them in local farmer’s markets or from individual growers. In the United States, commercial crops are produced in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Kansas, and New York.
- The woody elderberry plant can appear as a shrub or a small tree, depending on the species and location. Their hollow stems are useful for making whistles and other craft items but this can be dangerous as the stems may be toxic. There are stories of children being poisoned by using the hollow stems as pea shooters or whistles.
- Native Americans and American settlers used the hollow stems as taps to extract maple sap from trees.
- The leaves of the elder plant have an unpleasant smell and may be useful for repelling flies and other insects. Some of the objectional smell and taste of the plant may be present in the berries.
- Elderberries range in color from red to blue-black. In addition to use as food or medicine, the fruits have also been used to produce cloth dyes.
- Some ancient Romans used elderberries to color black hair.
- Native Americans and American settlers used the hollow stems as taps to extract maple sap from trees.
- As medicine, elderberries have been used to treat toothache and epilepsy. Various other ancient medical uses are reported for the leaves or roots.
- In the early 1900s, American women used “elder flower water” to keep their complexion clear from freckles and other spots. 3Small, Ernest. North American Cornucopia: Top 100 Indigenous Food Plants. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2014.
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