What is it?
An extract of the dark purple berries of the European or black elder, Sambucus nigra, which grows in Europe, North America, western Asia and North Africa. Ripe elderberries are rich in anthocyanins, the pigments behind their color. The cooked berries are used as food, juice and syrup, and elderberry is sold as a dietary supplement, often promoted for colds and flu. In cosmetics the extract is listed as an astringent.
Key information
- Raw or unripe elderberries and the leaves, stems and bark of the elder contain substances that can release cyanide and cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea; cooking eliminates this toxin.
- The European Medicines Agency's herbal committee concluded in 2014 that elderberries are safe to consume when ripe, cooked or dried.
- The same committee does not recommend medicinal use of elderberry during pregnancy, breastfeeding or for people under 18, because of insufficient data.
- The main anthocyanins in fresh elderberries are cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside.
More information
Fresh elderberries contain about 1 to 8 mg of anthocyanins per gram, mainly cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside. Raw or unripe berries and the leaves, stems, bark and roots of the elder contain cyanogenic glycosides such as sambunigrin, which can release hydrogen cyanide, and the bark contains toxic lectins. Ripe fruit carries only small amounts in the seeds, and because hydrogen cyanide is volatile, heating or cooking the fruit or juice removes it.
The best-known poisoning, reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in 1984, involved juice made from berries crushed together with the leaves and branches of a related elder native to the western United States. Eleven people became ill, one was hospitalized, and all recovered. In 2014 the European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee (HMPC) reviewed elderberry. It found the toxicological data limited but concluded that neither the fruit’s composition nor its long, widespread use as food suggests a high risk from preparations of ripe fruit, which are safe to consume when ripe, cooked or dried. It recommends heat treatment and leaving out leaves, stems and bark, and for lack of data it does not recommend medicinal use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or under age 18.
Reality check: elderberry is neither a poison to fear nor a proven flu remedy. The cyanide risk comes from raw or unripe fruit and other parts of the plant, not from cooked ripe berries. NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says preliminary research suggests elderberry may relieve symptoms of flu, colds or other upper respiratory infections, but the evidence is limited. The cosmetic extract has not been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and the EU cosmetic ingredient database lists no restrictions. On labels, look for Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract.
Sources: European Medicines Agency: Assessment report on Sambucus nigra L., fructus (2014); NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Elderberry: Usefulness and Safety; European Commission CosIng: Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract
