Can you eat raw elderberries? Are dried elderberries safe to eat? Is it OK to make elderberry syrup from fresh elderberries? Isn’t the elderberry poisonous? There are a lot of unknowns surrounding the elderberry and particularly elderberry in its raw form, so let’s bust some myths!
In this article you’ll find answers to the following questions:
- Are elderberries poisonous?
- Can you eat freshly-picked raw elderberries?
- Is it safe to eat dried elderberries?
- How to prepare elderberries for eating?
- How many elderberries will kill you?
- Is it safe to use fresh elderberries to make elderberry syrup?
- Elderberry use in pregnancy
#1 Are elderberries poisonous?
While various parts of the elderberry tree have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, most of the plant has toxic properties (which is probably why black elderberry has such robust medicinal applications).
The elderberry stems, leaves, twigs, roots, and bark contain high concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides (prunasin, sambunigrin, zierin, holocalin, and others) which can induce cyanide poisoning if ingested. (While the elderberry stems, leaves, twigs, roots, and bark should not be eaten or processed, all parts of the elderberry tree are safe to touch.)
Symptoms of cyanide poisoning include rapid heartbeat, cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. Severe cases may get you hospitalized and can lead to death.
The safe parts of black elderberry to use are its flowers and berries – with a few exceptions (more on that below).
#2 Can you eat freshly picked raw elderberries?
#3 Is it safe to eat dried elderberries?
It is NOT recommend to eat raw elderberries. This includes fresh elderberries and dried elderberries.
Much like the rest of the elderberry tree, elderberries (the actual berries of the elderberry tree) also contain cyanide-inducing glycosides, particularly in the seeds which form about half the fruit. The amounts are much lower compared with the rest of the plant, however, and the more ripe the berry is, the less cyanide precursors it contains.
Still, eating fresh raw elderberries may cause a toxic buildup of cyanide in the body if ingested in large enough amounts and isn’t recommended.
#4 How to prepare elderberries for eating?
It is recommended that elderberries should be heat-treated before consumption. Heat destroys the cyanide precursors in both the juice and seeds of the elderberry, which makes the whole berry safe to eat.
#5 How many elderberries will kill you?
Even though it’s widely purported that consuming raw elderberries can make you very sick, the exact amount of elderberries you’d have to ingest to induce cyanide poisoning is unknown. On one hand you have folk that seem to tolerate fresh elderberries surprisingly well, while others have reportedly gotten sick after consuming just a handful of fresh or dried elderberries.
The truth is, there isn’t a clear understanding of the toxicity of the elderberry. The levels of cyanogenic glycosides vary from one elderberry variety to another (the most talked-about varieties are Sambucus Nigra – the European black elderberry, and Sambucus Canadensis – the American black elderberry). Even among the same cultivars, the location and environment in which the plant grows as well as plant maturity have been found to cause variations in the concentration of cyanide-producing compounds within.
I have not been able to find a single death caused by the consumption of the berries of black elderberry in any form. In fact, the only documented more serious health outcome related to the elderberry is this CDC write-up from 1983 titled “Poisoning from Elderberry Juice — California” that describes how a group of 8 people attending a private event had to seek medical care for acute gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms after consuming elderberry juice. 1 person in that group had to be hospitalized. (All recovered quickly, including the hospitalized person.)
The title makes you very leery of elderberry juice, heck probably all elderberry products in general, because poison is poison, right? But if you take the time to read the document in detail, you’ll find that the elderberry juice at this gathering had been prepared by crushing elderberries with the leaves and branches. Which is a big no-no, as both the leaves and branches are known to contain high levels of cyanogenic glycosides, unlike the ripe berries of the elderberry which contain amounts much smaller.
So to answer question #5: parts of the black elderberry are poisonous, ripe raw elderberries are mildly poisonous, with the cyanogenic glycosides concentrated mainly in the seeds of the berry when the fruit is ripe. One thing remains clear – heat destroys the cyanide precursors in both the juice and seeds of the elderberry which makes the whole berry safe to eat.
#6 Is it safe to use fresh elderberries to make elderberry syrup?
If you have black elderberry growing in your yard or your area (here is how to identify wild black elderberry so that you don’t end up with an elderberry look-alike – worse yet, a toxic one!), you can harvest and use the berries. Fresh elderberries are an excellent way to make elderberry syrup on the cheap (here is my favorite recipe). You can also use fresh elderberries to make elderberry tea, jelly, pie… go crazy! Just keep the following safety tips in mind.
Related: Health Benefits of the Elderberry Syrup (Backed by Science!)
- Use only the berries. Discard the leaves, stems, and twigs which are toxic to ingest (due to the presence of cyanide precursors). The tiny fruit stems are not much of a risk.
- Only use dark purple (fully ripe) berries. Remove green, reddish, and lightly colored berries (which are all unripe) from your elderberry preparations when using fresh elderberries.
Related: 21 Ways to Save on Groceries (But Still Eat Healthy!)
#7 Elderberry use in pregnancy
The safety of using any forms of elderberry (including heat-treated elderberries) during pregnancy and lactation has not been established.
References:
The higher the better? Differences in phenolics and cyanogenic glycosides in Sambucus nigra leaves, flowers and berries from different altitudes; Mateja Senica, Franci Stampar, Robert Veberic, Maja Mikulic-Petkovsek; J Sci Food Agric. 2017 Jun;97(8):2623-2632. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.8085. Epub 2016 Nov 10.
Assessment report on Sambucus nigra L.; European Medicines Agency, Science Medicines Health; 28 January 2014 EMA/HMPC/44208/2012 Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC)
Health Benefits of Elderberry; Medical News Today
Elderberry; NIH
What’s the point then, cooking raw juices destroys not just the cyanogenic glycosides but also the beneficial enzymes. its only nutritional value remains caloric at that point and we may as well drink store bought.
I drink it zero problems. I mash only the ripe berries and strain. No seeds.
There’s no documented cases of death and only one medical research paper showing sickness where they consumed leaves and stems as well.
Seems like hysteria.
I agree – that one single documented case of elderberry poisoning was from juicing leaves and stems as well, which are both known to contain a wide variety of cyanogenic glycosides in high amounts. But even fully ripe elderberries contain a certain amount of some types, particularly sambunigrin and prunasin and can cause a stomach upset, so a heat treatment is generally recommended to degrade these compounds. If you’re cautious about removing the seeds from pressed elderberries, you shouldn’t have problems unless it’s high quantities. Analysis results on the retention of beneficial compounds vs. degradation of cyanide precursors in heated and otherwise processed elderberry products naturally vary given the different chemical composition between different elderberry cultivars and even different plants of the same variety, but a short gentle cooking time (or a hot bath) seems to lead to an acceptable balance between both, so in my elderberry syrup recipe I recommend to simmer elderberries for no longer than 10 minutes (15 min max). This also allows for other spices to release aroma and bioactive compounds into the liquid, and the warm temperature makes it easy to blend in honey.
Help! I made elderberry syrup but instead of mashing them I used a hand blender thing and kinda pulverized them and simmered for a half hour and then strained them and simmered another 30 minutes and strained again and then water bathed them for 20 min. Is it safe?
Things happen, Kathleen! Although the seeds in RAW or DRIED elderberries are not to be consumed due to varying amounts of cyanide precursors which can lead to upset stomach and/or cyanide toxicity, cooking destroys these compounds. COOKED RIPE elderberries are safe to eat, seeds and all. Elderberry pies and jams are popular culinary experiences in Europe. 🙂 There might not be much left in the syrup in terms of beneficial compounds due to the long cooking time. But above all, follow your gut feeling!
I’ve got a variegated elderberry bush in my backyard, and this is the first year it’s made elderberries! They are black when ripe – but wasn’t sure if this shrub was significantly different enough that they would NOT be safe to use for making syrup? I hate to see them go to waste if I can use them!
Hi TJ! I must admit that I have never heard of variegated elderberry before and had to look up the variety. However, all the botanical guides I’ve gone over declare that the dark berries of the variegated elderberry (sambucus nigra ‘marginata’) are perfectly edible. It’s also mentioned here in the plant information guide of the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture and no extra caution is given beyond the black elderberry standards. Of course, if you have a local plant nursery that’s able to verify the plant with certainty, I would bring a sample. 🙂
Why 8s there a Propc65 warning on the elderberries I purchase? Are they full of kead?
Prop 65 requires most businesses that cater to Californians to attach a warning label to any product containing one or more of the chemicals listed on the Proposition 65 list if they are over the limit. Virtually all foods grown in nature will contain some amounts of certain heavy metals because these elements are present in the environment. While I can’t give you any more details about the elements and levels found in the particular product you bought, do be aware that Prop 65 regulations are very stringent and exceed the limits set the FDA and EPA. Do you have a link to the product you bought?
Hi, for a while, one of my friends brought some plant stems and said it was edible. Its stem was very similar to elderberry . I ate too, but I did not feel bad. The bag of those stems remained in a warm place. A liquid had come out of it, I do not know if it was acidic or not
When harvesting my elderberries my husband picked a few redish black elderberries and tossed in the cooking pot. Will this be dangerous? I hate the thought of throwing the entire batch out due to reddish black elderberries but don’t want to compromise something poisonous.
If it was just a few and you cooked the elderberries for at least 10-15 minutes, the vast majority of cyanogenic glycosides would have been destroyed, or at least substantially reduced, and safe to use. The greener the parts of the elderberry tree (stems, green unripe berries), the more glycosides, so you really want to avoid the hard green berries the most. Plus stems. A red berry, or even a few of them would have been somewhere in the middle, and while not ideal, not a huge deal. I wouldn’t waste a batch based on this, but I can completely understand your concerns! If you feel like you shouldn’t use this batch, however, go with your gut. PS: A few berries that aren’t ripe (even the green ones) always land in the pot every time I make the syrup from dried elderberries regardless of my best efforts. Dried are the worst to separate. And I’m thinking who knows what goes into commercially prepared elderberry syrup…