Know2eat

Elderberries

Sambucus nigra

What elderberries has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About elderberries

Tiny near-black berries borne in flat clusters on the elder tree, harvested across Europe and North America. They are cooked into syrup, wine and cordial rather than eaten raw.

Also known as Elder, Black elder, European elderberry, Sambucus

Immune HealthAntioxidant & Oxidative Stress

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Immune function

Immune Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited and contested. Several small trials of elderberry extract report shorter or milder cold and influenza symptoms, and pooled analyses of them are positive, but the trials are small, most are funded by product makers, and a later independent trial in influenza found no benefit. This is best read as an open question rather than a settled one.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Oxidative stress markers

Antioxidant & Oxidative Stress
Insufficient evidence

Elderberry scores very highly in laboratory antioxidant assays because of its anthocyanin load. Human research measuring oxidative-stress markers after eating it is scarce and does not support a claim.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Elderberries

Ask about Elderberries

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories73 kcal4%
Protein0.66 g1%
Total fat0.5 g1%
Carbohydrate18.4 g7%
Fibre7 g25%
Water79.8 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.023 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.08 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.247 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.162 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A30 µg3%
Vitamin C36 mg40%
Thiamin (B1)0.07 mg6%
Riboflavin (B2)0.06 mg5%
Niacin (B3)0.5 mg3%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.14 mg3%
Vitamin B60.23 mg14%
Folate6 µg2%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium38 mg3%
Iron1.6 mg9%
Magnesium5 mg1%
Phosphorus39 mg3%
Potassium280 mg6%
Sodium6 mg0%
Zinc0.11 mg1%
Copper0.061 mg7%
Selenium0.6 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Ash0.64 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Elderberries, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171727).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedReduces cyanogenic glycosides and lectins

    Simmering the berries destroys the cyanogenic glycosides and denatures the agglutinin responsible for the gastrointestinal reaction to raw fruit. This is a food-safety step, not an optional one.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Avoid

    Raw elderberries cause vomiting and diarrhoea

    Uncooked berries, and especially the leaves, bark and unripe green fruit, contain cyanogenic glycosides and lectins. Outbreaks of nausea, vomiting, cramping and diarrhoea have followed drinking juice pressed from raw elderberries. Heating destroys the offending compounds, which is why every traditional preparation is cooked.

  • Worth knowing

    Easily confused with toxic look-alikes

    Foragers sometimes mistake dwarf elder and other unrelated berry clusters for Sambucus nigra. Red-berried elder species are also not interchangeable with the black-berried one.

  • Too much

    Commercial syrups are sugar-based

    Most elderberry sold is a syrup or gummy carrying a modest amount of extract in a large amount of sugar or glucose syrup. The dose of berry in those products is often not stated.