Elderberries: Fruit Facts, USDA Nutrition and Raw Berry Safety

Elderberries are the small, dark purple berries of the elder tree, and the fruit comes with one rule most berries do not have: cook it first. According to the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), raw or unripe elderberries and the leaves and stems of the tree contain cyanide-producing substances that can cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea, and cooking eliminates this toxin. Cooked, the elderberry fruit is a tart berry that USDA data show is rich in fiber and vitamin C. This guide covers elderberry nutrition, the 1984 CDC report that shows why the raw-plant warning matters, and how the fruit differs from elderberry supplements.

Peptide Labs does not sell elderberries or elderberry products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What are elderberries?

Elder trees and shrubs belong to the genus Sambucus. NCCIH describes elderberry as the dark purple berry of the European or black elder tree (Sambucus nigra), which grows in Europe, North America, Western Asia and North Africa. In North America, the American elder (Sambucus canadensis) is the native relative that a CDC report names. The berries grow in flat, wide clusters after the creamy white flowers fade.

Raw elderberries taste sharp and slightly bitter, which is one reason they are almost always cooked into jams, pies, sauces and syrups. Dried elderberries are sold for home cooking too. Because the berries are small and the stems are fine, picking them off the cluster takes patience, and that detail matters for safety, as the next section explains.

Are elderberries poisonous?

Raw ones can make you sick, and so can the rest of the plant. NCCIH states that raw or unripe elderberries and other parts of the elder tree, such as the leaves and stem, contain poisonous cyanide-producing substances that can cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea, and that cooking eliminates this toxin. Chemists call compounds of this kind cyanogenic glycosides. NCCIH adds that large quantities of the toxin may cause serious illness.

The clearest real-world example is a CDC report in its MMWR journal in 1984. On August 26, 1983, in Monterey County, California, a group drank juice made from wild elderberries that had been crushed together with leaves and branches. Of 25 people, 11 became ill with nausea and vomiting soon after drinking it, and 8 were flown by helicopter to a hospital. One person stayed overnight, and all recovered. The people who drank the most juice were the sickest. CDC noted that fresh leaves, flowers, bark, young buds and roots of the plant contain a glucoside that can produce hydrocyanic acid (cyanide), that the berries may be safe, particularly if cooked, and that leaves and stems should not be crushed into juice. The report also mentions older anecdotal reports of poisoning in children from American elder.

Practical points that follow from those two sources:

• Cook the berries. NCCIH says cooking eliminates the toxin, so jams, pies and simmered sauces are the usual way to eat them.
• Strip off the stems. Leaves and stems should not go into juice or the pot, per CDC.
• Skip unripe green berries. NCCIH names unripe berries in its warning.
• Know the plant. If you pick wild elder, be sure of the identification; the CDC case involved wild berries, and other plants have dark berries in clusters.

Elderberry nutrition: USDA values per cup and per 100 grams

The USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy database lists Elderberries, raw (FDC ID 171727), with a USDA portion of 1 cup at 145 grams. The values are for the raw fruit, as analyzed; cooking with sugar for jam or pie changes the numbers, so check the Nutrition Facts label on any packaged product. Percent Daily Values use the FDA Daily Values. SR Legacy gives no total sugars value for elderberries.

Two things stand out in the USDA data. Fiber is high for a fruit, about a quarter of the Daily Value per 100 grams and roughly a third per cup, which puts elderberries among the fiber leaders on our list of high-fiber foods. Vitamin C is also notable at 40% of the Daily Value per 100 grams in USDA data, though the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that cooking and long storage can reduce the vitamin C in foods, so cooked elderberries will carry less. Our guide to vitamin C in foods compares many sources. Like other dark berries, elderberries contain colorful plant pigments, which is why they show up in roundups of antioxidant-rich foods; lab antioxidant scores do not show an effect in people.

How elderberries compare with other berries

Per 100 grams of the raw fruit, here is how USDA lists elderberries next to berries that are easier to find fresh. Remember that elderberries are eaten cooked, while the others are often eaten raw.

Elderberries and raspberries are close on fiber, while strawberries lead on vitamin C per 100 grams. Our sibling guide to huckleberries explains why the USDA huckleberry entry lists so few nutrients.

Elderberry fruit vs elderberry supplements

Most people meet elderberry as a gummy, syrup, lozenge or capsule rather than as fruit. These are dietary supplements, and they are a separate topic from eating cooked berries. On the evidence, NCCIH says a small number of studies have evaluated elderberry for colds, flu and other upper respiratory infections. NCCIH also reports that FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have taken action against companies that marketed elderberry products with unsubstantiated claims of effectiveness for COVID-19.

NCCIH advises talking with a health care provider before using elderberry if you are taking medicines of any kind, and says little is known about whether it is safe to use elderberry for health purposes during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. For the research details and label points on supplements, see our elderberry supplement guide. One label tip applies to everything with elderberry on the front: a flavor name is not an ingredient. Some products say elderberry in the name but list only flavorings, so read the ingredient list or Supplement Facts panel.

Cooking with elderberries

• Destemming: freezing the clusters first makes the berries easier to pull off with a fork. Discard the stems.
• Common uses: jam, jelly, pie, compote and sauces for meat, often mixed with apples or other fruit to balance the tartness.
• Dried berries: dried elderberries are cooked the same way as fresh ones; NCCIH’s warning covers raw berries, so they still go into the pot rather than straight into a snack mix.
• Flowers: elderflowers are a different part of the plant; the CDC report lists flowers among the plant parts that contain the cyanide-producing glucoside when fresh.

Elderberries are not one of the nine major food allergens that US labels must declare, but any food can cause a reaction. Hives, swelling or trouble breathing need urgent care. If vomiting or diarrhea follows eating raw elderberries or anything made from the leaves or stems, call Poison Control or see a clinician.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Huckleberries: USDA Nutrition, Botany and Blueberry Differences, Blueberries: Nutrition, Benefits and Frozen Blueberries, Foods High in Antioxidants: USDA Chart and What the Science Says, Aronia Berries: Chokeberry Taste, Uses and What Trials Show.