Do Elderberries contain cyanide? Do I need to cook them to remove cyanide?

I read similar things about elderberries when I first started using them and it concerned me too – especially as a nurse myself. So I started using my nursing background and doing some serious research. I looked into actual medical and clinical studies. Ones that were peer-reviewed and legitimate. I also started talking with other people who were more experienced using elderberries and doing some experiments myself. What I found was that there is a LOT of misinformation on the internet about elderberries and, sadly, it’s usually the fear-inducing kind of information.

Scientifically, elderberry seeds may have a miniscule amount of cyanide in them but I’ve only ever, in all my research, found one clinical reference to someone becoming ill from eating raw berries. The reference is from the 1970’s when a group of people went into the forest in Northern California and while there had some kind of ceremony where large amounts of raw elderberries and teas from the leaves and bark of the elderberry bush were consumed. A couple of people in the group were hospitalized for supportive treatment from stomach upset. (Think: things like dehydration from diarrhea, etc.) All of them recovered completely. Every reference to becoming ill from raw berries that I’ve found was rooted in that one reference.

I think that with elderberries, like with any fruit, wisdom in quantities is always good. We have several big cherry orchards around our farm. Every year when the sweet cherries come on, I’m tempted to sit down and eat a giant bowl. Mmmm…. they are so good! But I’ve learned over the years to stick with a medium sized bowl or I’ll be hot-footing it to the bathroom the next day. Elderberries are a fruit. Just like any other fruit but with some extra good antioxidants, quercetin, and anti-viral properties!

When finding ways to use elderberries without cooking, I love our Elderberry Herbal Tea Blends made as a ‘sun tea’. Where I just leave them to sit in water in the sunshine to draw out their tea flavors. I also really love the Elderberry Frozen Cream Dessert recipe on our website. It’s good with rehydrated elderberries but it’s extra yummy with fresh elderberries.

The bottom line is that I use fresh and dried berries all the time and have never had a problem. I feel confident in saying that you can continue using them safely.

We use minimal cooking in our Elderberry products. The jars have to be heated to certain temperatures to ensure sealing for shelf-stable products but we’re very careful to get to the temperature and then take them right back out without the prolonged boiling that you often see with elderberry products. It’s always better not to boil off all the good things found in our fruits and vegetables!

We also try very hard to put credible research studies on our website for you to be able to find easily. They’re under the ‘Learning’ Tab. We’re always trying to add and update these articles so check back often if you can.

Written By: Theresa Echols, Founder and CEO, Registered Nurse, and Grandmother