Elderberry extracts: polyphenol content, quality, safety and health effects
What it found
Elderberry is rich in anthocyanins, which may help with oxidative stress and inflammation, but the amount of these compounds varies widely between products.
Most of the evidence comes from lab and animal studies, with some human trials.
What they found
Studies in people
Human evidence limited
The review notes that clinical trials on elderberry for chronic conditions are limited, and the effectiveness of elderberry is not substantiated by unequivocal clinical evidence.
Animal and lab studies
Health effects in animals
In a rat model of Huntington's disease, rats fed a diet with elderberry showed recovery of motor coordination and reduced markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain.
Antioxidant effects in cells
In lab tests, colon-digested elderberry extract protected colon cells from oxidative stress by reducing reactive oxygen species and preventing DNA damage.
Other findings
Rich in anthocyanins
Elderberry is a very rich source of anthocyanins, which make up about 80% of its polyphenol content. These compounds are thought to give elderberry its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Variable composition
The chemical composition of elderberry varies widely due to factors like cultivar, harvesting year, growing conditions, and ripening stage. For example, total anthocyanin content varied nearly threefold among different cultivars.
Adulteration common
In a study of 31 dietary supplements, more than 60% of those claiming to contain European elderberry had anthocyanin profiles that differed from authentic elderberry, indicating adulteration with black rice, purple carrot, or elderberry flowers.
What the authors conclude
“The effectiveness of elderberry is not substantiated by unequivocal clinical evidence.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that elderberry extracts have potential health benefits, but quality consistency is essential for safety and efficacy.
- They advise that comprehensive characterization and chemical profiling of elderberry extracts should be performed to ensure consistency and safety.
- They suggest that multiple analytical techniques and quality markers are needed to detect adulteration and ensure authenticity.
How it was done
Elderberry is highly reputed for its health-improving effects, and sales of elderberry supplements skyrocketed to $320 million in 2020. The authors wanted to review the chemical composition, quality consistency, safety, adulteration, and health effects of elderberry extracts.
The authors searched electronic databases (SciFinder, Google Scholar, PubMed) for studies published between 2000 and 2022. They selected 80 relevant articles on European elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), focusing on fruit polyphenols and health effects.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the health effects described come from lab and animal studies, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- The review did not find enough strong human trials to confirm whether elderberry prevents or treats chronic diseases.
- The wide variation in elderberry products means findings from one extract may not apply to another.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Specific Cooperative Agreement (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Mississippi, USA
The paper
- Title
- Elderberry Extracts: Characterization of the Polyphenolic Chemical Composition, Quality Consistency, Safety, Adulteration, and Attenuation of Oxidative Stress- and Inflammation-Induced Health Disorders
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Osman AG, Avula B, Katragunta K, Ali Z, Chittiboyina AG, Khan IA (2023). Elderberry Extracts: Characterization of the Polyphenolic Chemical Composition, Quality Consistency, Safety, Adulteration, and Attenuation of Oxidative Stress- and Inflammation-Induced Health Disorders. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/molecules28073148Free full textPubMed 37049909DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error