Be Wary of Elderberries

Be Wary of Elderberries

Up until recently, my only knowledge of elderberries was limited to my knowledge that they existed. And this knowledge came from a famous line in the Monty Python film “In Search of The Holy Grail” when John Cleese’s French Taunter tells King Arthur that “his father smelt of elderberries”.

What Are Elderberries?

Elderberries are small dark berries that grow in clusters on elder trees (also called elderberry bushes) and are very common in Europe and North America. They are often used to make wine, jams and pies.

Beware of Raw Elderberries

If you ever stumble upon elderberries on a hike, , I encourage you not to eat them raw.  They are very tart and you probably won’t like them.  You may think it a good idea to add them to some sweet fruit as part of a smoothie recipe – but you would be WRONG!  Raw elderberries are toxic!

Even a Nutrition Expert Did Not Know About the Dangers of Raw Elderberries

I never thought I’d blog about the dangers of any particular berry, as I assume that most people are smart enough to avoid any wild berry that they cannot identify.  However because elderberries are used as food, someone very knowledgeable in nutrition can make the mistake of eating raw elderberries.

Dr. Michael Greger, developer of the nutritonfacts.org web site and author of “How Not to Die” learned about the dangers of raw elderberries the hard way.  Dr. Greger shares his experience in this short video interview.

Stay healthy and strong and stick with raw blueberries.