[Jeff Gerber]

I think elderberry is a very interesting topic. I happen to have red elderberry growing natively in the forest behind my house. I’m sure some people already have a knee jerk reaction to hearing red elderberry because they are not the ones used in herbal remedies. However, consider that birds eat these and ask yourself why nature would produce something that would harm the birds when in fact the birds help in propagation. There must be more to the story, right? When you read about red elderberries you learn that the seeds contain cyanide and/or are toxic.

From copilot:

“Red elderberries are toxic and should not be gathered135. Blue or purple elderberries are edible124. However, blue elderberries have small seeds that are poisonous and must be cooked properly to become completely edible”

The blue or purple elderberries, properly prepared, have no such risk.

However, it’s still a curiosity how the birds get away without ill health effects when eating the red berries. Cyanide has an interesting trait as compared to other poisons in that you cannot “build a tolerance to it”.

I stumbled upon this curious study last year: “However, recent studies demonstrate that the effect of cyanide on Complex IV in various mammalian cells is biphasic: in lower concentrations (nanomolar to low micromolar) cyanide stimulates Complex IV activity, increases ATP production and accelerates cell proliferation, while at higher concentrations (high micromolar to low millimolar) it produces the previously known (‘classic’) toxic effects”

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9291117/

Further, when you read this article I think it puts things into perspective: https://elderberryfamilyfarms.com/faq/do-elderberries-contain-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.”

If you happen to live in an area where you can grow elderberries, they are amazingly fun to grow and propagate. In the dormancy of winter, you can cut the elderberry to the ground. If you cut it into 1 1/2 foot pieces, simply stick those pieces into the ground and they will root and produce more. They grow quickly during the growing season.

I think medicine lost its way when we discovered the power of solvents, decoctions, and tinctures to extract what we thought were the “key ingredient(s)” and tossed away the rest of the plant, in ignorance, as uninteresting.

We were far more observant of the nature of things in the times of Dioscorides and the 1500 years afterwards that we used his book as the de facto medical reference. It often puts a smile on my face when someone now studies one of these plants we tossed aside with Dioscorides and “discovers” some hidden potential.

“Dioscorides’ Work:

Dioscorides (c. 40–90 CE) compiled a comprehensive work on medicinal plants called “De Materia Medica”, which became a foundational text in herbalism and materia medica for centuries.

Elderberry in “De Materia Medica”:

In his work, Dioscorides mentions elderberry, referring to the tree as “akte” and describing the fruit as “growing in clusters, full of juice, [are] smacking of wine”.

Other uses mentioned by Dioscorides

Dioscorides also mentions the use of the root of elderberry as a remedy for dropsy and its fresh leaves as a topical treatment of boils.

Historical Significance:

Dioscorides’ writings helped establish a foundation for herbal knowledge and medicinal practices, and his descriptions of plants, including elderberry, have been studied and referenced by herbalists and scholars for centuries”

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The two faces of cyanide: an environmental toxin and a potential novel mammalian gasotransmitter - PMC

Cyanide is traditionally viewed as a cytotoxic agent, with its primary mode of action being the inhibition of mitochondrial Complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase). However, recent studies demonstrate that the effect of cyanide on Complex IV in various ...

[Jeff Gerber]

I’ve been interested in elderberries ever since I moved into my new house and discovered red elderberries growing in the forest behind my house. Yes, red elderberries are the “more toxic” variety, but they are interesting none the less.

I remember reading about them from Dioscorides:

“Yes, the ancient Greek physician and pharmacologist Dioscorides, known for his “De Materia Medica”, did write about elderberry, describing it as “akte” and noting the fruit’s juicy, wine-like flavor.

Here’s a more detailed explanation:

Dioscorides’ Work:

Dioscorides (c. 40–90 CE) compiled a comprehensive work on medicinal plants called “De Materia Medica”, which became a foundational text in herbalism and materia medica for centuries.

Elderberry in “De Materia Medica”:

In his work, Dioscorides mentions elderberry, referring to the tree as “akte” and describing the fruit as “growing in clusters, full of juice, [are] smacking of wine”.

Other uses mentioned by Dioscorides

Dioscorides also mentions the use of the root of elderberry as a remedy for dropsy and its fresh leaves as a topical treatment of boils.

Historical Significance:

Dioscorides’ writings helped establish a foundation for herbal knowledge and medicinal practices, and his descriptions of plants, including elderberry, have been studied and referenced by herbalists and scholars for centuries.”

If you’re still worried about cyanide, read this article https://elderberryfamilyfarms.com/faq/do-elderberries-contain-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.”

Finally, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9291117/

“However, recent studies demonstrate that the effect of cyanide on Complex IV in various mammalian cells is biphasic: in lower concentrations (nanomolar to low micromolar) cyanide stimulates Complex IV activity, increases ATP production and accelerates cell proliferation, while at higher concentrations (high micromolar to low millimolar) it produces the previously known (‘classic’) toxic effects.”

We used Dioscorides work for 1500 years and then parted ways with the ancient knowledge when we discovered solvents, decoctions, and tinctures, ways of extracting what we thought was of medicinal value while ignorantly discording parts of plants which we thought had no value. Only recently have we started taking a second look at these ancient remedies and have started to realize there is far more to understand and that what they knew by simply observing nature back then is in fact valid.

[Jeff Gerber]

I’m growing elderberry and thought I would share a photo I just took. Elderberry grows at an amazing rate. The sticks in the ground are one and a half foot sections of elderberry branches. You can literally cut an elderberry level with the ground (do this in the dormant phase, I did this in February) and cut it into sections. Then it is as simple as sticking those sections directly into the ground and waiting for spring. It may be difficult to see in the photo but every one of them has buds ready to open.

I remember reading about them from Dioscorides:

“Yes, the ancient Greek physician and pharmacologist Dioscorides, known for his “De Materia Medica”, did write about elderberry, describing it as “akte” and noting the fruit’s juicy, wine-like flavor.

Here’s a more detailed explanation:

Dioscorides’ Work:

Dioscorides (c. 40–90 CE) compiled a comprehensive work on medicinal plants called “De Materia Medica”, which became a foundational text in herbalism and materia medica for centuries.

Elderberry in “De Materia Medica”:

In his work, Dioscorides mentions elderberry, referring to the tree as “akte” and describing the fruit as “growing in clusters, full of juice, [are] smacking of wine”.

Other uses mentioned by Dioscorides

Dioscorides also mentions the use of the root of elderberry as a remedy for dropsy and its fresh leaves as a topical treatment of boils.”

We used De Materia Medica for 1500 years. It’s well vetted science.

[Jeff Gerber]

If you’re worried about cyanide, read this article https://elderberryfamilyfarms.com/faq/do-elderberries-contain-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.”

Finally, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9291117/

“However, recent studies demonstrate that the effect of cyanide on Complex IV in various mammalian cells is biphasic: in lower concentrations (nanomolar to low micromolar) cyanide stimulates Complex IV activity, increases ATP production and accelerates cell proliferation, while at higher concentrations (high micromolar to low millimolar) it produces the previously known (‘classic’) toxic effects.”

elderberryfamilyfarms.com

Page not found – Elderberry Family Farms

Page not found – Elderberry Family Farms

[Jeff Gerber]

If you’re worried about cyanide in elderberry and how people have been using it for thousands of years, this is something to consider:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9291117/

“However, recent studies demonstrate that the effect of cyanide on Complex IV in various mammalian cells is biphasic: in lower concentrations (nanomolar to low micromolar) cyanide stimulates Complex IV activity, increases ATP production and accelerates cell proliferation, while at higher concentrations (high micromolar to low millimolar) it produces the previously known (‘classic’) toxic effects.”

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The two faces of cyanide: an environmental toxin and a potential novel mammalian gasotransmitter - PMC

Cyanide is traditionally viewed as a cytotoxic agent, with its primary mode of action being the inhibition of mitochondrial Complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase). However, recent studies demonstrate that the effect of cyanide on Complex IV in various ...

[IMA-GregT]

👍 Great post – thanks very much.

[IMA-HelenT]

I can’t wait to start growing some this year, thanks for inspiring me 🙂

[Jeff Gerber]

❤