Evidently, elderberries are poisonous also... until they are cooked.... whatever that means...
Description
The oppositely arranged
leaves are
pinnate with 5–9 leaflets (or, rarely, 3 or 11). Each leaf is 5–30 cm (2.0–11.8 in) long, and the leaflets have serrated margins. They bear large clusters of small white or cream-colored
flowers in late spring; these are followed by clusters of small black, blue-black, or red berries (rarely yellow or white).
Color
Structure of
anthocyanins, the blue pigments in elderberries.
[2]
Elderberries are rich in
anthocyanidins[3] that combine to give elderberry juice an intense blue-purple coloration that turns reddish on dilution with water.
[4] These pigments are used as colorants in various products,
[3] and "elderberry juice color" is listed by the
USFDA as allowable in certified organic food products.
[3] In Japan, elderberry juice is listed as an approved "natural color additive" under the Food and Sanitation Law.
[5] Fibers can be dyed with elderberry juice (using
alum as a
mordant)
[6] to give a light "elderberry" color.
Toxicity
Although the cooked berries (pulp and skin) of most species of
Sambucus are edible,
[7][8] the uncooked berries and other parts of plants from this genus are poisonous.[9] Leaves, twigs, branches, seeds, roots, flowers, and berries of
Sambucus plants produce
cyanogenic glycosides, which have
toxic properties.
[9] Ingesting a sufficient quantity of cyanogenic glycosides from berry juice, flower tea, or beverages made from fresh leaves, branches, and fruit has been shown to cause
illness, including
nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps,
diarrhea, and weakness.
[7][9][10] In August 1983, a group of 25 people in
Monterey County,
California, became suddenly ill by ingesting elderberry juice pressed from fresh, uncooked
Sambucus mexicana berries, leaves, and stems.
[10] The density of cyanogenic glycosides is higher in tea made from flowers (or leaves) than from the berries.
[9][11]
The seeds of
Sambucus callicarpa are poisonous and may cause vomiting or diarrhea.
[12
