- Elderberry tea is a simmered decoction of the cooked or dried berry of Sambucus nigra; elderflower tea is an infusion of the blossom. Only the flower has an EU herbal monograph, for early symptoms of the common cold.
- The trials behind elderberry’s cold-and-flu reputation tested standardized syrups, liquid extracts and capsules, not home-brewed tea, and a 2020 US trial of 87 flu patients found no benefit for influenza.
- Raw or unripe berries, leaves and stems contain cyanide-producing compounds. Use only ripe berries that are dried or thoroughly cooked, and never crush leaves or stems into a brew.
- Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and the EU does not recommend elderflower tea for children under 12.
- Elderberry tea is naturally caffeine-free, deep garnet in the cup, and at its best as a warm evening drink rather than a cure.
Elderberry Tea vs Elderflower Tea: One Tree, Two Drinks
Search for elderberry tea and you will find flowers and berries used almost interchangeably. They are not the same drink, and the difference matters for both flavor and safety. Both come from the European or black elder, Sambucus nigra, a shrubby tree that the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes as growing across Europe, North America, Western Asia and North Africa.
Elderberry tea is made from the small, dark purple berries. Because the fresh fruit has to be cooked to be safe, it is normally brewed as a decoction: dried berries simmered in water, then strained. The result is a garnet-to-ruby liquid with a jammy, slightly tart, blackcurrant-like flavor and a faint earthy finish.
Elderflower tea is made from the flat, creamy-white flower heads that open in late spring. It is steeped like most herbal teas, producing a pale straw liquid with a honeyed, muscat-grape scent, the same aroma that gives elderflower cordial its character.
The regulatory picture splits along the same line. In 2018 the European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee adopted a final EU monograph for elder flower (Sambuci flos), recognizing it as a traditional herbal medicine for the relief of early symptoms of the common cold. For the berry, the same committee concluded in a January 2014 public statement that a monograph could not be established, because traditional use with a specified strength and dose was not documented well enough. The berry is more famous, yet the flower has the stronger official standing.
Both belong to the broad family of infusions that are not made from the tea plant, which our guide to tisanes maps out in full.
From Hedgerow to Teacup: Where Elder Grows and When It Is Picked
Elder is a familiar hedgerow plant across Britain and Europe. According to the Woodland Trust, the flat-topped clusters of tiny creamy-white flowers appear from late May through mid-June, and the berries develop later in the summer.
That timing shaped two traditions: early summer belongs to the flower, in cordials, fritters and dried blossoms for winter infusions; late summer belongs to the berry, cooked into syrups, jams and the dark decoction sold today as elderberry tea.
Identification points from the Woodland Trust:
- Leaves: compound and feather-shaped, with five to seven toothed leaflets arranged in opposite pairs.
- Twigs: young stems are green and brittle with a creamy-white pith inside, maturing to grey-brown bark with a bumpy surface.
- Flowers: flat-topped heads of small, fragrant white blooms that draw a crowd of insects.
For a sibling hedgerow tea with its own foraging rules, see our rosehip tea guide, which is picked in the same autumn window.
What the Research Actually Shows
Elderberry’s reputation rests on a handful of small trials, and they tell a more cautious story than the listicles promising seven or twenty benefits. NCCIH says a small number of studies have evaluated elderberry for colds, flu and other upper respiratory infections, and some preliminary research suggests it may relieve symptoms. Harvard Health reaches a similar verdict, noting that immune effects seen in the lab have not been confirmed in humans.
The table grades each piece of evidence and records what form of elder was tested.
| Evidence | What was tested | Result | Does it apply to a cup of tea? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zakay-Rones et al., 2004 (Norway, 60 adults with flu) | Standardized elderberry syrup, 15 ml four times daily for 5 days | Symptoms relieved about 4 days earlier than placebo; authors called for a larger confirmatory study | No. A concentrated commercial syrup |
| Tiralongo et al., 2016 (312 air travelers) | 300 mg standardized berry extract capsules before, during and after long-haul flights | Colds did not occur significantly less often (12 vs 17), but lasted 57 vs 117 total days and symptoms were milder | No. Capsules of extract |
| Hawkins et al., 2019 meta-analysis | 4 randomized trials, 180 participants in total | Elderberry substantially reduced upper respiratory symptoms; flu vaccination status did not change the effect | No. Supplement products only, small pooled sample |
| Macknin et al., 2020 (US emergency departments, 87 patients with influenza) | Elderberry liquid equal to 5.7 g of fruit juice per dose, for 5 days | No benefit: 5.3 vs 4.9 days to symptom relief; without oseltamivir, elderberry took longer (7.3 vs 5.1 days) | No. Commercial liquid extract |
| EU monograph on elder flower, 2018 | Flower infusion and decoction, traditional use | Accepted for relief of early common-cold symptoms on the basis of long-standing use, not clinical trials | Yes, for elderflower tea only |
| EU public statement on elder berry, 2014 | Berry preparations | No monograph possible: traditional dose and strength not documented well enough | No official dose exists for berry tea |
| Lab studies on anthocyanins | Cell and test-tube work | Antioxidant and immune activity in the lab, unconfirmed in people | Not established |
The 2004 Norwegian study is the source of the widely repeated four-days-faster claim, but it enrolled 60 people. The 2016 air-traveler trial is the most relevant to readers of a travel site, and its honest headline is that elderberry did not significantly prevent colds; it appeared to shorten and soften the colds that happened.
The 2020 emergency-department trial is the one most ranking pages leave out. It was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, found no advantage for elderberry in influenza, and suggested it might delay relief unless combined with oseltamivir. Because the 2019 meta-analysis pooled only four small trials, that null result carries real weight.
The Teacup Gap: Why Tea Is Not the Syrup in the Studies
Every elderberry trial above used a manufactured product with a stated strength: a syrup, a liquid extract or a standardized capsule. None tested a mug of dried berries simmered at home.
That gap has three practical consequences.
- Dose is unknown. Harvard Health points out that no standardized elderberry dose exists and that products vary widely in strength. A home decoction depends on the berries, the ratio and the simmer time, so no one can say how it compares with a trial dose.
- No official berry posology. The EU explicitly declined to write a berry monograph for lack of documented dose data, so there is no regulator-approved amount to aim for.
- The flower is the documented tea. If your goal is the one use European regulators accept, the relevant drink is elderflower tea, and the monograph gives a dose for it (see the brewing table below).
None of this makes elderberry tea pointless. It is a warming, caffeine-free, pleasantly tart drink. The honest framing is that you are drinking a traditional hedgerow tea, not the preparation that was studied, and it is no substitute for medical care or antiviral treatment for influenza.
Side Effects and Safety: The Raw-Berry Problem
The single most important safety fact about elder is one that many recipe blogs bury. NCCIH states that raw or unripe elderberries and other parts of the tree, such as the leaves and stem, contain cyanide-producing substances that can cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea, that large quantities may cause serious illness, and that cooking eliminates this toxin. Harvard Health advises boiling berries for at least 20 minutes.
The 1983 Monterey County case
The documented cautionary tale comes from California. On 26 August 1983, a group of 25 people in Monterey County drank a juice made from wild elderberries, as reported by the CDC in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Eleven fell ill within 15 minutes and eight were severely affected, with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, weakness, dizziness and numbness; one person, who had drunk five glasses, was hospitalized overnight. The key detail is how the juice was made: whole bunches of berries were crushed together with their leaves and branches. The report advised that elderberries may be safe to eat, particularly cooked, but that leaves and stems should not be crushed in when making juice.
Other cautions
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: NCCIH says little is known about safety, and the EU monograph does not recommend elderflower during pregnancy or lactation because safety has not been established.
- Children: the EU monograph does not recommend elderflower for children under 12 because of insufficient data.
- Autoimmune conditions: Harvard Health advises people managing autoimmune conditions to avoid elderberry.
- Medicines: NCCIH advises anyone taking medication to talk to a health care provider before using elderberry. The EU monograph reports no known interactions for the flower.
- Allergy: the only contraindication in the flower monograph is hypersensitivity to elder itself.
- Duration: the monograph advises seeing a doctor if cold symptoms last longer than a week.
How to Brew Elderberry and Elderflower Tea
The two parts of the plant need different methods. Berries are simmered; flowers are steeped. For general technique on water, vessels and timing, our tea brewing guide covers the fundamentals.
| Drink | Method | Quantity and time | Source of the numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elderflower tea (infusion) | Pour boiling water over dried flowers, cover and steep | 2 to 5 g dried flower in 150 ml boiling water, up to three times daily | EU herbal monograph, 2018 |
| Elderflower decoction | Simmer comminuted flower in water | 3 to 6 g in 200 ml water, divided into two doses a day | EU herbal monograph, 2018 |
| Elderberry tea (decoction) | Simmer ripe dried berries in water, then strain well | Simmer at least 20 minutes; no official dose exists | Harvard Health cooking guidance; EU found no documented berry dose |
For elderberry, a practical kitchen starting point is roughly one tablespoon of dried berries per mug of water, brought to the boil and simmered, covered, for the full 20 minutes or longer. Strain through a fine sieve to catch seeds and skins. The liquid turns a deep garnet; a strip of lemon peel, a slice of fresh ginger or a stick of cinnamon suits it well, and a spoon of honey softens the tartness. For another tart, ruby-red tisane that takes the same pairings, see our hibiscus tea guide.
For elderflower, keep the pot covered while steeping so the aroma stays in the cup.
Both drinks contain no caffeine, since neither comes from the tea plant. That makes them easy evening choices; for how they compare with black, green and oolong, see our guide to caffeine in tea.
Buying and Storing Elderberries and Elderflowers
For most people, buying dried material is the safest route. Look for labels naming the species, Sambucus nigra, and the plant part. Dried berries should be uniformly dark and free of stems or green fruit; dried flowers should be creamy to pale yellow and fragrant, not brown or musty. For syrups and gummies, Harvard Health suggests looking for a USP Verified mark, since product strength varies so much.
Store both in an airtight, opaque container away from heat, light and kitchen odors, and buy flowers in smaller amounts because their scent fades faster. Our guide to storing tea covers containers and shelf life in more detail.
Foraging Elder Safely
Picking your own elder is a summer tradition in Britain and Europe, but identification and preparation are then in your hands.
- Be certain of the plant. Use the leaf, twig and flower features above, and do not pick unless you are sure.
- Pick only fully ripe berries. NCCIH names unripe berries as a source of the cyanide-producing compounds.
- Strip berries from the stalks. The Monterey poisoning came from pressing leaves and branches with the fruit. A fork run through the clusters removes berries cleanly.
- Cook or dry before use. Never drink juice or tea from raw fresh berries; simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Choose clean sites. Follow the Woodland Trust’s advice to harvest well away from traffic fumes, and avoid sprayed field edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is elderberry tea good for colds?
Elderberry tea has not been tested for colds; the trials used syrups, extracts and capsules. Two small studies found shorter or milder illness, while a 2020 randomized trial of 87 flu patients found no benefit. Elderflower tea is accepted in the EU as a traditional remedy for early cold symptoms. Treat elderberry tea as a comforting drink, not a treatment.
Is elderberry tea safe to drink every day?
No official daily dose exists for elderberry tea, because EU regulators found traditional dosing too poorly documented to write a monograph. Harvard Health describes prepared elderberry products as relatively safe for short-term use in healthy adults, so occasional cups of properly cooked dried berries are the sensible pattern. People who are pregnant, breastfeeding, managing autoimmune conditions or taking medication should ask a doctor first.
Can raw elderberries make you sick?
Yes. Raw or unripe elderberries, along with the leaves and stems, contain cyanide-producing compounds that can cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea. In a 1983 California case, 11 of 25 people fell ill after drinking juice pressed with leaves and branches. Cooking destroys the toxin; Harvard Health advises boiling berries for at least 20 minutes.
What is the difference between elderberry and elderflower tea?
Elderberry tea is a simmered decoction of the dark purple berries, garnet in color and tart like blackcurrant. Elderflower tea is a steeped infusion of the white blossoms, pale gold and floral. Both come from Sambucus nigra, but only the flower has an EU herbal monograph, which covers relief of early common-cold symptoms.
Does elderberry tea have caffeine?
No, elderberry tea is naturally caffeine-free, because it is made from the fruit of the elder tree rather than the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The same is true of elderflower tea. That makes both suitable for evening drinking. Check blended products, though, since some elderberry blends include black or green tea, which do contain caffeine.