Elderberry, from Sambucus nigra L., is widely used for immune support and is now studied for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic benefits. Its key compounds—especially anthocyanins like cyanidin-3-glucoside and polysaccharides—may also help skin, brain, and glucose/lipid health. Sales of elderberry supplements have grown fast as consumers seek natural products. While more clinical research is needed, current evidence suggests elderberry is a promising functional ingredient for immune health, healthy aging, and metabolic wellness. This summary is based on scientific literature and is not medical advice.
With increasing consumer awareness of preventive healthcare and natural wellness solutions, plant-based functional ingredients have become an important focus in the nutrition and dietary supplement industry. Among these botanical ingredients, elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) has attracted significant attention due to its long history of traditional use and growing body of scientific research.
Known for its deep purple color and rich content of bioactive compounds, elderberry has been traditionally used to support human health for centuries. Today, research continues to explore its diverse biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-regulating, metabolic, and neuroprotective effects.
Due to its immune-supporting properties, elderberry (EB) sales have grown rapidly since 2018. According to SPINS data, during the 52 weeks ending October 6, 2019, EB sales across mainstream multi-channel markets increased by 83.4%, reaching total sales of US$113 million. During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for elderberry supplements increased significantly, with supplement sales reaching an impressive US$49.5 million in March 2020.
In recent years, additional health benefits of elderberry, including anti-aging and anti-obesity potential, have gained greater recognition among consumers, further accelerating market growth. According to a Technavio report, the global elderberry market value was expected to increase by US$215 million between 2021 and 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.52%.
Elderberry: A “Medicinal Berry” with Thousands of Years of History
Elderberry (EB) is the fruit of elderberry plants belonging to the family Adoxaceae. The species most commonly studied is Sambucus nigra L. The fruit has a dark purple appearance and was previously classified under the family Caprifoliaceae.
Elderberry Flowder
Elderberry plants grow well in alkaline, nitrogen-rich, and phosphate-rich soils. They are widely distributed across natural vegetation regions in Europe, North Africa, Asia, and America, with more than 20 known species.
Since ancient Egyptian times, elderberry has played an important role in traditional herbal medicine. The “father of medicine,” Hippocrates, and the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder both documented the medicinal properties of elderberry.
Traditionally, elderberry was known for its ability to promote sweating, support bowel movement, and provide diuretic effects. As early as the 4th century BC, Western cultures used elderberry preparations to help relieve symptoms associated with colds, fever, and cough.
Modern medical research has revealed that elderberry exhibits multiple biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, metabolic-balancing, antidepressant-related, and blood glucose-lowering effects.
Among these properties, its immune-regulating activity has received the greatest scientific and commercial attention. Numerous studies have reported that elderberry may help reduce hemoglobin levels, hematocrit levels, and inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6.
Bioactive Components of Elderberry
Elderberry contains a variety of beneficial compounds, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances such as anthocyanins and flavonols, as well as nutritional components including B vitamins, ascorbic acid, folate, potassium, and fructose.
Anthocyanins: Key Bioactive Compounds in Elderberry
Anthocyanins are among the most important bioactive compounds found in elderberry. Several types of anthocyanins have been identified, with cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) being one of the most abundant.
As an anthocyanin monomer, C3G is commonly used as an active marker compound for evaluating and standardizing elderberry products to ensure accurate content determination.
Anthocyanins Pellets From Us
Another important anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-sambubioside (C3Samb), has been reported to interact with ceramidase and inhibit its activity. Ceramidase is an enzyme associated with influenza virus surface glycoprotein activity.
Anthocyanins are natural antioxidants with strong free radical scavenging capacity. Their antioxidant activity has been reported to be approximately 20 times higher than that of vitamin C. The extraction yield of anthocyanins from elderberry is approximately 2.54%.
Elderberry Polysaccharides: Natural Compounds with Antioxidant and Immune-Regulating Potential
Polysaccharides are a class of natural macromolecular polymers composed of multiple monosaccharides connected through glycosidic bonds. They have demonstrated various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, immune-regulating, and lipid-lowering effects.
Studies have shown that elderberry polysaccharides exhibit antioxidant activity and may help reduce oxidative damage. The extraction yield of polysaccharides from elderberry is approximately 3.17%.
Additional Health Benefits of Elderberry
Beyond its traditional application in immune support, increasing scientific evidence suggests that elderberry may have broader health-related potential. Research has explored its possible roles in skin aging, cognitive health, emotional balance, and metabolic regulation.
1) Supporting Skin Anti-Aging and Skin Health
Aging causes the skin to gradually lose its natural elasticity, becoming thinner, more fragile, and more prone to sagging and wrinkle formation.
Skin aging is closely associated with DNA damage. The integrity of the genome is continuously challenged by both endogenous and external factors, which may trigger oxidative stress and accelerate the aging process.
Research indicates that elderberry extracts, due to their strong antimutagenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, may significantly reduce DNA damage and contribute to anti-aging effects and skin health support.
2) Improving Memory Decline and Anxiety-Related Behaviors
Methamphetamine (METH) can damage neuronal and glial cells in both animals and humans, negatively affecting cognitive function.
After four weeks of methamphetamine administration at 10 mg/kg, rats showed significant memory decline and increased anxiety-like behaviors. However, adding 2% elderberry to the rats’ diet significantly improved these conditions.
The strong antioxidant compounds in elderberry, particularly anthocyanins, are believed to contribute to its neuroprotective mechanisms. These compounds may help protect the nervous system through multiple pathways, including:
- Reducing astrocyte reactivity;
- Enhancing neuronal cell organization;
- Inhibiting cell death signaling cascades.
Through these mechanisms, elderberry anthocyanins are considered important contributors to the neuroprotective effects observed in experimental studies.
3) Potential Role in Obesity Management
Clinical research suggests that anthocyanins found in edible berries may have anti-obesity potential.
As a berry rich in anthocyanins, elderberry may help regulate diet-induced obesity through interactions with the gut microbiota. Studies have shown that dietary supplementation with 10% elderberry juice significantly reduced body weight gain in high-fat diet-fed mice.
Furthermore, elderberry juice demonstrated positive effects on glucose homeostasis and fat oxidation.
A clinical trial found that daily consumption of 355 g of elderberry juice reduced participants’ glucose area under the curve (AUC) by 24% and increased fat oxidation by 27%.
These findings suggest that elderberry may have potential applications in supporting metabolic health; however, further clinical research is needed to better understand its mechanisms and long-term effects.
References
[1] Khanjari, G., Mohammadzadeh, I., Khakpour, Y. et al. Neuroprotective effects of the elderberry diet on the methamphetamine-induced toxicity in rats: a behavioral, electrophysiological, and histopathological study. 3 Biotech 15, 122 (2025).
[2] Teets, C.; Ghanem, N.; Ma, G.; Minj, J.; Perkins-Veazie, P.; Johnson, S.A.; Etter, A.J.; Carbonero, F.G.; Solverson, P.M. A One-Week Elderberry Juice Intervention Augments the Fecal Microbiota and Suggests Improvement in Glucose Tolerance and Fat Oxidation in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2024, 16, 3555.
[3] Wei, Xinxin. Extraction, Separation, Purification and Antioxidant Activity Study of Elderberry Fruit Polysaccharides. Master’s Thesis, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong, China, 2023.