Elderberries: Benefits, Taste, Caffeine, and How to Steep Them
The dark purple berries of the elder tree, steeped into a deep ruby cup that is sweet, tart and rich in anthocyanins. Naturally caffeine-free and the classic berry for cold season.
Meet the ingredient
What are Elderberries ?
Elderberries are the small, glossy, purple-black berries of the elder, Sambucus nigra, a fast-growing shrub that lines hedgerows, riverbanks and field edges across Europe. In early summer it foams with flat clusters of creamy elderflower; by late summer those clusters have turned into heavy, drooping bunches of berries so dark they stain everything they touch. The elder has been a kitchen and medicine plant for as long as people have lived beside it.
The cup is sweet and tart like a wild berry, with an earthy, wine-like depth underneath, and it carries no caffeine. Steeped alone or stirred into another tea, it is the berry behind every elderberry syrup, cordial and cold-season blend.
- OriginEurope
- FlavorSweet & Tart
- CaffeineNone
Botanical origins
The Elderberry family tree
Elder belongs to the Adoxaceae, the moschatel family, a small group that also holds the viburnums, the snowball bushes and guelder roses of gardens and hedgerows. For a long time botanists filed it with the honeysuckles, and older books still do. The genus Sambucus holds around two dozen species of elder; the European black elder, S. nigra, is the one in most tea and syrup, and the American elder, S. canadensis, is its close cousin across the Atlantic. Only the dark-berried elders are used; the red-berried kinds are not.
The elder is a rangy shrub or small tree, ten to twenty feet tall, with pithy, hollow stems, feathery compound leaves and a sweet, musky scent when in flower. It grows almost anywhere with a little damp and will sprout from a cutting stuck in the ground. The berries ripen in late summer and early autumn and are harvested by the bunch, stripped from their stems and dried. Every part of the plant except the ripe, cooked berry and the flower is left alone, which is why elderberries are always steeped or simmered.
Health benefits
Elderberry tea benefits
Is elderberry tea good for you? Elderberries are one of the most antioxidant-rich berries there is, and they have been simmered and steeped for cold season across Europe for as long as anyone can remember.
Tap a card to read more.
-
Elderberry is the berry people reach for when winter arrives. Its anthocyanins and other polyphenols have been studied for the way they support the immune system's normal response, and elderberry syrup, tea and lozenges have become a cold-season habit in millions of homes for that reason.
-
A handful of clinical trials have looked at elderberry extract and the common cold and flu, and several found that people taking it felt better a few days sooner. The evidence is still small and mixed, and it is not a substitute for care, but a warm cup of elderberry tea when you feel run down is one of the oldest habits in herbal medicine.
-
Elderberries are among the richest sources of anthocyanins, the deep purple antioxidant pigments also found in blueberries and blackcurrants. They are what turn the tea ruby red, and they help the body manage oxidative stress. Elderberry ranks near the top of berries for total antioxidant content.
-
Fresh elderberries carry more vitamin C than most orchard fruit, along with vitamin A, potassium and a good dose of fiber. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so some of it steeps into the cup, and the dried berries keep their minerals and much of their color and flavor for years.
-
The same anthocyanins that give elderberries their color have been studied for their effect on blood vessels, cholesterol and blood pressure, as part of the broader research into dark berries and heart health. Elderberry tea is naturally sugar-free, which makes it an easy swap for juice.
-
Elderberries have a long folk reputation for keeping things moving, and the dried berries are high in fiber. Steeped, they make a gentle, soothing cup after a meal, and elder has been used traditionally for digestive comfort for centuries.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
History
History of Elderberries
The elder is one of the oldest useful plants in Europe. Elderberry seeds turn up in Stone Age settlements, and the tree was planted beside houses across the continent for luck and protection: in the folklore of village hedgerows an elder was never cut without asking its permission first. Its hollow stems were made into pipes, whistles and bellows, its flowers into cordial and fritters, its berries into wine, jam, dye and a thick winter syrup taken for coughs and chills. That syrup is the direct ancestor of the elderberry syrup on pharmacy shelves today.
European settlers found the American elder waiting for them across the Atlantic and put it to the same uses, and elderberry wine became a farmhouse staple on both continents. The modern boom came in the 1990s, when a small trial in Israel and later ones in Norway reported that elderberry extract shortened flu symptoms, and the berry went from country remedy to cold-season bestseller. Today elderberries are farmed and wild-gathered across central and eastern Europe.
- Herbal tea Caffeine free
- White tea Low caffeine
- Green tea Low caffeine
- Black tea Medium caffeine
- Matcha High caffeine
Levels are typical; steep time and leaf amount change them.
Caffeine
Does elderberry tea have caffeine?
No. Elderberries are naturally caffeine-free. They contain no stimulants at all, so elderberry tea is a safe cup at bedtime, when you are unwell, or steeped alongside a black tea to add fruit without adding caffeine.
Taste
What does elderberry tea taste like?
Elderberry tea tastes like a wild berry: sweet and tart at once, with the dark, jammy depth of blackcurrant or a young red wine and an earthy note underneath. The cup is a deep ruby red, medium-bodied and smooth, with a dry, slightly tannic finish that keeps the sweetness in check. A longer steep makes it darker and more tart; a little honey or a cinnamon stick makes it taste like winter. Elderberries also blend beautifully with hibiscus, ginger, echinacea, rose hips and black tea, which is why they anchor so many cold-season cups.
Tap a note to explore it
Making the tea
How to make elderberry tea
Heat
Bring fresh, filtered water to a boil.
- Heat
- Measure
- Steep
- Remove
- Enjoy
Where to buy
Where can I buy Organic Elderberries ?
You can find Organic Elderberries on our website! We are USDA certified organic, and our products are vegan and free of GMOs. Try them out today!
Keep exploring
