Quick answer

No official source gives a safety statement for elderberry in children. A 2021 systematic review found no serious adverse events in five trials, two of which included children and adults, but noted little care in checking for them. NCCIH warns that raw or unripe berries can cause severe diarrhea. Ask your child's doctor first.^1,2

Key facts

A 2021 systematic review of five randomized trials found no serious adverse events, and noted that few trials checked for adverse events carefully.¹
Two of the trials in that review, with 87 participants, included both children and adults.¹
A 2020 trial in 87 people aged 5 and older ran for 5 days.³
Raw or unripe elderberries, and the leaves, stems, bark and seeds, contain substances that can release cyanide and cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea, which cooking destroys.²
NIH says some elderberry supplements are highly diluted or adulterated with a cheaper ingredient such as black rice extract.³

Do NIH or NCCIH say anything about children?

Not directly. NCCIH's page on elderberry says that if you take any medicine you should talk with a health care provider before using it, that little is known about use in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and that raw or unripe berries are poisonous. It gives no statement for children, and neither do NIH's immune function fact sheets, which describe elderberry trials without a safety statement for any age group.^2,3

The evidence about children is therefore indirect: trials that enrolled some young people and noted adverse events along the way.

What do trials that included young people report?

The 2021 systematic review included two small earlier studies, 87 participants in all, that tested a proprietary elderberry product in both children and adults with influenza symptoms. Separately, NIH describes a 2020 trial of 87 people aged 5 and older that ran for 5 days. The review reported no serious adverse event in any trial and said the attention paid to adverse events overall was limited, so minor effects are uncertain.^1,3

Trials have reported few side effects and none serious, but most did not check for them carefully, so how often minor effects happen is uncertain.¹

The trials that included children were short and enrolled people with influenza symptoms. They were not studies of elderberry taken every day, and they tested particular products, so a result with one product may not hold for another.¹

Does preparation matter for children?

Raw or unripe elderberries, and the leaves, stems, bark and seeds, contain substances that can release cyanide and cause nausea, vomiting and severe diarrhea. Cooking destroys them, so cooked fruit and properly processed products do not carry this concern.^2,3

NIH's consumer sheet says cooked elderberry fruit and properly manufactured supplements do not have this concern, and that the poisoning can cause dehydration. None of the sources we read covers home-made preparations, so they give no way to judge a home-made syrup or tea.⁴

NIH notes that some elderberry supplements are highly diluted or adulterated with a cheaper ingredient such as black rice extract. In one analysis of 31 supplements, more than 60% of those sold as European elderberry had pigment profiles that did not match real elderberry.^3,5

Who should ask their child's doctor first?

A parent who wants to give elderberry to a child or a teen should ask the child's doctor, because no official source gives a safety statement for young people.²
A parent of a child who takes any medicine should ask the pharmacist, because NCCIH says some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.²
A parent of a child with diabetes, or who takes a medicine that lowers blood sugar, should ask the doctor, because NIH says elderberry might affect insulin and blood sugar levels.
A parent of a child with a weakened immune system, or who takes medicines that suppress it, should ask the doctor, because NIH says elderberry might reduce their effectiveness.

Questions people ask

Is elderberry safe for kids?

No official source gives a safety statement for elderberry in children. A 2021 systematic review found no serious adverse events in trials that included some children, with the limits above. Ask your child's doctor.¹

Is elderberry safe for teens?

No source we read reports teens on their own. A 2020 trial enrolled people aged 5 and older, and no serious adverse event was reported across the trials in the 2021 review. Ask a doctor about your teen.^1,3

Is elderberry syrup safe for kids?

The 2021 review included early studies of a proprietary elderberry product in children and adults and reported no serious adverse events, without breaking results out by form. Minor effects are uncertain, so ask a doctor.¹

Are elderberry gummies safe for kids?

No source we read tested gummies. NIH notes that some elderberry supplements are highly diluted or adulterated, so the label is a poor guide. Ask your child's doctor.³

Is elderflower safe for kids?

NIH says elder flowers and ripe fruit appear fine to eat in general, but we found no source on elderflower in children. Ask your child's doctor.⁴

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.