Elderberry / Holunder

European Elderberry has been called 'the medicine chest of the common people' — used across Europe for centuries for fevers, infections, and cancer-adjacent conditions. Cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside — elderberry's primary anthocyanins — show anti-proliferative activity against colon, breast, and pancreatic cancer cells. Elderberry polyphenols significantly stimulate NK cell activity and cytokine production, making the immune system more effective at cancer surveillance. A key oncological property is its lectin content — elderberry lectins bind specifically to carbohydrate motifs overexpressed on many cancer cell surfaces. Elderberry also reduces chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression and is widely used in Europe as a supportive care supplement during treatment. The berries must be cooked — raw elderberries contain sambunigrin (cyanogenic glycoside) and cause nausea.