Hi, georgis,
Thank you for your question. We have revised the paragraph. Some sources do suggest that unripe berries may have more of the cyanogenic glycosides than ripe berries, but most indicate that all berries should be cooked (or fermented) before eating to avoid possible poisoning. To be on the safe side, we recommend selecting only ripe berries, which may possibly have the least amount of these compounds, and then cooking the berries before eating them. It is our understanding that the cooking process will destroy any cyanogenic glycosides that might be present in the seeds/berries to the point where they would not be of concern. American elderberry has less cyanogenic glycosides than European black elderberry.
Hi, georgis,
Thank you for your question. We have revised the paragraph. Some sources do suggest that unripe berries may have more of the cyanogenic glycosides than ripe berries, but most indicate that all berries should be cooked (or fermented) before eating to avoid possible poisoning. To be on the safe side, we recommend selecting only ripe berries, which may possibly have the least amount of these compounds, and then cooking the berries before eating them. It is our understanding that the cooking process will destroy any cyanogenic glycosides that might be present in the seeds/berries to the point where they would not be of concern. American elderberry has less cyanogenic glycosides than European black elderberry.