Elderberry vs. Mulberry — How Do They Differ?
Summary
Mulberries have higher protein, magnesium, and vitamin K. They also have lower carb content.
On the other hand, elderberries are richer in fiber, potassium, Vitamin A, and calories. The glycemic index of elderberries is also lower than that of mulberries.
Table of contents
Introduction
In this article, we will compare raw Mulberry's nutritional profile and health impact (1) and Elderberry (2).
Sambucus nigra, also referred to as European elderberry, is widespread worldwide. It has whitish flowers and berries that are blue-black or black. Elderberry berries and flowers are used as laxatives and diuretics in traditional medicine to relieve pain (3). In addition, flowers are utilized to make sweet syrup. Elderberries are commonly used to make juice, jams, and wine.
Mulberry is a multiple fruit that grows on trees that belong to the Morus genus and the Moraceae family. It has a lot of varieties, but the most popular ones are red (Morus rubra), black (Morus nigra), and white (Morus alba). Large black mulberries are the juiciest and taste sweet, while the others have a hidden tart flavor.
Macronutrients
Both Mulberry and Elderberry contain more than 80% water, yet there are differences in how the other macronutrients are distributed.
Macronutrient Comparison
Calories
Mulberry and elderberry are plant food products. Hence, these two are low-calorie foods. However, elderberry is higher in calories. It provides 30 calories more than mulberry.
Carbs
Elderberry is two times higher in carbs compared to mulberry.
Elderberry provides 7g of dietary fiber per 100g, while the same amount of mulberry contains only 1.7g.
Elderberry is rich in soluble fiber.
Mulberry is lower in net carbs: 100g has 8.1g of net carbs, while the same quantity of elderberry contains 11.4g.
Carbohydrate type comparison
Protein
These two berries are not supposed to contain much protein. Still, mulberry is higher in proteins than elderberry.
Fats
Both berries have less than 1g of fat per 100g, so that we can neglect the fat amounts. Mulberry and elderberry do not contain any amount of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Mulberry and elderberry are rich in different vitamins.
Elderberries are an excellent source of vitamin A: they are higher in vitamin C (600IU per 100g) than Mulberries (25IU per 100g).
Mulberry is richer in vitamins B3 and B5, while Elderberry provides more B1 and B6.
Mulberry covers 20% of the DV of vitamin K, while Elderberry does not provide any amounts of this vitamin.
Vitamin Comparison
Minerals
Mulberry is higher in magnesium and iron.
Elderberry is richer in calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.
You can compare the mineral composition of these two berries in the chart below.
Mineral Comparison
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index of mulberry is almost 3 times lower than that of elderberry.
The GI of mulberry is equal to 25, while the GI of elderberry is about 73.
Elderberry is classified as high-GI food, whereas mulberry is low-GI food.
Health impact
Cardiovascular health
Both elderberries and mulberries promote cardiovascular health by providing different chemicals.
Elderberries have shown beneficial effects by lowering blood fat and cholesterol levels (4). They can reduce uric acid levels in the bloodstream (5). A high uric acid content may increase blood pressure and harm the cardiovascular system (6).
Mulberries are packed with vitamin K, essential for blood clothing (7). Moreover, mulberry extracts are shown to be beneficial for reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases (8).
Cancer
Elderberries have shown anticancer properties in some test-tube studies (9) (10). However, human studies are needed to confirm these statements.
Animal studies show that mulberry juice antioxidants can decrease oxidative damage levels, thus reducingcancer riskr (11). However, human studies are needed to claim the effectiveness of mulberries.
Downsides
Besides the health benefits described above, mulberries and elderberries may harm your health.
The elderberry tree's unripe seeds and raw berries contain some cyanide - a dangerous toxin that harms the organism's electron transport chain and energy synthesis (13). Symptoms of consuming raw elderberries are diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Mulberry tree pollen is recorded as an allergen for sensitive organisms (14). Although this type of allergy is rare, you should be careful while consuming mulberries.
References
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169913/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171727/nutrients
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24409980/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.2729
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464614002400
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4865070/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8527228/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24716151/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9925120/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17201636/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17591360/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16900780/
- https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/final-assessment-report-sambucus-nigra-l-fructus_en.pdf
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25729628/
Infographic
Fat Type Comparison
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in Sugar |
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| Lower in Sodium |
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in Glycemic Index |
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| Lower in price |
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| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
| Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
| Rich in vitamins | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Net carbs | 11.4g | 8.1g |
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| Protein | 0.66g | 1.44g |
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| Fats | 0.5g | 0.39g |
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| Carbs | 18.4g | 9.8g |
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| Calories | 73kcal | 43kcal |
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| Sugar | 8.1g |
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| Fiber | 7g | 1.7g |
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| Calcium | 38mg | 39mg |
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| Iron | 1.6mg | 1.85mg |
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| Magnesium | 5mg | 18mg |
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| Phosphorus | 39mg | 38mg |
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| Potassium | 280mg | 194mg |
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| Sodium | 6mg | 10mg |
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| Zinc | 0.11mg | 0.12mg |
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| Copper | 0.061mg | 0.06mg |
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| Selenium | 0.6µg | 0.6µg | |
| Vitamin A | 600IU | 25IU |
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| Vitamin A RAE | 30µg | 1µg |
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| Vitamin E | 0.87mg |
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| Vitamin C | 36mg | 36.4mg |
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| Vitamin B1 | 0.07mg | 0.029mg |
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| Vitamin B2 | 0.06mg | 0.101mg |
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| Vitamin B3 | 0.5mg | 0.62mg |
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| Vitamin B5 | 0.14mg |
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| Vitamin B6 | 0.23mg | 0.05mg |
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| Folate | 6µg | 6µg | |
| Vitamin K | 7.8µg |
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| Tryptophan | 0.013mg |
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| Threonine | 0.027mg |
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| Isoleucine | 0.027mg |
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| Leucine | 0.06mg |
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| Lysine | 0.026mg |
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| Methionine | 0.014mg |
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| Phenylalanine | 0.04mg |
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| Valine | 0.033mg |
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| Histidine | 0.015mg |
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| Saturated Fat | 0.023g | 0.027g |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.08g | 0.041g |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.247g | 0.207g |
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Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Fats diet |
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| Low Carbs diet |
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| Low Calories diet |
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| Low Glycemic Index diet |
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People also compare
Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.
- Elderberry - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171727/nutrients
- Mulberry - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169913/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.