Elder and Elderberry

By: Loring A. Windblad

This article is Copyright 2006 by Windy Dawn Marketing and Loring Windblad. This article may be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it is copied complete with all links and text, including the Authors Resource Box, intact and unchanged in any detail including misspellings and typos.

Elder and Elderberry _ Sambucus nigra Other Common Names: Black Elder, Bore Tree, Bour Tree, Bourtree, Common Elder, Elder, Elder Rind, Ellhorn, European Black Elder, European Elder, Khaman Kabir, Murver Agaci, Pipe Tree, Pipetree, Sauco, Seiyo_Niwatoko, Zovika, Sambucus nigra Range: Britain; Europe; France; Iraq; Spain; Turkey; Yugoslavia, North America (Pacific north western north America has two varieties, the red [coastal] and blue [eastern slope cascades]).

Safety:

There are no known adverse reactions to elderberry. However, the fresh plant is poisonous, and American elder's toxic content is higher than that of the European elder.

When cooked, though, the berries are harmless. In the western region of North America there are two varieties, red (ripens in July) and blue (ripens in late September). The wine is highly astringent in taste and is said to be a moderate stimulant promoting a healthy heart. The jellies are also mildly astringent and said to have the stimulant characteristics as well. The red elder is said to not be suitable for either wine or jelly, but only birds and animals.

Habitat: Hedgerows, scrub, woods, roadsides, waste places etc, especially on disturbed base_rich and nitrogen rich soils.

Elder has a very long history of household use as a medicinal herb and is also much used by herbalists. The plant has been called "the medicine chest of country people". The flowers are the main part used in modern herbalism, though all parts of the plant have been used at times.

The inner bark is collected from young trees in the autumn and is best sun_dried. It is diuretic, a strong purgative and in large doses emetic. It is used in the treatment of constipation and arthritic conditions. An emollient ointment is made from the green inner bark.

The leaves can be used both fresh or dry. For drying, they are harvested in periods of fine weather during June and July. The leaves are purgative, but are more nauseous than the bark. They are also diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and haemostatic. The juice is said to be a good treatment for inflamed eyes. An ointment made from the leaves is emollient and is used in the treatment of bruises, sprains, chillblains, wounds etc.

The fresh flowers are used in the distillation of 'Elder Flower Water'. The flowers can be preserved with salt to make them available for distillation later in the season. The water is mildly astringent and a gentle stimulant. It is mainly used as a vehicle for eye and skin lotions. The dried flowers are diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, galactogogue and pectoral. An infusion is very effective in the treatment of chest complaints and is also used to bathe inflamed eyes. The infusion is also a very good spring tonic and blood cleanser. Externally, the flowers are used in fomentations to ease pain and abate inflammation. Used as an ointment, it treats chillblains, burns, wounds, scalds etc.

The fruit is depurative, weakly diaphoretic and gently laxative. A tea made from the dried berries is said to be a good remedy for colic and diarrhea. The fruit is widely used for making wines, preserves, etc., and these are said to retain the medicinal properties of the fruit. The wine is astringent and said to also help the heart as a stimulant.

The pith of young stems is used in treating burns and scalds. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh inner bark of young branches. It relieves asthmatic symptoms and spurious croup in children.

The root is no longer used in herbal medicine but it formerly had a high reputation as an emetic and purgative that was very effective against dropsy.

Fruit - raw or cooked. The flavor of the raw fruit is not acceptable to many tastes, though when cooked it makes delicious jellies, preserves, pies and so forth. It can be used fresh or dried, the dried fruit being less bitter. The fruit is used to add flavor and color to preserves, jams, pies, sauces, chutneys etc, it is also often used to make wine. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter and is borne in large clusters. Some caution is advised, see the notes on toxicity.

Flowers - raw or cooked. They can also be dried for later use. The flowers are crisp and somewhat juicy, they have an aromatic smell and flavor and are delicious raw as a refreshing snack on a summers day, though look out for the insects. The flowers are used to add a muscatel flavor to stewed fruits, jellies and jams (especially gooseberry jam). They are often used to make a sparkling wine a sweet tea is made from the dried flowers.

The leaves are used to impart a green coloring to oils and fats. The leaves are used as an insect repellent, very effective when rubbed on the skin though they do impart their own unique fragrance. They can be powdered and placed amongst plants to act as a deterrent, or made into a spray when they act as an insecticide. This is prepared by boiling 3 _ 4 handfuls of leaves in a litre of water, then straining and allowing to cool before applying. Effective against many insects, it also treats various fungal infections such as leaf rot and powdery mildew. The dried flowering shoots are used to repel insects, rodents etc.

Known Hazards: The leaves and stems are poisonous. The fruit of many species (although no records have been seen for this species) has been known to cause stomach upsets to some people. Any toxin the fruit might contain is liable to be of very low toxicity and is destroyed when the fruit is cooked.

Summary: So what we have here in the elder and the elderberries is a versatile, widely and historically used tree or shrub with purported historical medicinal uses as tonics, teas, poultices, emetics, diuretics, etc., and both commercial and non-commercial uses as a source of fruit for pies, jams, jellies, flavorings for other foods, and wine making.