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BLACK ELDER - HERBAL OVERVIEW
ELDER, BLACK
Sambucus Nigra / Sambucus spp. Elder, Elderberry, Black Elderberry, Elder Flower, Bourtree or Bour Tree, European Elder, Pipe Tree, Tree of Music, Nigra for Berries, Canadensis for Flowers, American Elder, Common Elder, Black Elder, European Black Elder
BLACK ELDER PLANT DESCRIPTION
The elder is a member of the honeysuckle family and can grow to a height of 33 feet. Elderberries can be very different in form and taste and can grow from bushy shrubs from a few feet high to trees close to 50 feet in height. The elderberry tree has aromatic clusters of star-shaped white flowers that vary from flat-bottomed bunches to globular arrays. The sweet-smelling, spicy but somewhat bitter tasting flowers mature to produce blackish-purple berry-like full fruits with an aromatic, tart taste. The berry colors can range from blue, amber, and red to black and have very different tastes. The black elderberry is used in an extract form. The stalk and branches contain a white, fluffy pulp. Early Native American tribes used nature's way and took the aged hollow stems as arrows or bored holes in them to fashion flutes.
The European Elder is a plant native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It thrives throughout lowland forests and along roads and fences and is very often found in farmhouse gardens. Its flowers and berries have a long history of use in traditional European medicine. Elderberries have been used for making preserves, wines, winter cordials, and for adding flavor and color to other wines.
PLANT PARTS USED
The flowers and ripe berries are the most common medicinally used parts of the tree. The flowers should be harvested as the plant begins to blossom. Dried fruits are less bitter than fresh. The stems and leaves are poisonous.
BLACK ELDER CONSTITUENTS / COMPONENTS
The black elder flowers contains flavonoids, rutin, mucins and tannins and a large portion of organic acids and calcium. The berries contain fruit acids, vitamins B and C and folic acid, as well as essential oils. Potassium nitrate, sambucin, sambuigrin, sugars. The complex sugars of the berries are the immune-active fraction.
ELDER HISTORY
Much folklore is associated with this European plant that is also known as "bourtree." Pre-Christian documents attributed protective, healing powers to the black elder, and in England it is believed bad luck to cut its branches for fear of showing disrespect to the mother elder, who was thought to inhabit the tree.
Shakespeare, in Cymbeline, referring to it as a symbol of grief, speaks slightingly of it as "the stinking Elder," yet, although many people profess a strong dislike to the scent of its blossom, the shrub is generally beloved by all who see it. In countrysides where the Elder flourishes it is certainly one of the most attractive features of the hedgerow, while its old-world associations have created for it a place in the hearts of English people.
In Love's Labor Lost reference is made to the common medieval belief that "Judas was hanged on an Elder." We meet with this tradition as far back in English literature as Langland's Vision of Piers Plowman (middle of the fourteenth century, before Chaucer): "Judas he japed with Jewen silver And sithen an eller hanged hymselve." Why the Elder should have been selected as a gallows for the traitor Apostle is, considering the usual size of the tree, puzzling; but Sir John Mandeville in his travels, written about the same time, tells us that he was shown "faste by" the Pool of Siloam, the identical "Tree of Eldre that Judas henge himself upon, for despeyr that he hadde, when he solde and betrayed oure Lord." Gerard scouts the tradition and says that the Judas-tree (Cercis siliquastrum) is "the tree whereon Judas did hange himselfe."
Another old tradition was that the Cross of Calvary was made of it, and an old couplet runs:"Bour tree - Bour tree: crooked rong Never straight and never strong;
Ever bush and never tree
Since our Lord was nailed on thee."
In consequence of these old traditions, the Elder became the emblem of sorrow and death, and out of the legends which linger round the tree there grew up a host of superstitious fancies which still remain in the minds of simple country folk. Even in these prosaic days, one sometimes comes across a hedge-cutter who cannot bring himself to molest the rampant growth of its spreading branches for fear of being pursued by ill-luck. An old custom among gypsies forbade them using the wood to kindle their camp fires and gleaners of firewood formerly would look carefully through the faggots lest a stick of Elder should have found its way into the bundle, perhaps because the Holy Cross was believed to have been fashioned out of a giant elder tree, though probably the superstitious awe of harming the Elder descended from old heathen myths of northern Europe. In most countries, especially in Denmark, the Elder was intimately connected with magic. In its branches was supposed to dwell a dryad, Hylde-Moer, the Elder-tree Mother, who lived in the tree and watched over it. Should the tree be cut down and furniture be made of the wood, Hylde-Moer was believed to follow her property and haunt the owners. Lady Northcote, in The Book of Herbs, relates: "There is a tradition that once when a child was put in a cradle of Elder-wood, HyldeMoer came and pulled it by the legs and would give it no peace till it was lifted out Permission to cut Elder wood must always be asked first and not until Hylde-Moer has given consent by keeping silence, may the chopping begin."
Arnkiel relates: "Our forefathers also held the Ellhorn holy wherefore whoever need to hew it down (or cut its branches) has first to make request "Lady Ellhorn, give me some of thy wood and I will give thee some of mine when it grows in the forest" - the which, with partly bended knees, bare head and folded arms was ordinarily done, as I myself have often seen and heard in my younger years."
Mr. Jones (quoted in The Treasury of Botany), in his Notes on Certain Superstitions in the Vale of Gloucester, cites the following, said to be no unusual case: "Some men were employed in removing an old hedgerow, partially formed of Eldertrees. They had bound up all the other wood into faggots for burning, but had set apart the elder and enquired of their master how it was to be disposed of. Upon his saying that he should of course burn it with the rest, one of the men said with an air of undisguised alarm, that he had never heard of such a thing as burning Ellan Wood, and in fact, so strongly did he feel upon the subject, that he refused to participate in the act of tying it up. The word Ellan (still common with us) indicates the origin of the superstition."
In earlier days, the Elder Tree was supposed to ward off evil influence and give protection from witches, a popular belief held in widely-distant countries. Lady Northcote says: "The Russians believe that Elder-trees drive away evil spirits, and the Bohemians go to it with a spell to take away fever. The Sicilians think that sticks of its wood will kill serpents and drive away robbers, and the Serbs introduce a stick of Elder into their wedding ceremonies to bring good luck. In England it was thought that the Elder was never struck by lightning, and a twig of it tied into three or four knots and carried in the pocket was a charm against rheumatism. A cross made of Elder and fastened to cowhouses and stables was supposed to keep all evil from the animals." In Cole's Art of Simpling (1656) we may read how in the later part of the seventeenth century: "in order to prevent witches from entering their houses, the common people used to gather Elder leaves on the last day of April and affix them to their doors and windows," and the tree was formerly much cultivated near English cottages for protection against witches. The use of the Elder for funeral purposes was an old English custom referred to by Spenser, "The Muses that were wont green Baies to weave, Now bringen bittre Eldre braunches seare." - Shepheard's Calendar - November. And Canon Ellacombe says that in the Tyrol: "An Elder bush, trimmed into the form of a cross, is planted on a new-made grave, and if it blossoms, the soul of the person Iying beneath it is happy."
Green Elder branches were also buried in a grave to protect the dead from witches and evil spirits, and in some parts it was a custom for the driver of the hearse to carry a whip made of Elder wood. In some of the rural Midlands, it is believed that if a child is chastised with an Elder switch, it will cease to grow, owing, in this instance, to some supposed malign influence of the tree. On the other hand, Lord Bacon commended the rubbing of warts with a green Elder stick and then burying the stick to rot in the mud, and for erysipelas, it was recommended to wear about the neck an amulet made of Elder "on which the sun had never shined."
In Denmark we come across the old belief that he who stood under an Elder tree on Midsummer Eve would see the King of Fairyland ride by, attended by all his retinue. Folkard, in Plant-Lore, Legends and Lyrics, relates: "The pith of the branches when cut in round, flat shapes, is dipped in oil, lighted, and then put to float in a glass of water; its light on Christmas Eve is thought to reveal to the owner all the witches and sorcerers in the neighbourhood"; and again, "On Bertha Night (6th January), the devil goes about with special virulence. As a safeguard, persons are recommended to make a magic circle, in the center of which they should stand, with Elderberries gathered on St. John's night. By doing this, the mystic Fern-seed may be obtained, which possesses the strength of thirty or forty men."
This is a Styrian tradition.
The whole tree has a narcotic smell, and it is not considered wise to sleep under its shade. Perhaps the visions of fairyland were the result of the drugged sleep! No plant will grow under the shadow of it, being affected by its exhalations.
Apart from all these traditions, the Elder has had from the earliest days a firm claim on the popular affection for its many sterling virtues.
Information and the above history about elder was obtained from Botanical.com: A Modern Herbal - Elder.
BLACK ELDER USES
Elderberry has diuretic, decongestant, laxative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Described as a "complete medicine chest," black elder induces perspiration. When you have a feverish cold, take it in the form of a hot drink. Elder also promotes expectoration, which makes it a good treatment for coughing and bronchitis. The pulp of the berry and the freshly made juice have a diuretic and laxative effect on the body. Avoid the red berry species of elder, as it can irritate the digestive system and make you feel nauseous.
Native Americans used the flowers, berries, and bark of elderberry trees to treat fevers and arthritic joint pain for hundreds of years and made a tea from elderberry flowers for treating respiratory infections. They used the leaves and flowers in poultices and applied them to wounds; and used the bark as a laxative. , but elderberry's real claim to fame is as a cure for the flu, Israeli researchers have developed five formulas based on elderberry fruit that have been clinically proven to prevent and ameliorate all kinds of influenza.
Some clinicians think that Elderberries are more effective at shortening colds and flu than Echinacea. Preliminary studies with a certain strain of epidemic flu have shown that Elderberry extract reduced recovery time by half. It also helps bring up phlegm associated with asthma, bronchitis, colds, flu and smoking. A hot infusion works well for treating respiratory infections, tonsillitis, and laryngitis. At the onset of a cold, fever, measles, rash or chickenpox, an infusion will stimulate circulation and cause sweating, cleansing the system of toxins. Externally, Elderberry flowers can soothe cuts and wounds, chilblains, skin eruptions, sunburn, and irritable skin. In traditional European medicine, the juice of this plant is used for treating sciatica and neuralgia. It is now being studied for its effectiveness against other viral infections, including HIV and herpes.
Extensive research show that elder stop the production of hormone-like cytokines that direct a class of white blood cells known as neutrophils to cause inflammation, especially in influenza and arthritis. On the other hand, elder increases the production non-inflammatory infection-fighting cytokines as much as 10 fold. Elder berries are known to be effective against eight strains of influenza. This suggests that elder be superior to vaccines in preventing flu, because flu vaccines are only effective against known strains of flu, whereas the virus is continually mutating to new strains. Vaccines have another draw back: over half of people who get them report side effects. Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, of Hadassah-Hebrew University in Israel found that elderberry disarms the enzyme viruses use to penetrate healthy cells in the lining of the nose and throat. Taken before infection, it prevents infection. Taken after infection, it prevents spread of the virus through the respiratory tract. In a clinical trial, 20 percent of study subjects reported significant improvement within 24 hours, 70 percent by 48 hours, and 90 percent claimed complete cure in three days. In contrast, subjects receiving the placebo required 6 days to recover.
A folk remedy for burns is a paste made of elder and milk. Boil freshly picked, chopped flowers in enough milk to make a thick paste. Allow to cool and apply to the affected part of the skin.
The elderberries were used to make beverages, pies, and preserves. Typical preparations include teas, tinctures, encapsulations, syrups, wine, cordials, and even ketchup, often combined with propolis or echinacea.
BLACK ELDER DOSAGE INFORMATION
Elderberry comes in various forms and is an ingredient in numerous products. For use, steep 3 to 5 grams of dried Elder flowers in 1 cup of boiling water for ten minutes. Drink 1 cup 3 times daily. Elder works best when combined with yarrow or peppermint for treating colds, catarrh, sinusitis, hay fever and bronchial congestion, To take other formulations, read product label directions for use.
METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION
BLACK ELDER SAFETY & INTERACTION INFORMATION
There are no precautions for flowers or berries, however excessive use may cause nausea and vomiting in some individuals.
Side effects are rare with Elder and consist of the mild gastrointestinal distress and allergic reactions; however, safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is not known.
ELDER / BLACK ELDER SUPPLEMENTS & PRODUCTS
Herbal Remedies: Air Defense Natural Immune Booster, NOW Foods, 90 VCaps
NOW Foods Air Defense Natural Immune Booster is a blend of vitamins, minerals, herbs and amino acids that support optimal immune function and respiratory health.
Herbal Remedies: AlliBiotic CF, Non-Drowsy, Immune Support, NOW Foods, 60 Softgels
NOW AlliBiotic CF is scientifically designed to help support healthy seasonal and year-round immune function.
Herbal Remedies: Black Elderberry Extract, Premium Quality, Kosher, Dynamic Health, 8 fl. oz.
Dynamic Health Black Elderberry Extract is of premium quality and kosher.
Herbal Remedies: Echinacea With Elderberry & Zinc, Nature's Way, 100 Caps
Nature's Way Echinacea With Elderberry and Zinc is a synergistic combination of the latest scientific research and traditional herbal medicine to support the immune system.
Herbal Remedies: Elderberry Flower Powder (Sambucus Nigra), Alternative Health & Herbs, 4 oz.
As a hot infusion, the flowers are sweat-inducing and in combination with yarrow and mint are specific for colds and flu. The flowers are used to treat bronchial and upper respiratory disorders as well as hay fever. A cold infusion of the flowers can be used as a compress for chilblains. (Chilblains are the inflammation of the toes, feet, or fingers, due to the presence of a cold.) The ointment of Elderflower is soothing, cooling and healing, used for irritations of the skin. Considered to have a mild laxative action and may be used for rheumatism and gout.
Herbal Remedies: Elderberry Herb, Nature's Way, 575 mg, 100 Caps
Elderberry herb is popular for health concerns during the winter season.
Herbal Remedies: Elderberry Juice Concentrate, 12.5 fl. oz.
Elderberry Juice Concentrate is a non-alcoholic source for the health benefits of Elderberries. A medically proven strong anti-viral and immune system enhancer, elderberry is recommended as part of a health maintenance program.
Herbal Remedies: Elderberry & Zinc Lozenges, Vegetarian, NOW Foods, 90 Lozenges
NOW Foods Elderberry & Zinc lozenges contain elderberry extract powder that is synergistically formulated with zinc and vitamin C for maximum effectiveness.
Herbal Remedies: Sambucus Black Elderberry Syrup, Sugar-Free, 8 fl. oz.
Sambucus Black Elderberry Sugar Free Syrup is used by millions of people with positive results being reported worldwide, Sambucus is especially popular for promoting good health against the Flu and Colds during the winter season.
Herbal Remedies: Sambucus Elderberry & Vitamin C, Nature's Way, 30 Lozenges
Sambucus Lozenges contain the original formulation of the award winning black elderberry extract. Sambucus Black Elderberry extract has been used by millions of people with positive results being reported worldwide.
Herbal Remedies: Sambucus Immune System Formula With Elderberry & Echinacea, 7.8 fl. oz.
Sambucus Immune System Elderberry Formula supports your natural defenses against the flu and colds, and is especially popular during the winter season.
Herbal Remedies: Sambucus Kid's Formula Elderberry Syrup, Nature's Way, 4 oz.
Sambucus for Kids supports the immune system, and is especially popular during the winter season. Black elderberry extract has been used by million of people with positive results being reported worldwide.
Herbal Remedies: Sambucus Original Black Elderberry Syrup, Nature's Way, 8 fl. oz.
Sambucus Black Elderberry is used by millions of people with positive results being reported worldwide, Sambucus is especially popular for promoting good health against the Flu and Colds during the winter season.
Mountain Rose Herbs: Elder Berries (Sambucus Nigra), Certified Organic, Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Herbs: Elderberry Powder (Sambucus Nigra), Certified Organic, Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Herbs: Elder Flowers (Sambucus Nigra), Certified Organic, Bulk Herbs
Shaman Shop: Elder Berry (Elderberry), 5% Standardized Extract, Herbal Extracts Plus, 600 mg, 90 VCaps
Shaman Shop: Elder Berry (Elderberry), 5% Standardized Powder, Herbal Extracts Plus, 1/4 lb. Bulk
Shaman Shop: Elder Berry (Elderberry) Powder, Herbal Extracts Plus, 1/4 lb. Bulk
Shaman Shop: Elder Berry (Elderberry) Powder, Herbal Extracts Plus, 90 VCaps
Shaman Shop: Elder Berry (Sambucus Nigra) Powder, Kalyx, 2.2 lbs Bulk
Shaman Shop: Sambucus Immune Syrup, Nature's Way, 8 oz.
Shaman Shop: Sambucus Original Lozenges, Nature's Way, 30 Pack
Shaman Shop: Sambucus Original Syrup, Nature's Way, 8 oz.
Shaman Shop: Sambucus Sugar-Free Syrup, Nature's Way, 8 oz.
Herbal Remedies: Elderberry Supplements & Products
Herbal Remedies: Sambucol Black Elderberry Supplements & Products
Herbal Remedies: Elderberry / Sambucus Nigra Information
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