Elderberry is the closest relative of the honeysuckle, is a shrub, the fruit of which is the aromatic berry of a dark purple or black. There is also the red elderberry, but it is a poisonous berry, not suitable for medicinal or food use.
The beneficial properties of elderberry known since ancient times. According to legend, the elder is a sacred plant and has the unique ability to bestow longevity. Today naturopaths and herbalists appreciate this shrub for its powerful medicinal properties and rich in vitamins and minerals.
Elderberry is a perennial ligneous plant of the family caprifoliaceae. Shrub or small tree reaching 3-10 m in height. The trunk and branches are grey. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, odd-pinnate. The flowers are small, fragrant, creamy or yellowish-white. It blooms from may to first half of June. The fruit is purple-black, aghadowey. Ripens in August – September.
Wild black elderberry is found between the bushes on the forest edges in the middle belt of the European part of Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Belarus, the Crimea, the Caucasus, South-East of Russia.
Elderberry grows like the sun, and in shady places. The multiplication is made by dividing the old bushes, cuttings and sowing seeds.
Black elderberry is a medicinal herb, unlike the red elderberry, which is poisonous.
Medicinal raw materials are inflorescences, fruits, dried in ovens or driers. Rarely used bark, branches and roots of the plant. Gathering elder flowers and storing them require special care, because they are very sensitive to moisture, quickly change their color and deteriorate. The flowers are harvested from late may to early July. Good quality dried flowers are obtained, provided that they are collected in a Sunny weather, in 2 or 3 hours a day but not after rain. Just blossomed, perhaps cropped shorter brush colors, freed from leaves and thick stalks, are arranged in a thin layer and quickly dried or air in the shade, or by artificial means, but the temperature should not exceed 30-35 °C. To obtain a dry raw material without stalks, dried brush rubbed lightly through a sieve, but not metal. Elder berries are also dried.
Dried elder flowers are stored in a dry, well-ventilated area. A period of storage no more than 2-3 years. Term storage of dried fruit – 6 months.
The use of elderberry
Decoction of all plant parts (root, flower and leaf) is used to normalize metabolism. Berries fresh tea from the buds of the plant have a facilitating effect in rheumatism. Infusions of the dried fruit is used to increase bile secretion, bowel cleansing, as a diuretic. Decoctions of elder flowers are useful in bronchitis, angina, influenza, laryngitis, neuralgia, gout, for the treatment of kidney and bladder.
Decoction of young leaves of elderberry are considered to be an effective analgesic and krovoostanavlivajushchim remedy also take them for headaches, insomnia, atherosclerosis, and diseases of the stomach. The juice of fresh berries of plants gently cleanses the body, expels excess fluid, improves liver and kidney.
The berries and the juice of the plant act like blueberries strengthen blood vessels of the retina, sharpen eyesight, eliminate night blindness, prevents cataracts. The juice is rich in antioxidants that provide anti-tumor and anti-aging effect on the body. Elderberry is part of cancer fees, it helps to get rid of the cancer, fibroids, mastitis, endometriosis.
After carrying out disinfection in cellars, 5 – 7 day entomologist or his assistant examined the cellars and in case of detection of mosquitoes give a prescription for carrying out of repeated pest control. After the elimination of breeding of mosquitoesbasements are under the supervision of the staff of the centres of the state for 1 year.
Elderberry is a great General tonic, fresh berries, juice, and tea of blossoms, plants should preferably be taken during infectious outbreaks and in the cold seasons, diseases to enhance the immune system and protect the body from viral infections. Elderberry helps in various skin diseases, abrasions, irritations, and especially psoriasis. For the treatment of this disease using infusions and decoctions of the flowers and berries of the plant, when taken regularly brings relief and greatly lengthened the period of remission (in some cases up to several years).
Contraindications to the use of elderberry
The elderberry is not recommended to use in chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pregnancy and individual intolerance. Excessive consumption of berries and the SAP of the plant can cause nausea and vomiting.
Inflorescence of elderberry contain a very complex chemical composition. They contain glycosides sambunigrin, retinopa a similar glycoside Aldrin; organic acids: Valerian, coffee, acetic, malic and chlorogenic; semi-solid volatile oil, choline, utilizati, isoamylamine, carotene, tannins, mucous and parafinovoe substances; sugar.
In elderberry contains ascorbic acid – vitamin C (50 mg%), carotene, sambucin, resin, glucose (2. 8%), fructose (2. 5%), free acids (mainly malic); amino acids, tyrosine, and coloring materials.
In the fresh leaves of elderberry contains large amounts of ascorbic acid – vitamin C (up to 280 mg%), a lot of carotene (0. 15%); and dried leaves contain provitamin A1. Found in the leaves also sambunigrin, essential oil, hexanoyl and glycolic aldehydes, traces of alkaloids, tannins, resinous substances (has laxative effect).
In the bark contains essential oil, choline, phytosterol.
Before the villagers with the onset of spring tore the tops of young shoots of elder and together with other herbs used in food as salad. However, it is necessary to have in mind that the leaves of the elderberry are strongly driven Kabat and urine.
From the juice of the berries after fermentation, drove vodka. Elder flowers added to white grape wine and vinegar, give them a nutmeg taste. The fruit juice used for coloring alcoholic beverages.
Elderberry previously widely used for okrashivaniya cotton and silk fabrics in black color. While the juice of the berries added green vitriol. Mixed with alum, the berries juice gives a blue dye. From the juice of the berries, with the addition of a small amount of alum and vinegar, did the ink. Rural beauty juice of the berries blackened his eyebrows.
From the fresh flowers of elder with the addition of lemon juice, zest and water by fermentation was preparing a refreshing drink.
Earlier it was believed that elderberry quickly sacrificed chickens. Don’t know whether this is so. But our ancestors juice of berries exterminating bed bugs, that’s for sure. The elder flowers draped the apples during their storage; they are better preserved and become a good smell.
In folk medicine used not only fruits but also leaves, flowers, bark of Sambucus nigra. The fruits of elderberry have healing properties as fresh or dried. Fresh berries of the elderberry have been used successfully to treat hepatitis, peptic ulcer disease and to prevent them. Fresh fruits help in neuralgia. The dried fruit is used to treat such rare diseases as malaria. It is believed that the therapeutic properties of black elderberries are so high that it can be used as adjuvant in cancer of the stomach and cancer of the skin. In stomach cancer patient needs to give the jam made from the fruit of black elderberry, in cancer of the skin juice from the fruit press and prepare the extract for wine.
Not considered less valuable and the flowers of the elderberry, which contain choline, essential oil, rutin, Valerian, coffee and malic acid, etc. From black elderberry flowers prepare decoctions or infusions that have antibacterial properties and sweatshops. That is why they are particularly good for colds, flu, influenza, diseases of the respiratory tract. To prepare you need to take 1 tbsp. teaspoon black elderberry flowers and pour a Cup of hot water. Mixture bring to boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Then cooling, squeeze and use in the form of heat half a Cup 2-3 times a day before meals. This drug helps with arthritis, gout, rheumatism.
Leaves of elderberry also healing. Like flowers, they have antipyretic, diuretic, astringent, sedative and diaphoretic action. Applying steamed leaves well reduces inflammation, which is why it’s used for diaper rash, burns, inflammation of hemorrhoids, furunkuleze. There is a folk remedy for chronic constipation with the use of young leaves of elderberry. Young leaves have some laxative and tonic effect. For the treatment of chronic constipation it is necessary to take honey, boil it with the young leaves of Sambucus nigra and eaten.
No less popular in folk medicine, the bark of this plant. From it is prepared broth, which take in diseases of the skin and kidneys. Decoction used for baths in gout, rheumatism and arthritis. Ready broth can be used in the form of lotions.
People’s beauty, too, uses the healing properties of black elderberry. For example, flowers can make a lotion that is applied to the face every morning and evening. To prepare the lotion, take 10 buds and fill them with 0,5 l of boiling water. Leave to infuse day. Then filtered and stored in the refrigerator. This lotion tones up the skin and makes it younger.
A decoction of the whole plant (root, flowers and leaves) used as a means of regulating the metabolism. Fresh berries and a decoction of the flowers is used in rheumatism. From the berries of the black elderberry you can make jam, jelly. Keep in mind that jam and jelly is better to cook without sugar, on the basis of a chicken egg or vegetable molasses.
Apples, interspersed with elderberry flowers, keep the flavor. Infusion of dried elderberries (1:10) improves biliary excretion, increases diuresis, promotes the intestinal contents. Tea or infusion of elder flowers is prescribed for laryngitis, bronchitis, influenza, neuralgia, rinse the mouth as an anti-inflammatory and in diseases of the kidneys and bladder, rheumatism and gout. In the latter case, it is recommended to do myocardial cooling of the hot bags filled with a mixture of equal parts buzynove colors and daisies, drenched with boiling water.
