Elder (Sambucus Canadensis)

Open elder blossoms. More plump and tightly packed than poisonous things.

 The last post I wrote was about spring's deadly beauty, Water Hemlock. I mentioned then that there are other plants blooming at the same time that look a lot like hemlock, but that were useful, health supporting botanicals. I am delighted to introduce you to one of them, Sambucus, better known as Elderberry. 

Elders blossom in stages. These buds haven't opened yet.

 The flowers of elder have a more graceful and less "fire cracker" in appearance than hemlock, and the leaf shape is also quite different. Technically, the leaf and bark of elder are poisonous, but rather than causing seizures and death they usually only cause vomiting or diarrhea. NOT that this is a good thing, but it explains the traditional uses for those parts of the plant for those purposes, (traditional healers used purging as an acceptable form of therapy in certain instances) and also gives you a good excuse to avoid using them. Hint, hint. Don't use them.

Elder old growth trunk and newer growth branches.

 This particular elder is pretty sturdy looking, and now that the brush has been cleared away from it and it can get more light it has been putting out a tangle of new growth over the last couple of years. It is probably Sambucus canadensis, which is a native plant so closely related to the European Sambucus nigra that they are interchangeable for most herbal purposes. Awesome, because most of our extant literature on Sambucus refers to S. nigra.

As I mentioned, the bark and leaves are no longer used internally, but the leaves can still be made into an excellent salve to promote healing of wounds and ulcers and to help clear bruising. The flowers have a traditional role in helping the body deal with fevers, especially when made as a tea with yarrow and mint, and to clear the lungs when there is a lot of inflammation and mucus. 

The berries are the most commonly used portion nowadays, especially during cold and flu season. Some studies indicated that they may help stimulate the immune system against viral challenges. Traditionally, they were used for their expectorant qualities, as a food, and to "build the blood", or increase iron levels, in anemia.

Perhaps the most interesting herbal uses for Elder, to me at least, is the record of its use for infants and children. A tea made from the flowers was given to infants in two types of cases: the first was if the newborn was having difficulty transitioning from the womb into the world. In other words, the baby, for whatever reason, was having difficulty getting all of its systems online- the kidneys and liver were stressed and couldn't cope with suddenly having to perform all of the necessary functions without the mother's help it had come to expect. Elderflower was also a valued remedy for seizures in children and infants. Considering Elder's affinity with fevers, it would make sense especially if they were febrile seizures- this was before modern drugs that can be routinely given to suppress dangerously high fever, and febrile seizures would have probably been more common.  That, however, is mostly speculation on my part. The old literature doesn't give any more information than just infantile seizures in general. Older children were given elderflower tea for chronic respiratory afflictions- things like asthma, and blocked hearing from mucus and fluid build up.

Besides the historic and traditional value, Elderflowers and berries are also just plain tasty. The flower buds can be made into pickles (who needs capers, fancypants?), the flowers are great for wine, "champagne" (a bubbly, lightly fermented soft drink), or syrup. The berries make lovely syrup, jelly, pie, or cordial, or even a fruity sort of gourmet ketchup. Just make sure the berries are fully ripe and dark blue or purple before you indulge- green or red ones will give you a bellyache! 

 

Elder trunk with honeysuckle vine and baby blackberry plants- trifecta of awesome!