Elder, Sambucus nigra, or S. canadensis, is probably one of the most well-known medicinal herbs. It is a godsend during cold and flu season, and Sambucol, a patented Israeli drug, contains Elderberry. It is active against various strains of viruses and while claims are not yet substantiated, is even being tested against HIV and herpes.
However, the actual berries of Elder are just as great, and even more so in the area of prevention. A syrup or tincture made of Elderberries, taken daily, can help boost the immune system and prepare your body to protect you against serious illness. Because it is so popular, certain times of the year can bring about scarcity, especially during the fall and winter. It is best to stock up on dried berries and homeopathic remedies when you can find them because when you need them most, they might not be available.
Syrups are much more palatable, making them a great preventative and remedy for illness in children. You can also make gummies from the syrup for
Not only are the berries wonderful remedies, but the flowers, which the berries form from, are wonderful in treating fever, colds, flu, and hay fever. Elderflower infusion can also be brewed and put into a bath to promote sweating and support a fever that is fighting off infection. The infusion is also known to reduce feverish chills, making the experience a little easier.
Elder is a shrub to small tree up to 5-14 feet tall, with clusters of creamy white flowers in spring and summer, followed by green, then nearly black berries in the summer and fall. She likes to grow along hedgerows, riverbanks, in the woods, and on waste ground.
Elderflowers contain:
- Flavonoids (up to 3%)-rutin
- Phenolic acids
- Triterpenes
- Sterols
- Volatile oil (up to 0.2%)
- Mucilage
- Tannins
Leaves contain:
Elderberries contain:
- Flavonoids
- Anthocyanins
- Vitamins A and C
Key Actions include:
- Increases sweating
- Diuretic
- Anti-inflammatory
CAUTION: Elder can be mistaken for Poison Hemlock, so it is best to do extensive research before trying to wildcraft this plant.
Bark, leaves, and wood are poisonous. Berry clusters need to be flat, not rounded, and the berries and flowers have compounds that can disrupt chemotherapy drugs.
Some say the Elderberries are toxic and shouldn’t be eaten raw. This refers to the seeds in the berries. Elderberries can cause diarrhea if eaten raw in large quantities, but as food, they are usually cooked, making them safe. In a herbal preparations, the seeds are strained out prior to ingestion.
Yarrow, Queen Anne’s Lace, Elder, and Poison Hemlock all have very similar white flowers. It’s the leaves and stalk that you really want to learn to differentiate.
Elder is native to Europe but has been naturalized in North America. I have lots of it growing down in the valley in front of my house, growing in both full sun and partial shade. It does prefer to be well watered, which is why it seems to like to pick low-lying areas here in Texas.
Elder flowers are tasty treats raw, fried, or thrown into muffin and pancake batter, and can also be used to flavor a variety of drinks. The berries, however, are NOT tasty raw because of the volatile oils in them. Drying or cooking does away with these oils though, creating a lovely tasting berry once you sweeten it a little. Avoid eating the seeds.
Elder leaves can be made into a topical skin remedy for bruises, sprains, and chilblains but should never be ingested.
To harvest, you will want to pick flowers on a dry, sunny day, choosing the flowers that smell floral and fresh. In damp weather or shady areas, the flowers can smell funky, which you don’t want. Pick the entire flower head. If you want to dry for tea, spread the flower heads out on paper to dry, then use a fork to strip the blossoms off the stems. Elderflower season is relatively short, so pick them while you can find them and dry them for later use. You can also, of course, make tinctures, syrups, and other remedies with fresh flowers to preserve them rather than drying them. If you want tea year-round, however, you will want to dry some flowers.
When picking berries, take the entire head rather than trying to take individual berries. You can stick the berries in the freezer and then break or shake the berries off for easy stem removal. It doesn’t have to be as fiddly as you would think it is.
Elder is highly steeped in folklore. You can find many tales about it, be it faerie or pagan based. Some say that the Earth Mother lives within the Elder tree, which is why many cultures have ceremonies to ask permission before cutting them down for fear of the spirit within the tree exacting revenge on those who do not get permission. Other stories tell of being a witness of the Faery King riding by when in the presence of Elder during Midsummer night. It is also said that if the Elder plants itself in your garden, that means the Earth Mother has chosen to protect your house from lightning and your cattle from harm. It is all very interesting and if you are into that kind of thing, Elder will not disappoint if you go looking for stories about her.
Some stories even say that Christ was crucified on an Elder tree and that Judas hung himself from one, but I have also heard the same tale regarding the Dogwood tree, so who knows. The same curse some have heard of being placed on the Dogwood tree also pertains to the Elder tree. The curse states that God cursed the Elder by making its once large berries small and its straight branches twisted and weak after Jesus was crucified on it, meaning if true, it would have been a much stronger wooded tree with large berries before. Again, both the Dogwood and Elder have the same stories attached to them, so come to your own conclusions. I find it all fascinating.
“Elder flowers dry boyled in milk & drink it at night. It weill sweat & do much good.“
Book of culinary recipes 1739-79
There are many ways to prepare Elder flowers and berries into a medicinal remedy for colds, flu and cough, along with fever, sore throats, hot flashes, stuffy noses, and much more. Elder is a wonderful plant to have on hand, be able to recognize and wild craft, and have remedies readily available to you regardless of the time of year. Syrup, gummies, and tinctures can easily be taken daily to increase the efficacy of your immune system to fight off various illnesses and diseases throughout the year. Again, this is a very popular plant, even in mainstream medicine, and can become scarce during cold and flu season. Get it while you can, stock up, and be prepared when illness creeps in. It is also cheaper to get your hands on when not actively in the middle of a high-demand season, just so you know.
Elder Leaf Ointment
QUICK WAY: Warm a cup of olive oil over a double boiler and add a few handfuls of chopped Elder leaves. Let the oil infuse over low heat for 30-60 minutes, then strain. Don’t fry the leaves! Low and slow. Return oil to the pan and melt 1 oz. beeswax in the oil. Pour into a jar and leave to cool before putting on the lid. Label and do not eat!
-You can also slowly infuse oil with leaves and use it to make a balm or salve, which is my preferred method, but either way works. My motto is the less heat, the better. You will still need heat to melt beeswax into the infused oil though, so you do you.
TIP: Use a double boiler to avoid scorching! When melting ingredients together, leave on the heat a little while longer after everything has melted to fully incorporate it all, or your salve/balm may become lumpy after it cools. This happens because the ingredients with a higher melting point will solidify before the lower melting point ingredients and separate if they aren’t fully incorporated with each other.
Elderberry Syrup
- 1 cup fresh elderberries or 1/2 cup dried
- 2 cups water, filtered or distilled
- 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 4 cloves, whole
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- honey or agave (Raw local honey is best, but don’t give to kids under 1 year old. Use agave for a baby-safe syrup.)
- In a saucepan, bring berries and water to a boil and simmer for 15-30 minutes.
- Strain and squeeze out juice from berries. A clean rag, cheesecloth, etc., will work but will be stained a burgundy to purple color forevermore if it’s a reusable material.
- Measure juice and pour into a clean saucepan. Simmer to reduce to 1/2 original volume.
- Pour into a large measuring cup and add half the volume worth of honey or agave. You can add more if you want it sweeter, but I prefer a 1:2 ratio of honey to juice. Raw honey from your area is the best. You can use processed sugar if that’s all you have, but it doesn’t offer any benefits.
Older recipes call for at least 2:2 to help better preserve the syrup without refrigeration, but these days, most of us have a fridge to store our syrup in.
If you want a shelf-stable remedy, use the old ratio, and if you are in a hot part of the world, I would even go with a 3:2 ratio.
- Stir to dissolve honey or agave. Some people like to simmer the mixture to thicken the syrup, but I don’t. Heat kills the living enzymes in honey, reducing the medicinal benefits it brings to the syrup. It will thicken a little in the fridge without the extra simmering.
- Pour into a clean pint mason jar and store for up to 6 months in the fridge.
Don’t forget to always label your jars with
name, ingredients, date made, expiration date, etc.
Elderberry Gummies
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 cup Elderberry syrup
- 1/4 cup gelatin powder, like Sure-Jell
- 1/2 cup hot water–not boiling
- silicone gummy molds
-Grease your molds with coconut oil. This makes it easier to get the gummies out in one piece.
-Place 1/4 cup of your syrup in a bowl and quickly whisk in the gelatin powder. (Something with a pouring spout is the best to work with.)
-Add in your hot water and whisk briskly until smooth. Then, add the rest of your syrup and whisk again until smooth.
-Pour the mixture into your molds and refrigerate for 2 hours or until they are firm all the way through.
-Pop them out of the molds and either store them as-is with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking, or you can toss them in sugar, stevia powder, or other powdered sweetener of your choice. This will keep them from sticking together if you want to store them in a jar without parchment paper like those you would find in the store. Rolling in sweeteners also gives them an extra-sweet kick that kids love.
These gummies can be taken as a daily vitamin or taken every few hours to reduce healing time if you have the flu.
Disclaimer: The information shared here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Plant identification, preparation, and use should always be approached with care. Common names can refer to multiple species, each with different properties and safety considerations. Please research thoroughly, verify scientific names, and consult qualified professionals before ingesting or using any plant medicinally.
Information in this article was derived from personal knowledge and experience, as well as the following texts:
* “Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 2nd Edition” by Andrew Chevalier FNIMH, pg. 132
* “Backyard Medicine, 2nd Edition” by Julie-Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal, pg. 69-73
* “The Green Pharmacy” by James A. Duke, Ph.D, pg. 136-137, 146, 198, 270-271, & 425
* “Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide” by Rosemary Gladstar, pg. 134-138
