Elderberry/Flowers – Organic
Sambucus nigra
Commonly known as European Elder, Black Elder, Common Elder, Bore Tree. It grows up to 9 metres tall, spreads like a weed throughout New Zealand, its origins from England & Europe. It has clusters of small creamy white flowers in the summer which turn into large drooping bunches of purplish-black juicy berries. Both of these i.e. flower & berry are used medicinally.
More Info…
The use of elder dates back to the father of medicine himself, Hippocrates (470-410 BC). the word elder is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “aeld” meaning “fire”, as you could create a fire by blowing through the young hollow branches of the elder tree. Danish legend connected it with magic, believing that in the branches dwelt a dryad, Hylde-Moer, the Elder Tree Mother, and that if one stood under the tree on Midsummer Eve one would see the King of Fairyland and all his train ride by. Russian peasants said that the compassionate spirit of the Sambucus nigra would drive away all evil and also give long life & in some countries they refuse to burn or destroy the trees because of this. The Sicilians thought that sticks made of its wood killed serpents and drove away robbers, and the English believed that it was never struck by lightening.
Its active constituents consist of:
Flavonoids – rutin, isoquercetin, quercetin, kaempferol & astragalin
Phenolic acids – chlorogenic, p-coumaric & caffeic acids
Triterpenes – ursolic acid, beta & alpha amyrin
Volatile Oils – palmitic, linoleic & linolenic
Mucilages
Sterols
Tannins
Rich in Vitamin C
Elderberry tincture, wine, spirits, syrup, honey (flowers), jams, oxymels (vinegar & honey), champagne (flowers), oil, lozenges are the many mediums that are made to utilise it’s health giving properties. Traditionally Elder has been used to treat headaches, toothache, facial blemishes, cough, asthma, fever, smallpox, measles, arthritis, menstrual complaints, oedema, burns, melancholy, epilepsy, protection from the plague, wound healing & diarrhoea to name a few. Nowadays Elderberries are used to treat colds, influenza, fever, sinusitis, nasal catarrh/rhinitis, dry cough, joint pain, nerve pain i.e. sciatica, high cholesterol. Elderflowers are used as a diuretic, treating fevers, reducing mucus, laxative, scarlet fever, measles, fevers, joint pain. Elderflower water has been used in soothing inflamed eyes, as well as in skin moisturisers and perfumes
Ingredients…
Organic Elderberry/flower Sambucus nigra
Container…
Available in black kraft bags.
