Elderberry is perennial, belonging to the honeysuckle family. Externally, black or red elderberry is a large shrub or low tree. Elderberry blooms from May to mid-June with small yellow-white flowers with a fragrant aroma. The berries of both red and black elderberries ripen in August - September.
In the wild, red and black elderberry are found on the edges of forests in the southeast and middle lane Russia, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Crimea. Elderberry grows as in shady places, and in sunny meadows.
The difference between black elderberry and red elderberry is that black elderberry has a lot of beneficial properties, but red elderberry is considered a poisonous plant.
The benefits of elderberry and its properties
Black elderberry berries have a complex chemical composition. It consists of the following components:
- Saccharides;
- Organic acids;
- Semi-solid essential oil;
- Ethyl isobutyl;
- Choline;
- Isoamylamine;
- Carotene.
In addition, the beneficial properties of elderberry are due to the content of tannins, paraffin-like and mucous substances in it.
Most of the elderberries contain black malic acid. It contains a lot of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), as well as natural sugars (glucose and fructose).
Not only elderberries are rich in vitamins and nutrients. The benefits of elderberry and the properties used for treatment are presented in its leaves, twigs and bark. The benefits of elderberry leaves are the high content of carotene and vitamin C. But the dried leaves contain provitamin A1.
Thanks to such a rich composition, the leaves, flowers and bark of black elderberry have a lot of medicinal properties:
- Antipyretic;
- Diuretic;
- Laxative;
- Astringent;
- Calming (sedative);
- Sweatshop.
Young elderberry leaves have restorative and laxative properties. Decoctions from all parts of black elderberry have the property of regulating metabolism in the body. Dried berries have many beneficial properties of black elderberry.
The health benefits of taking elderberry include the following:
1. Bile excretion improves;
2. Diuresis increases;
3. The movement of intestinal contents improves.
Uses of elderberry
For treatment, flowers, berries and leaves of black elderberry are usually used. They are dried in ovens and stored for the winter.
It should be noted that the benefits of black elderberry remain in the fruits for 6 months; it is not recommended to store it longer. But in flowers, the properties of black elderberry can be stored for a very long time. So, flowers can be stored for 2 - 3 years, but only in a dry room with good ventilation. The properties of red elderberry in flowers are also considered dangerous, which is why they are not recommended to be used even for home decoration.
Undoubtedly, black elderberry has greater benefits in its raw form. Even in ancient times, people picked young shoots and made salad from them. At the same time, they were careful and knew how to distinguish between red and black elderberries. A fresh berries elderberries were used to make drinks. Black elderberry juice is now mixed with lemon juice, zest and water. Thus, an original healing kvass is obtained.
You can make jelly, compotes, and preserves from elderberries. For sweetness, it is recommended to add honey rather than sugar. Thanks to this, the benefits of black elderberry will be preserved to a greater extent.
Traditional medicine actively uses the benefits of black elderberry. Fresh and dried elderberry fruits are successfully used for the treatment and prevention of the following diseases:
- Laryngitis;
- Hepatitis;
- Bronchitis;
- Flu;
- Neuralgia;
- Kidney diseases;
- Diseases Bladder;
- Rheumatism;
- Gout.
Black elderberry fruits are dried and used for treatment rare disease malaria. Dried and fresh black elderberries, according to medical research, have such a high content of medicinal properties that they are included in the complex of therapy for oncology (stomach cancer and skin cancer). In case of stomach cancer, the patient is given jam from fresh fruits black elderberry. Skin cancer is treated special means: fresh berries are squeezed, infused with wine, and the patient is treated with the extract of black elderberry obtained in this way.
Decoctions and infusions are prepared from the flowers and leaves of black elderberry, which have strong antibacterial and diaphoretic properties. These remedies help with colds(sore throat, flu, bronchitis, ARVI). To obtain a healing infusion, take 1 tbsp. l. flowers and pour a glass of boiling water. This mixture is brought to a boil and simmered over low heat for 15 - 20 minutes. Then the broth is cooled, squeezed out and used warm, 0.5 cups, orally, before eating. The infusion can also be used to gargle for colds. In addition, this medicine It helps greatly in the fight against ailments such as arthritis, gout and rheumatism.
Applying steamed black elderberry leaves to sore spots can relieve inflammation. That is why this remedy is used for the following problems:
- Diaper rash;
- Burns;
- Inflammation of hemorrhoids;
- Furunculosis.
Widespread folk remedy for constipation is to use the benefits of black elderberry from young fresh leaves. The properties of red elderberry in its leaves are also poisonous, so it is important to distinguish it when the leaves are collected. Yes, for the treatment of chronic constipation healing properties Elderberry is used this way: the leaves are boiled in honey, and the resulting medicine is taken orally.
A decoction (orally and as a lotion) from black elderberry bark is good for various diseases:
- Skin diseases;
- Kidney diseases;
- Arthritis;
- Rheumatism;
- Gout.
In addition, the benefits of elderberry and its toning and rejuvenating properties are widely used in cosmetology. A lotion is prepared from the flowers of the plant and used to wipe the skin of the face and neck. This lotion can also be frozen and wiped over the skin.
Contraindications and harm when consuming elderberry
Elderberry, like any other medicinal plant, has some contraindications for use.
- Nonspecific ulcerative colitis (enterocolitis);
- Crohn's disease;
- Chronic diseases gastrointestinal tract;
- Pregnancy (very carefully, under medical supervision).
Most often, doctors warn patients against consuming black elderberry in children under 12 years of age.
Unfortunately, people often confuse black elderberry and red elderberry plants. If you want to use this plant for medicinal purposes, you need to be careful and not make a mistake, since red elderberry can be harmful to health.
Red elderberry is poisonous to humans, so you need to be especially careful with this plant. It is not very easy to distinguish red elderberry from black elderberry: red elderberry differs, of course, in the red color of its berries. But this is only when it matures. But during those periods when the leaves and twigs of the plant are used for medicinal purposes, it is important to be able to distinguish red elderberry from black elderberry. Otherwise, you may not get any benefit from red elderberry, but poison your body.
Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:
The widespread black elderberry finds its use both as a medicinal plant and as an ornamental planting. Using it on personal plot allows you to achieve several goals simultaneously. First of all, this culture is amazingly beautiful. It fits organically into any style landscape design and allows you to decorate even the most sophisticated areas and parks. Secondly, the owner gets the opportunity to harvest healing berries and flowers. They, by the way, are valuable raw materials, in large quantities sent by our country for export.
The botanical description of black elderberry offered on this page is richly illustrated with photographs. This makes the perception of information simpler and more fun. The article describes the beneficial properties and use of the crop, methods of growing and organizing the care of shrubs.
Black elderberry plant
Family Honeysuckle.
The black elderberry plant is a relative of honeysuckle and viburnum, all of these plants belong to the same honeysuckle family. Latin name Sambucus is believed to be derived from the sambuca, a three-stringed musical instrument common in Iran, made from the wood of this plant.
Shrub or small tree 2-6(10) m tall with whitish bark. The trunk is up to 30 cm in diameter.
Leaves are 20-30 cm long, imparipinnate, with 3-9 oblong-ovate, long-pointed, unequally serrated lobes and small, rapidly falling stipules. The flowers are fragrant, creamy-white, in dense apical umbellate panicles up to 20 cm in diameter.
Look at the black elderberry bush in the photo and the following description will be more convenient for perception and understanding:
The fruit is a juicy, black-violet, shiny berry-shaped drupe up to 6 mm in diameter, with 2-4 oblong flat seeds and dark red pulp. It has a peculiar aroma and sour taste.
The bushes of the plant are voluminous, and the crown is usually rounded, with adult branches hanging to the ground, and young shoots growing vertically.
It blooms in May-June, the fruits ripen in August-September and remain on the plant after the leaves fall.
Where does black elderberry grow and what does it look like (with photo)
Speaking about where black elderberry grows and what it looks like, it is worth noting that in the wild the shrub can be found in the middle zone of the European part of our country, in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Belarus, the Baltic states, the upper reaches of the Dnieper, the Volga region and further south . Elderberry grows in the undergrowth, deciduous forests, and on the edges. Quite often cultivated in gardens and parks due to its large inflorescences and very fragrant flowers.
On the territory of reserves it is found in forest communities and forest plantations along the bottoms of ravines and in the valley. Forms groups and grows singly with an abundance of 1-2.
Look at the photo where black elderberry grows, it shows the main places where this shrub likes to settle:
Growing black elderberry: propagation and care
When growing black elderberry, planting and caring for the bush may require certain knowledge of the agricultural technology of this crop. We suggest you get them. Black elderberry grows well in a sunny place, but it can also grow in shade, but at the same time its shoots become elongated and the leaves become pale in color. The plant itself is heat-loving and cannot compare in winter hardiness with elderberry racemosa or red elderberry. In addition to a sufficient amount of sun and warmth, the plant loves fertile and fairly moist soil, which allows it to grow very quickly and bear fruit abundantly.
Before planting, you need to dig a hole 50 cm deep and the area required for the given root system. 3–4 kg of peat and last year’s manure are placed in the prepared pit. After planting, the plant is watered well. Does not require special care.
This plant is mainly grown near residential premises, since it has strong phytoncidal properties, and repels not only rodents, but also some harmful insects, like aphids, moths, moths.
Black elderberry can be propagated by sowing seeds in the ground in the fall, and by 4-month stratification in the spring. At the same time, with such propagation the properties of its variety are not transferred, therefore they are only suitable vegetative methods. The plant takes excellent cuttings without treatment with growth stimulants at the end of June, and lignified cuttings are planted in the ground in the fall. In addition, black elderberry can be propagated by layering.
The use of black elderberry and its benefits
In medical practice, black elderberry is most often used in the form of dried flowers, which are often included in sweatshops. The benefits of black elderberry have been proven for diseases of the immune system, bronchial asthma, respiratory infections, chronic bronchitis, dermatoses, hemorrhoids, gastric ulcers, laryngitis and other diseases. Elderberry infusion is used to gargle and make a poultice for rheumatic pain. In veterinary medicine, the fruits are used as an emetic. WITH therapeutic purpose They use flowers, as well as the bark of trunks and branches. An infusion prepared from dried elderberries is used to enhance diuresis, improve bile secretion, and promote the movement of intestinal contents. Elderberries are used to make marmalade, which acts as a diuretic and laxative.
The fruits are poisonous, but they are often used as a seasoning and food coloring in cooking, flowers and fruits in winemaking and cognac production. Elderberries and flowers are used to make jam. Dried berries are used to make jelly.
Used as a dye, dyes silk in Blue colour. Wood that does not rot in water and damp earth, used for small crafts, piles, hollow stems - for musical instruments. IN rural areas Elderberry was often planted around grain barns, as it was believed that mice and rats could not stand its smell. To expel mice from the stacks, the hay was interspersed with branches and poisonous leaves elderberries.
Black elderberry flowers and fruits are exported to other countries.
Collection of raw materials.
Flowers are collected from the beginning of flowering until the corolla begins to shed. It is necessary to collect in dry weather, it is especially good to do this when the sun is shining. When harvesting, the whole inflorescences are cut off and sent for drying as quickly as possible. Dry in attics or under sheds with good ventilation, spreading them in one layer on paper or fabric. The dried inflorescences are threshed and the flowers are separated from the peduncles not used in medicine. The bark is harvested in May - June, when it is easily separated from the wood. Dry on outdoors and in attics.
The fruits should be harvested only when they are fully ripe.
Look how black elderberry looks and grows - the video shows the shrub in the wild and on a personal plot:
Black elderberry is tall bush or a small tree. The shrub differs from others in its bark, which is grayish-brown in color. The plant is strewn with many small yellow lentils. The plant has long and opposite leaves complex structure. Each elderberry leaf consists of 5-7 leaflets, which have a pointed ovoid shape.
Fluffy, creamy-white elderberry flowers are collected in large inflorescences. The fruits of the plant are drupes of black and purple color. Flowering of the plant begins in May and lasts until July. The fruits ripen by early autumn.
Where does elderberry grow?
Elderberry grows in subtropical and temperate zones peace. The only place where you can’t find her is South and Central Africa. Elderberry grows in places where nettles are common, where there is a lot of quinoa, and also landfills are an excellent place for elderberry. At the edge of the forest or in the meadows you can also see this poisonous, but at the same time, medicinal plant. Elderberry smells unpleasant, which is why animals do not approach it.
Rarely, but still, elderberry is found in mixed and coniferous forests. Some people plant elderberries specifically in their parks and gardens.
Elderberry propagation
Elderberry is propagated in 3 ways: seeds, layering and cuttings. In the fall, seeds are sown and by spring they are already germinating. A year later, the seedlings are quietly planted on permanent place. Propagation by seeds is suitable only for species plants.
In order to get new bushes of your favorite plant species, you need to summer period cut and root the green cuttings of the plant. Before doing this, be sure to treat the cuttings with a substance that stimulates root formation.
Undoubtedly the most The best way elderberry propagation - propagation using layering. With this method, they do the following: new shoots are bent down, and then they need to be laid in the grooves. After a year, these shoots should be separated from the mother plant.
When the time comes to plant elderberries, you need to be careful. For example, there is no need to deepen the root collar of a seedling. Root collar needs to be seated at ground level. Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the soil, for which you need to mix peat (1 part), sand (1 part), turf soil (2 parts) and humus (2 parts).
Elder flowers
Black elderberry flowers are considered very valuable. The flowers contain the following substances: essential oils, choline, rutin, malic acid, valeric acid, and caffeic acid. Elderberry flowers are used to prepare infusions and decoctions, which have diaphoretic and antibacterial properties on human body. That is why medicines from elder flowers are used for colds, flu, illness respiratory tract and with sore throat.
Elder flower infusion. To prepare it, you need to pour 1 tablespoon of flowers with 200 ml of boiling water. Place this mixture on low heat for a quarter of an hour to simmer. Then cool, squeeze and eat hot. One-time dose of infusion – 100 ml, daily, 2-3 times before meals. This infusion is great for rheumatism, arthritis and gout.
Beneficial properties of elderberry
Elderberry inflorescences contain many useful substances, namely: organic acids, semi-solid essential oil, choline, carotene, tannins and paraffin-like substances, sambunigrin glycoside and sugars.
Elderberries are rich in ascorbic acid, resins, glucose, free acids, tyrosine and coloring matter.
Fresh elderberry leaves are also very valuable. They contain aldehydes, tannins, alkaloids, essential oil and vitamins C and B. The leaves of this plant have a laxative and diuretic property. Young leaves have restorative properties. Steamed elderberry leaves are used for inflammation, diaper rash, furunculosis and burns.
In addition, elderberry bark also has beneficial properties. A decoction prepared on its basis helps with kidney disease and skin disease. The same decoction is used in the form of lotions for taking baths for arthritis and rheumatism.
Use of elderberry in folk medicine
IN folk medicine Elderberry is used to treat various diseases.
Elderberry has an antimycotic effect on the human body. A decoction of the plant's bark is used as a laxative and diuretic in the treatment of kidney disease, diabetes and neoplasms.
A decoction of the leaves is taken internally for gout and diabetes, and externally (for skin diseases, tumors, colic and hemorrhoids).
A decoction of elderberry flowers is used as a diuretic for myocardium and heart disease. Decoctions of flowers are used in the form of drops and inhalation for sinusitis, rhinitis and respiratory diseases.
Elderberry infusion. You need to take 10 grams of dry fruits and leave for 2 hours in one glass of boiling water (chilled). After which you need to strain the infusion. You need to take this infusion 150-200 ml once daily. This infusion helps with constipation.
Elderberry bark infusion. Take 5-8 grams of bark and pour a glass of boiling water over them. Leave the infusion in a thermos for 5-6 hours. Strain. Take this infusion for swelling or inflammation of the kidneys, half a glass 5-6 times a day.
Infusion of herbs with elderberry. To prepare it you will need elderberry, sage, and mallow flowers (20 grams each). Mix all ingredients. Take 20 grams of this mixture and pour a glass of boiling water over it and leave to infuse. Strain. Use this infusion for rinsing oral cavity and throat with inflammation of the mucous membrane.
Elder flower infusion. It is used to wipe and wash the face. You need to take a handful of black elderberry flowers and infuse them in 500 ml of boiling water for 20 minutes.
Elderberry decoction. You need to take 30 grams of berries and pour one liter of boiling water over them. Next put on low heat for 10 minutes. Then remove and leave for 45 minutes. Of course, we filter it. It is used for neoplasms or diabetes.
Elderberry root decoction. Take 30 grams of black elderberry roots and boil them in 500 ml of water. Take warm, douching for cervicitis, colpitis and other inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs. You need to do douching when 2 days have passed after menstruation. Treatment should be stopped 2 days before the start of menstruation. Continue treatment after menstruation until complete recovery.
Elderberry juice
For juice, take flowers or ripened elderberry fruits. The raw materials need to be squeezed out - the juice is ready. You should take this juice for nerve pain and rheumatism. The dosage depends on the tolerance of elderberry juice by the human body; it can be 30-200 ml. But, before taking the juice, it must be mixed with the same amount of honey. Take elderberry juice half an hour before meals.
Elderberry contraindications
During pregnancy, it is better not to take elderberry at all, or to take it, but under the supervision of a doctor. If the child is under 12 years old, then elderberry should be treated with caution. Strictly follow the dosage. If the dosage is exceeded, it will lead to vomiting and nausea. Considering the fact that elderberry medicines have a diuretic and laxative effect, they should not be taken by diabetics and ulcer sufferers.
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Legends were made about the black elderberry and it was not in vain. A few centuries ago, the beneficial properties of this plant were known.
Our ancestors were confident that black elderberry gives people health and longevity.
In the Middle Ages, the elderberry was called the “witch bush”; people believed that evil spirits found refuge on its branches.
Elderberry is considered a close relative of honeysuckle. On this perennial shrub small ones grow fragrant berries black or dark purple. The red berry still grows in nature, but it is not used by humans for any purpose because it is poisonous.
Modern herbalists and herbalists in the treatment of many diseases prefer this shrub for its healing power and a rich composition of vitamins and minerals.
Throughout Russia, the shrub began its spread into the interior of the country from the young regions. IN southern regions the bush can reach a height of up to 10 meters, and in the central and northern regions no more than 3.5 - 4 meters.
Elderberry is pretty unpretentious plant, so its habitat is quite wide: from New Zealand to the Caucasus. The bush can propagate in several ways: using cuttings, seeds and layering. If you leave a broken twig on the ground, after a few years a young bush will grow in this place.
In order to obtain high-quality raw materials for medicinal needs, you need to properly collect and know how to dry elderberry.
The inflorescences are large, umbrella-shaped, and have a specific aroma, yellowish-white color. All parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes, but the inflorescences and fruits are most often used. Flowers are collected only after they have fully bloomed, and they need to be picked in whole inflorescences.
This should be done on a sunny and dry day after lunch, when the dew has disappeared, but flowers are dried only in places without direct access sun rays(in the shadow). The berries ripen in the fall (late September) and are harvested at this time.
Dried elderberry flowers are suitable for use for 2–3 years, while the berries are stored without losing their medicinal properties for 5–6 months.
Many useful substances are contained in the inflorescences: these are several organic acids, essential oils, tannins, carotene, choline and much more. They are harvested without leaves and rough petioles. This should be done at the end of spring.
The roots need to be dug up in late autumn. They are washed, cleaned, dried and ground to a powder. The shelf life of the dry product is about 5 years. Store the substance in a linen bag in a dry, well-ventilated area. At high humidity the product will quickly deteriorate and lose its medicinal qualities.
Ripe berries contain a large amount of ascorbic acid, glucose, carotene, fructose, coloring matter and free acids. Unripe fruits contain toxic substances.
IN fresh leaves contains carotene, vitamin C, A, essential oils, tannin, aldehydes.
The bark of the bush contains essential oils, choline, phytosterols.
IN traditional medicine most often they use inflorescences and berries, bark, seeds and roots - much less often.
Medicinal properties
- Inflorescences. They are endowed with anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic and antibacterial properties. They are used as a diaphoretic and laxative. Elderberry flowers are successfully used to treat colds. Decoctions are used to gargle. Also, infusions from black elderberry inflorescences help with arthritis and rheumatism. Phytoncides contained in inflorescences “kill” harmful bacteria.
- Berries They are used only in dried form; fresh fruits are poisonous, and when boiled and dried, the poison tends to be destroyed. With the help of berries, hepatitis and peptic ulcers are not cured. acute stage, malaria and neuralgia. Their use in complex therapy of certain oncological diseases is possible. The vitamins contained in the fruit activate the growth and reproduction of healthy cells. And biologically active components prevent the development of pathogenic cocci. If you eat several ripe fruits a day, after a few months the blood vessels will cleanse and become more elastic.
- Leaves used as a binder, diuretic and antipyretic. Some use them as a sedative and diaphoretic. A decoction of the leaves is recommended to drink for general strengthening of the body. Clean elderberry leaves steamed in milk can be applied to burns and diaper rash, bruises, skin inflammations and even boils.
- Koru used in the combined treatment of various kidney diseases, it helps with dropsy, edema and urethritis. It is used to treat gout, rheumatism, arthritis, diseases skin. A decoction from the bark of the bush activates metabolic processes and significantly increases the body's defenses.
- With the help of black elderberry, they increase immunity and improve blood composition.
- Infusions from berries and inflorescences are used as a prophylactic against rectal cancer and prostatitis.
Nutritional value and calorie content
Nutritional value per 100 grams of product:
- 0.65 grams – proteins;
- 0.5 grams – fats;
- 11.5 grams – carbohydrates;
- 0.65 grams – ash;
- 79.8 grams – water.
The calorie content of elderberry is quite low - 73 Kcal, so it cannot cause excess weight. Since the product is low-calorie, it can be consumed by people who are overweight.
Harm and contraindications
Be careful! Elderberry has contraindications for use.
Do not forget the fact that this plant is slightly toxic. Therefore, you should not use drugs based on it thoughtlessly. This rule cannot be ignored; under other circumstances, you can cause irreversible complications to your health.
- women who are expecting the birth of a child and nursing mothers;
- patients who have been diagnosed with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and ulcerative colitis;
- people who have a disease such as diabetes insipidus;
- age up to 12 years. It is strictly forbidden to give decoctions or infusions of elderberry to young children.
If you have even the slightest doubt regarding certain other medical conditions, consult your doctor before taking elderberry-based medications.
Methods of use in folk medicine
- Colds. To treat them, you need to prepare the following decoction of elderberry flowers: take 1 tablespoon of the raw material. We place it in enamel dishes and pour a glass of boiling water. Then put it on the stove and bring to a boil, turn the heat to minimum and thus let the mixture simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes. After the brew has cooled, filter it and take 3-4 times a day, ½ cup before each meal.
- Treatment of chronic constipation. We take the young leaves of the plant and boil them in honey. The resulting medicine is taken orally, 1 tablespoon 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening before bed.
- Kidney diseases and skin ailments. To treat these diseases, you need to make a decoction from the bark of the bush. Take a few tablespoons of crushed elderberry bark and pour boiling water over it. Let it brew for several hours. Baths from the prepared decoction help with rheumatism and arthritis.
- A powder is made from the roots and bark, which is used for treatment. weeping ulcers, purulent wounds and burns.
- The leaves of the plant are used. We take 8 - 10 young leaves and place them in clean dishes and pour a glass of boiling water. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of sage there. Let it sit for 1 hour. Take half a glass orally every day for a month.
- Sore joints can be cured by applying a compress dipped in a medicine made from chamomile and elderberry flowers.
- At strong and insomnia A bandage is placed on the head, previously soaked in an infusion of black elderberry roots and flowers.
- At menopause A decoction of flowers is prescribed.
- A decoction of leaves and bark is taken at night as a laxative.
- For the treatment of cancerous tumors They use an extract from black elderberry berries. Wine extract prepared from ripe fruits should be taken orally. It helps well with skin cancer, and jam and jam - with stomach cancer.
- For vitamin deficiency, osteochondrosis and weakened immunity prepare the following remedy: take ripe berries (1 kg), place them in a clean enamel pan and fill them with sugar (1 kg). Leave for a day in a cool room. Strain the resulting syrup and store it in a dark glass bottle in a refrigerator. Adult patients take 1 dessert spoon before meals. The treatment course is 1.5 – 2 months.
- Women's diseases such as cervical erosion, cervicitis and colpitis treated with a decoction prepared in this way: take 1 tablespoon of elderberry bark powder and boil it in 500 ml of water for 10 minutes. After the broth has cooled, filter it and use it for douching. The procedure can be performed until the symptoms of the disease completely disappear (douching cannot be done on critical days).
Traditional methods and remedies are effective only if you do not violate the recommended dosage.
In any case, do not forget about qualified medical care, without which treatment may not be complete and effective.
Black elderberry is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Adoxaceae family. It is popularly called elderflower, elderberry, wasteland, sambuc, and squeegee. There is an opinion that the Latin name of the plant “sambucus” is directly related to sambucus - oriental musical instrument made from its wood. The Greeks and Romans grew it for medical use Moreover, they considered him sacred plant, which guards their home. In this article we will look at what elderberry is, learn about its beneficial properties, and also figure out how to use it.
In the Middle Ages, it was already used for medicinal purposes, in addition to hair. The Slavs believed that it should not be brought into the house or burned, and that lightning would not strike it. At the same time, Germany had its own opinion about what elderberry was. There they believed that this was a plant useful for witches. Anyone who cuts it down will fall into their power. Due to this, it was believed that a person who grows this plant near his house brings various troubles on his own head.
Description
So what is elderberry? This is a low tree or shrub with a trunk whose diameter reaches 30 cm, with fissured, ash-brown bark, with a rounded crown, with a huge amount lentils yellow color located on still young branches. The plant lives about 60 years.
Elderberry has branched stems, with a white porous soft core and a woody thin shell. Its leaves are large, odd-pinnate, opposite, dark green, up to 30 cm long, and consist of several oblong-ovate pointed leaves. They are matte green above and grayish green below. Stipules appear on the leaves in the spring and then fall off.
Elderberry flowers are yellowish-white, fragrant, small, five-petaled, with a fused-petaled spicate corolla. They are collected in flat apical large corymbose panicles, reaching 20 cm in diameter. Sessile marginal flowers; all others have pedicels.
Elderberry grows in Madeira and the Azores, Tunisia and Algeria, North America, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltic States, Belarus, Russia, New Zealand.
Blank
So, we have learned what elderberry is, now let’s find out how it is prepared for subsequent use. Flowers, fruits, young branches, leaves, roots and bark of the plant are used in traditional medicine. Blooming ones are cut off in dry weather in May with whole inflorescences (before shedding, during the flowering period), placed loosely in baskets, since crumpled inflorescences darken when dried. At the same time, in plastic bag the flowers turn brown, becoming very bad smell. This raw material is not suitable for drying. Then the inflorescences are folded up with branches on a layer of paper or fabric or hung above the paper or fabric (where the flowers will fall) in a ventilated place, in the shade.
When harvesting, black elderberry berries are cut in whole bunches, ripened in August. Unripe fruits are poisonous, while ripe ones are edible and quite safe, although they can only be consumed after cooking or drying. Dry by hanging in ventilated places.
For making juices or jam, black elderberry, medicinal properties which are described in this article, breaks off right before processing. Wash it with whole inflorescences, otherwise the juice flows out easily. Picked berries should not be stored unprocessed for more than two days, as they quickly become moldy. It is advisable to make the juice in a juicer; the seeds remain intact. After receiving it, the remains must be rubbed through a sieve, thus removing the numerous poisonous seeds.
In the spring, the bark is removed from two-year-old branches before sap flow begins. It is thoroughly cleaned of glands, separated from the core, and then dried in ovens and dryers. Store for no more than 3 years. Leaves are collected in spring. The roots of the plant are harvested in November, dried, and then ground into powder.
Compound
The flowers of the plant contain essential semi-solid oil, glycosides, flavonoids (quercetin, rutin), choline; coniine and sanguinarine alkaloids; ethyl isobutyl, carotene, organic acids: ascorbic, acetic, caffeic, valeric, malic, chlorogenic; paraffin-like, tannins and mucous substances, amines (isobutylamine, ethylamine, isoamylamine), sugars, pentosans, mineral salts, resins.
Black elderberry berries contain ascorbic and malic acids, rutin, carotene, B vitamins, chrysanthemum, sambucin, sugars (glucose, fructose), tannins, amino acids, organic acids, resins, pectins, anthocyanin dyes, traces of essential oils. Unripe fruits and leaves contain the glycoside sambunigrin, which breaks down into benzaldehyde, glucose and hydrocyanic acid.
Elderberry, whose properties have been actively used in folk medicine for many years, contains sambunigrin and fatty oil in its seeds. The leaves contain hexene and glycol aldehydes, traces of alkaloids, tannins, carotene, and ascorbic acid. The roots contain bitter and tannin substances, as well as saponins. Dry raw materials contain resins, sambunigrin, essential oil. The bark contains choline, betulin, triterpene compounds, essential oil, methyl ester, phytosterols, ceryl alcohol, organic acids, sugars, pectin and tannins.
Use in medicine
Black elderberry has very wide medicinal properties. It is used as a tonic, analgesic, antipyretic, antiviral, antifungal, expectorant, anthelmintic, sedative, astringent; with ascites; for better metabolism; for swelling, women's diseases, menopause; diabetes mellitus; headache; hepatitis; stomach ulcer; arthritis, polyarthritis; malaria; bronchitis; skin pigmentation disorders; skin diseases; blepharitis, conjunctivitis; hydrophobia; depression.
Use in cooking
Elderberry berries are used to make jam, marmalade, compotes, and jelly. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, syrup is prepared from the flowers of the plant. Periodically, the juice or young inflorescences of its fruits are added to the grape must to improve the aroma and taste of the drink. Harmless dyes, violet and red, are obtained from ripe berries, which are used in the food industry.
Use in other areas
Elderberry is an ornamental plant, it is often grown in parks and gardens. It is notable for its ornamental foliage, elegant fruits, and lacy inflorescences. The wood of the plant is used in turning; branches are suitable for protecting granaries from weevils, they are also used as an insecticide for bedbugs, gooseberry moth, blackcurrant mite.
Besides, this plant repels rats and mice, therefore, elderberry is planted around cellars, barns, sheds. The flowers are used in veterinary medicine for rheumatism and colds in horses and cattle. The juice of its fruits dyes wool and silk in different colors. They are also cleansed with the fruits of this plant.
Infusion of flowers
Black elderberry has very diverse medicinal properties. It is used to prepare medicinal infusion. To do this, pour 1 spoon into a glass hot water. Infuse the remedy for 20 minutes in a closed saucepan, strain, drink hot at night as a diaphoretic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, choleretic, diuretic; for various colds (runny nose, cough, laryngitis, sore throat) and flu, as well as for diseases of the bladder, kidneys, edema, gout, rheumatism and neuralgia, skin rashes, hemorrhoids.
Fruit infusion
Take dried elderberries (10 g), pour them into a glass of chilled boiled water for 2 hours. Drink a glass once a day.
Infusion of bark
6 g of bark are infused in 500 ml of boiling water for 5 hours in a thermos. Use 5 times a day for edema, diseases of the bladder, kidneys, diabetes, dropsy.
Flower infusion: elderberry flowers
A spoonful of dried flowers is poured into a glass of water, heated in a steam bath under a lid for 15 minutes, and filtered. The volume is brought to the initial volume with boiled water. Drink warm before meals, a third of a glass twice a day for articular rheumatism, gout and arthritis, bronchial asthma and colds. The resulting product should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It is used in the form of lotions or poultices for burns, diaper rash, boils, and also as a gargle for inflammation of the mouth and throat.
Leaf decoction
Pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of leaves, boil for 5 minutes and leave until the product has cooled completely. Take 1 spoon three times a day for diabetes, rheumatism, ascites, gout, edema, etc.
Fruit decoction
1 spoon of fruit is boiled for 5 minutes in a glass of water in a steam bath. Leave for another 5 minutes, then filter. Drink as a diuretic, pain reliever, and also regulate metabolism.
Root decoction
A spoonful of crushed roots should be poured with a glass of water and heated for half an hour in a steam bath. After it has cooled, you need to strain and add to the initial volume of boiled water. warm water. Drink if you have diabetes.
Elderberry juice
You will need ripe black elderberry. The use of juice from it is indicated for cancer. The berries are placed in layers in three liter jar, alternating them with the same thickness of sugar. Fill the jar to the top. Infuse the product for a month. Drink the released juice three times a day, 1 spoon. During the treatment period, drink 150 ml of distilled water before meals.
Syrup
On an empty stomach, drink a glass of cold boiled water. Then drink a dessert spoon of the finished syrup. This remedy will help with mastopathy. Use the syrup twice a day at the same time. Drink until the syrup runs out in the jar. Treatment should be carried out for one and a half months, then repeated after another month. Three such courses are required per year.
Juice with alcohol
Harvested ripe medicinal elderberry does push-ups. You should get 250 ml of finished juice. It is mixed with the same amount of alcohol. Use incrementally three times a day from 1 to 40 drops, then vice versa. The product should be washed down with milk. If mastopathy does not go away, repeat the course of treatment after 3 weeks.
Sweatshop tax
Mix 2 tablespoons each of elderberry flowers, cordifolia linden flowers and high mullein thoroughly. Pour the mixture (2 tablespoons from the mixture) with a glass of hot water, leave for half an hour, then strain. Add water to a glass. Drink the product hot in 3 doses.
Bath from infusion of leaves and roots
Pour a liter of boiling water over 30 g of a mixture of ground elderberry roots and dry leaves, leave for 2 hours. The finished infusion is filtered and then poured into a bathtub filled with water. Treatment includes 10 daily procedures. You need to take a bath for 15 minutes before going to bed.
Leaves poultice
Boil 2 tablespoons of plant leaves in milk, then wrap them in gauze. Used externally for burns, boils, hemorrhoids and diaper rash.
Chamomile and elderflower poultices
You will need elderberry (recipes from it are given in this article) and chamomile. IN equal parts mix these herbs. Wrap them in gauze and then pour them over hot water and for rheumatism and gout, apply warm dressings.
When treating acne that occurs on the face, a thin layer of squeezed fresh fruits of this plant is applied to the skin.
Flower lotion
You will need a handful of elderflower flowers. They need to be poured with boiling water (half a liter) and left for 20 minutes. The resulting product must be filtered and stored in the refrigerator. Apply every day to the face in the morning and evening. This lotion perfectly rejuvenates and tones the skin.
Contraindications
Black elderberry, the properties of which were described in detail in the article above, is poisonous plant. All its parts are poisonous, except for the shell and pulp of flowers and ripe berries. When treating, it is necessary to remember that it is prohibited to eat the fruits of the plant in large quantities. Doses of drugs should not be increased, as this may lead to various side effects: diarrhea, vomiting, frequent urination, etc. Its bark and roots can cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa in large doses.
You cannot take black elderberry preparations for enterocolitis (nonspecific ulcerative colitis), in addition, for chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Her drugs are also contraindicated in children under 12 years of age, during pregnancy, individual intolerance, and feeding.
It is not always possible to distinguish black elderberry from red (more poisonous) elderberry. Therefore, if you are not completely sure that you are consuming the black variety, do not use the berries so that you do not experience severe poisoning.