ELDERBERRY

Folklore:

The Elder Tree was supposed to ward off evil influence and give protection from witches, a popular belief held in some cultures. If an elder tree was cut down, a spirit known as the Elder Mother would be released and take her revenge. The tree could only safely be cut while chanting a rhyme to the Elder Mother.

General Information

Latin Name:
Sambucus nigra
Common Names:
Elderberry, Black Elderberry, North American Elderberry
Properties:
antioxidant, diaphoretic, diuretic, laxative, immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory
Uses:
Immune system boost, coughs, colds, flu, bacterial infections, viral infections, tonsillitis, lower cholesterol, improved vision and heart health.
Indicated for:
Cancer, HIV, asthma and bronchitis, reduce inflammation of the urinary tract and bladder.

Parts used: White flowers of the elderberry bush have been used in many things; pressed into tonics, brewed into wines and champagne, lightly battered and fried into fritters, or stirred into muffin or sponge cake mix for a light, sweet flavor.

Ripe berries cleaned and cooked, can be made into many things: extracts, syrups, pies, jams, or used as garnish, dye or flavoring. The leaves, twigs, stems, roots and unripe berries of all elderberry plants are not edible, and contain toxins that can make a person quite sick. Ripe berries and flowers only!

Harvest: elderberry fruit: in late August through early September, depending on the cultivar. When ripe, the entire cluster should be -removed and the berries stripped from the cluster for use. Uncooked berries have a dark purple juice and are astringent and inedible. Use the fruit as soon as possible or keep it at a cool temperature for later use. It is difficult to transport elderberries because the fruits fall off the cluster during transit.

elderberry flower:Elderberries bloom from mid-to-late June through August. The individual white flowers are about 1/4" in width and they are quite fragrant. The flowers grow in large round, almost umbrella-like clusters, which are from 4 to 10 inches across.

My thoughts

Elderberries are popular for their unusual taste in pies, jellies, and jams. They are occasionally used in wine making. The plants are very hardy (usually to Zone 4 but some kinds to Zone 3), and because they flower in late June, the crop is seldom damaged by late spring frost.

They are attractive and easy to grow, and are great in landscape plantings. Elderberries contain more phosphorus and potassium than any other temperate fruit crop. The fruit is also rich in vitamin C.

Used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsillitis. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995. This event led to a study that showed that the elderberry extract reduced both the severity of flu symptoms and also the duration of flu from 2-3 days in the treated group versus 6 days in the placebo group. This is because elderberry inhibits neuraminidase, the enzyme used by the virus to spread infection to host cells. That's very impressive,

Elderberry works PRIMARILY in a very similar fashion to Tamiflu (both suppress/prevent viral replication, although by different mechanisms), I believe it's as effective as anything we have available. Elderberry stimulates the NON-inflammatory cytokines, so even if you took it after you'd developed a high viral load (not something I suggest- this is one of the main reasons it's important to take it EARLY and OFTEN... as soon as you suspect you might be developing influenza) it's unlikely to *cause* a cytokine storm.

You can use dried Elderberries in place of fresh during the winter months . When would use half as much when substituting them for fresh in a recipe.Below is Rosemary Gladstar's recipe with a few tweaks from me.

Elderberry Syrup:

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries

1 3inch piece of fresh ginger

2 limes

1tsp cinnamom

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

3 cups of water

1 cup honey

Method:

1. Put the berries,ginger,limes(juice and then place the juice and peel in the pot), cinnamon,cloves. in a medium sized nonreactive sauce pan and cover them with the water. Bring the water and berries to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Smash the berries and then strain them out. (I use butter muslin over a strainer and then squeeze the muslin to get all the juices I can out of the berries.)

3. Add the honey and stir well.

4. When the syrup has cooled put it into bottles (or jars- but bottles will make for easier pouring), label, and store in the refrigerator. The syrup will keep for 2 to 3 months.

You can freeze any extra elderberries to make additional batches of the syrup as you need it.