Sambucus canadenses, Sambucus nigra
a.k.a. Black Elderberry, Blue Elderberry, North American Elder, European Elder
Back in 400 B.C.E, Hippocrates called elder his “medicine chest.” Since then, it’s donned the moniker the “country people’s medicine chest” with good reason. Elder’s skill at tending gateways is more than folklore. Elder keeps viruses at bay by blocking them from entering our cells. All flu viruses have trouble with elderberry’s blockades. The symptoms of flus like coughs, sore throats, and sinus congestion melt under this herb’s attention.
Elder is a graceful shrub with elegant arching branches, vibrant green leaves, and white sprays of flowers that turn into irresistible berries at the end of summer. Elder is native to Europe and North America. Europeans call their black elder Sambucus nigra while North American black elder is Sambucus canadenses. Both species share the same nutritional make-up and medicinal constituents. Blue elder, also known as Sambucus cerulea, is used interchangeably with both species of black elder by many to good effect. The flowers of all species are equally healthful and share similar medicinal qualities. There is even a red elder, Sambucus racemosa, which we won’t cover in-depth here and is often labeled highly toxic although cooking the berries destroys their toxicity and red elderflowers are just as safe to use as those of its blue and black elder cousins. Black and blue elderberries, in my opinion, taste the sweetest.
This second edition is expanded from our first, with more information and new images in each chapter. We’ve added a few new recipes to help you get started as well.
Here you’ll find all you need to add Elder to your herbal practice. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of getting to know and love Elder. Start with the perspective that most engages you, then add to your knowledge by exploring further.