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Characteristics:

• Red elderberry is a shrub to small tree, up to 6 m tall, with soft, pithy twigs and dark, reddish-brown bark.
• The foliage has a strong, charactersitic odour.
• Leaves are opposite, deciduous, large, and divided into 5 to 7 leaflets which are lance-shaped, pointed, sharply toothed, and somewhat hairy beneath.
• The flowers are white to creamy, small and numerous in a rounded or pyramidal parasol-like cluster, and are highly scented.
• The berries are bright red drupes containing 3 to 5 smooth seeds. They are generally not considered palatable when raw.

Habitat:

• Red elderberry is found in N. America, ranging from British Columbia to Newfoundland in the north, and south to Georgia, Iowa, Colorado and California.
• It grows in moist to wet soils along streams, and in woods and open areas from valleys to around 3,000 metres.

Parts Used:

• The medicinal parts are the bark peeled from the branches in spring and freed from the cork, the fresh and airdried flowers, the fresh and dried leaves, the fresh and dried ripe fruit, the dried roots, and the fresh leaves and inflorescences in equal parts.
• A toxin - hydrocyanic acid - is strongest in leaves, roots and bark as well as some in the seeds.

Collection and Harvesting:

• Elders flower in late spring, timing depends on the year and your location. The flowers(stems removed) can be used fresh or can be dried for later use in teas.
• Berries can be harvested around the end of June. Stems are removed, the berries are cooked, and the seeds removed. The juice is suitable for making jelly, fruit leather, or wine.

Constituents:

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  5,7,3',4'-Tetra-O-methylquercetin

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  Dihydromyricetin

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  Isoquercitrin 4''-rhamnoside

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Actions:

• One of the main medicinal benefits of red elderberry are its antiviral qualities. Bioflavenoids in the extracts of elderberry may prevent viruses from entering cells.
• The berry extracts have long been recommended for flu. Elderberry extracts inhibit Human Influenza A (H1N1) infection in vitro. Both 5,7,3',4'-tetra-O-methylquercetin and dihydromyricetin are antiviral.
• Betulin, found in the bark, is anticarcinomic, antifeedant, antiflu, antiHIV, antiinflammatory, antitumor, antiviral, aphidifuge, cytotoxic, hypolipemic, a prostaglandin-synthesis-inhibitor, and a topoisomerase-II-inhibitor.
• Betulinic acid, also found in the bark, is anthelmintic, antiHIV, antibacterial, anticancer, anticarcinomic, antiedemic, antiinflammatory, antileukemic, antimalarial, antimelanomic, antinociceptive, antiplasmodial, antitumor, antiviral, apoptotic, cytotoxic, a phospholipase-A2-inhibitor, and a prostaglandin-synthesis-inhibitor.
• Elderflowers contain flavonoids composed mainly of flavonol glycosides (astragalin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, and rutin) and free aglycones (quercetin and kaempferol); phenolic compounds (chlorogenic acid); triterpenes including α- and β-amyrin; and triterpene acids (ursolic and oleanolic acids) among other constituents.
• Red elderberry bark and roots are reported to contain the triterpenoid ursolic acid. Ursolic acid is reported to be antidiabetic and hypoglycemic, antinflammatory, antileukemic, diuretic, hepatoprotective, to have antitumor properties and be a cancer preventative, to be a central nervous system depressant, to be cytotoxic, and a piscicide.

Indications:

• Elderberry has been used to treat respiratory problems (colds, flu, coughs, tonsillitis, etc.).
• Traditionally, red elderberry has been has been used by First Nations as follows:
  • The leaves, stems and the roots are anodyne, carminative and vulnerary.
  • A decoction is used in the treatment traumatic injuries, fractures, rheumatoid arthralgia, gas pains, acute and chronic nephritis.
  • The fruit is depurative and laxative.
  • The leaves are diuretic, resolvent and sudorific. They are used externally to soothe abscesses and boils.
  • The root, and the oil from the seed, are emetic and purgative. An infusion of the root is used to treat stomach pains. The roots can be rubbed on the skin to treat aching and tired muscles.

Combinations:

• This combination of herbs will help the body perspire, which will help lower a fever. The tea can also be used to treat allergies, hay fever, and sinus congestion.
  • 1 part elder flower
  • 1 part peppermint leaf
  • 1 part yarrow flower and leaf
• To make the tea blend: Prepare an infusion of the herbs, and let the herbs steep for 45 minutes, to make a very strong brew.
• To use: Sip throughout the day as needed.

Preparation and Dosage:

• Infusion:
  • Preparation: To prepare an infusion, brew 2 teaspoonfuls (3 to 4 g) of elder flowers in 150 ml of boiling water and strain after 5 minutes.
  • Daily dosage of flower infusion: The average daily dose of the drug is 10 to 15 g. The infusion (tea) should be freshly prepared and drunk in doses of 1 to 2 cups several times — especially in the afternoon and evening.
• Tincture, fresh flower, 1:2.
  • Dosage: 30–90 drops up to 3x daily.
• Tincture, fresh leaf, 1:2.
  • Dosage: 10 drops, not more than once per hour (good nervine).
• Tincture, dried berry, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol.
  • Dosage: 20–40 drops up to 3x daily. If nausea occurs back off on the dose.
• Liquid extract 2–4mL (1 : 1 in 25% alcohol) three times daily.

Contraindications:

• Plant parts other than the flowers are reported to be poisonous and should not be ingested.
• There is limited evidence from preclinical studies that elder has a diuretic effect; the clinical relevance of this, if any, is unclear
• The safety of elder taken during pregnancy has not been established. In view of the lack of toxicity data, the use of elder during pregnancy and lactation should be avoided.

Drug Interactions:

• None documented. However, the potential for preparations of elder to interact with other medicines administered concurrently, particularly those with similar or opposing effects, should be considered.

History and Origin:

• Elderberry has been used historically to treat respiratory problems(colds, flu, coughs, tonsillitis, etc.).

Ethnobotany:

• Red elder was widely employed medicinally by various native North American Indian tribes, who used it to treat a range of complaints, but especially as an emetic and purgative to cleanse the system. It is little used in modern herbalism.
• The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, but is reported to have a bitter flavour. The fruit is quite nutritious, having a relatively high fat and protein as well as carbohydrate content. The fruit can be dried prior to use, and will then lose some of its rank taste. The fruit is about 5 mm in diameter and is borne in large clusters making it easy to harvest. Is is generally recommended to cook the berries, as the raw berries may cause nausea. The stems and seeds are discarded after cooking.
• Red elderberries were eaten widely by British Columbia First Peoples. Clusters of berries were gathered in July and August. Berries were detached back at camp and cooked overnight in steaming pits or boiled in redcedar boxes. Berries were placed over fires on skunk cabbage leaves and dried into cakes for later use. To improve the flavour, red elderberries were mixed with other kinds of berries..
• In modern times, the berries can be used to make an excellent, tangy jelly, and some people make wine from them, although they should always be cooked for this purpose.
• The leaves and stems of some, if not all, members of this genus are poisonous. The fruit of many species has been known to cause stomach upsets to some people. Any toxin the fruit might contain is liable to be of very low toxicity and is destroyed when the fruit is cooked. NC State University has noted that cyanogenic glycosides and alkaloids in the leaves and stems can cause low toxity if eaten.
• The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked.
• The root is made into a tea-like beverage.

Growing Information:

• The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame, where it should germinate in early spring. Stored seed can be sown in the spring in a cold frame but will probably germinate better if it is given 2 months warm followed by 2 months cold stratification first.
• Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle.
• If good growth is made, the young plants can be placed in their permanent positions during the early summer. Otherwise, either put them in a sheltered nursery bed, or keep them in their pots in a sheltered position and plant them out in spring of the following year.

Personal Impressions and Experiences:

• Elderflower syrup: I add 2 cups of elderflower blossoms, with the stems removed, to 4 cups of water, 4 cups of sugar, and 6 tablespoons of lemon juice in a pot, bring the mixture to a boil, then cool it and strain out the flowers. Two tablespoons of this syrup in a glass of cool water creates a refreshing drink that tastes both like grapefruit juice and the sweet fragrant smell of the flowers at the same time.

Historical Botanical Illustrations:

Sambucus racemosa subsp. pubens var. pubens L.