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Elder flower (common elder)
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Family |
Caprifoliaceae |
Genus and specie |
Sambucus nigra L. |
American elder , sweet elder and common elder.
Elder is a large deciduous shrub with corky, gray-brown bark with feathery leaves. Tiny, scented cream flowers are borne in summer, followed by black berries.
The flowers are mainly used, although the leaves, fruit, bark and roots are also used.
Elder is a bitter, pungent, cooling herb. The flowers and fruits are used to lower fever, reduce inflammation, soothe irritation and have a diuretic and anti-mucus effect, while the leaves are insecticidal.
Both the flowers and leaves contain rutin, isoquercitrin and hyperoside, while the flowers also contain chlorogenic acid, organic acids and triterpenoids, such as a-amyrin and b-amyrin, and the fruits contain tannins and anthocyanins such as sambucin, sambucyanin, chrysanthemin and all the glycosides of cyanidin. The seeds on the other hand contain cyanogenic glycosides such as sambunigrin, prunasin and holocalin, while the fruit contains lectins.
The flowers have diuretic, laxative, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, while the fruits again have antioxidant properties.
The leaves and raw berries contain toxic cyanogenic glycosides and are poisonous. Care must be taken when using this plant for herbal remedies.
None.
To promote the interest and use of herbs and natural complementary health alternatives, we have included information on the following herbs.
Please note - although we discuss a wide variety of herbs, not all of them are used or sold by us. | |
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