Elder

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The Elder (Sambucus nigra) or Black Elder, Pipe Tree, Bour Tree, Hylder or Eldrum has many healing virtues. You should never burn or cut an Elder without the permission of the Hylde-Moer, the Elder tree Mother, if not all sorts of unfortunate things will happen to you. This shrub, as it is not officially a tree, is found wild throughout Europe.

Since Saxon times it was a great favourite for the treatment of colds and influenza and its wood has been used for pipes and flutes. It is an alternative and diuretic. Elderberry wine is safe soporific and induces healthy sleep. According to Nicholas Culpepper (1653) you could use a decoction of the racine to heal vipers bite.

The delicate creamy-white five petaled flowers of the Elder are collected in early and dried in the shade. These contain flavonoids, including rutin, isoquercitrine and kampherol; silica, amines, mineral salts; the hydrocyanic glycoside sambunigrine; tannins; essential oil. The flowers are a diaphoretic and anti-catarrhal. The berries collected in the autumn contain invert sugar; acids; tannin; vitamin B,C and P; anthrocyanic pigments; traces of essential oils. These are diaphoretic, diuretic and a laxative. The leaves are used externally as an emollient and vulnerary, and internally as purgative, expectorant, diurectic and diaphoretic. The bark (secong layer green bark on the bark on the outside) is purgative, emetic and diuretic.

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Elder Rob

5 parts ripe berries and 1 part sugar boiled, with a gentle heat, to the consistence of thick syrup. Dose 30-50g to get rid of a chill, or to use as a gargle.

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Elder Vinegar

12 parts vinegar and 1 part dried elder flowers. Macerate for 12 days than clarify with milk and pass through a filter.

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Elder Water

30g dried elder flowers to 30-60ml water. Pour boiling water over flowers, leave for 20 mins and the strain. Can be used as an aftershave, a tonic for oily skin, a tonic for mature or sallow skin. It softens the texture, smoothes wrinkles and fades freckles. Be careful because it lightens the skin too, so if you only apply it regularly to one patch you'll look a little odd. It can also be used to lighten the hair if you give your hair a final rinse with elderflower water.

You can inhale the vapours of dried elder flowers in boiling water to ease laryngitis and reduce hoarseness.

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Elder Compress

Crush elder leaves with salt. It works really well for headaches but it smells.

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Elder Hand Lotion (1 tablespoon = 15ml)

In a screwtop jar put 4 tblspns elderflower water, 4 tblspns glycerine, 2 tblspns witch hazel; 1 tblspn almond oil, 1 tblspn eau de cologne, 1/2 tblspn borax. Screw down lid well and shake well.

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Elder Cream

200g elder flowers and 200g lard simmered for 30 minutes and then drained and potted. This can be used for insect bites, burns and sunburn, and chilblains.

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Elderberry Juice

Simmer 100g elderberries and 6 cloves in enough hot water to cover. When soft press them well into a sieve to extract all the juice. Sweeten with honey and drink hot 3 wineglasses full daily. This is good to ease coughs and colds and sore throats.

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Elder bouquets are useful for stopping winged pests from entering the house if hung by the door or window, Flies don't like elder leaves.

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You can of course make sparkling elder flower wine, and a lovely elderberry wine too!

Julie Renshaw

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