Elderberry

[waiting]

Last spring I made a list of the known plants on my future homesite, and learned as much as I could about each one. Here is some interesting things I learned about the Elderberry bush.

The Native Americans used the elderberries for many different things. They used the branches for flutes, arrow shafts, skewers & pegs, whistles and clapper sticks. They utilized the flowers for medicine, dyes and for washing the face. The berries would be dried for winter unless they had squeezed the berries into juice. Also, interesting enough, the elderberry was the twirling stick that fires would be started with -- with the inner pith being extremely flammable.

Common name "elder" is from the anglo-saxon "ellen', which means fire-kindler.

The flowers contain flavenoids, rutin (improves immune function) and tannins. Flower tea can be used to: break dry fevers, stimulate persperation, aid headaches, settle indigestion, help twitching eyes, is helpful with: dropsy, rheumatism, appendix, inflammation, bladder/kidney infections, cold/influenza, consumption and can aid newborns.

A flower wash or leaf wash is good for wounds, sprains and bruises.
The flower tead can be applied externally to soften the skin and lighten freckles/spots.

Elderberry fruit attracts many birds.

The elderberry seed has a hard shell and can remain viable for up to 16 years. Fires can help the seeds germinate.

and for the record, I've never used elderberry. I did taste a berry and could strongly sense the high vit. C content. :shock:

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

The attached pdf is a compilation of information gleaned off the internet over the years.

[waiting]

Thanks! Awesome information in the pdf.

[Barefoot]

I made a batch of elderberry tincture last month using dried berries and the cheapest 40% alcohol vodka i could find.

[Mr. Beyondtheory]

I'd like to know how effective it is against colds and infections....as compared to echinacea say, which I've found to be pretty effective. And which should be ranked first, out of olive leaf extract, echinacea, elderberry tincture, ginger, and colloidal silver?

Any clues anyone?

[magical1]

I'd like to know how effective it is against colds and infections....as compared to echinacea say, which I've found to be pretty effective. And which should be ranked first, out of olive leaf extract, echinacea, elderberry tincture, ginger, and colloidal silver?

Any clues anyone?


I just use everything at the same time! I have no idea what works better... what I do know is if you hit a bug from all angles using as much inventory as you can the little suckers just throw up their hands and run off. Olive leaf is something I use all year round in my morning water along with Lugols Iodine, thuja and echinacea..Colloidal silver gets saved for those really acute illnesses. Certainly not all the time.

[ZGT Mummy]

Can anyone recommend a good elderberry tincture I can buy?

[Serephina]

ZGT Mummy I can't say I've ever seen it for retail sale. It's very simple to make your own and would probably work out a lot cheaper.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Yeah, given that I have elderberry trees..... I just "bag" the fruit to prevent the birds getting them, and to allow them to fully ripen... buy a bottle of brandy, or vodka, and make enough to treat an army :) It just needs a few decent heads of berries.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

And given that I have MORE than enough for an army, I make a whole lot of other stuff as well.

[ZGT Mummy]

There's this one http://www.netpharmacy.co.nz/65/group/157/page/1/style/G43A/Sambucus+was+Sambucol+Original+Syrup+120ml

I wouldn't have a clue where to get elderberries from?????

[Serephina]

$36 for 120ml - ouch!

Either find yourself a friend with a tree or buy the dried ones online.

[Mr. Beyondtheory]

Or just get a few cuttings and stick them in the ground. Elderberries are reallly easy to grow like that. They're like weeds!

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Or just get a few cuttings and stick them in the ground. Elderberries are reallly easy to grow like that. They're like weeds!

some councils consider them weeds. :LMAO: It's amazing to me that one of the most valuable plants in the world, is considered a weed :rolleyes:

[ZGT Mummy]

There's someone on TM who's selling cuttings, $18 for a tree that she says will fruit next season.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=248837842

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Just roll on down to my place one weekend, and we can give you some for nothing. And that's an absolute crap recipe for Elderberry rob.

[gilima]

would they grow in my neck of the woods???

hot, humid, south Florida....

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Google says http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Elderberry/elderber.htm



Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

Elderberry is a common soft-stemmed shrub that inhabits many fence lines and wet areas in the southeast. Sometimes it reaches tree height. It grows in moist, open places such as the edges of swamps, wet woodlands, cypress domes, and lakes. You can find elderberry growing in non-natural areas like retention ponds, ditches, grasslands, and canal banks. It can be found in these bottomland habitats throughout Florida and across the Gulf region to Mexico

[Seaweed]

Does it matter what species of elderberry it is? Ours out the back has one flower on & lots & lots of buds that are almost open so we should have loads of berries this year.

[ZGT Mummy]

Thanks Hilary, though don't know when we'd ever make it down to you, though we do have friends in Waiuku who we have been meaning to catch up with at some point....

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Thanks Hilary, though don't know when we'd ever make it down to you, though we do have friends in Waiuku who we have been meaning to catch up with at some point....

It's not like I live 10 hours away. 30 minutes maybe..... Waiuku is another 40 minutes past us so if you won't get to us, you might not get to them either :giggle:

I guess your coming here would depend how much you want elderberry plants. ;)

AND I could also toss some extract at you, since we didn't use any last year, and I have extract and rob to burn.

It's your choice. :cool:

In some ways, buying from trademe might work out cheaper, because you save both time, petrol and having to cart kids where they probably don't want to do...

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Does it matter what species of elderberry it is? Ours out the back has one flower on & lots & lots of buds that are almost open so we should have loads of berries this year.

It might at that, though the pictures looked okay.

But again, using google, it would appear that both canadensis and nigra are in Florida:

Canadensis: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Florida&statefips=12&symbol=SANIC4

Nigra: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Florida&statefips=12&symbol=SANI4

So it should be pretty easy....

We have Nigra leaves... but no buds yet that I can see. The elderberry which I dug out from the patch near the hen house, they are now along the back boundary and were doing fine until some cows decided to dine on them one day. So we've constructed a heath Robinson ricketty barrier out of bamboo. It never occurred to me that cows would consider them a delicacy. :giggle:

[MinorityView]

I was wondering about growing some elderberry, but I'm too far north. I had some in my yard when I lived in Missouri.

I'm not sure what part of the plant, but it is also good for dyeing fiber.