Elder: Herbal Remedy for Youths and Elders

The elder is a plant that I knew all my life, although until a few years ago, I did not know its name. I remember seeing nameless elder blossoms on my grandparents' farm in south Georgia when I was a child, and I've heard of elderberry wine for years. But it was not until a friend of mine pointed out and named the elegant elders in a nearby park did I know what they were. I tried to move a little elder tree to my back yard, but I did not have any luck with it.

The Romans knew and wrote about this plant in the first century of the Christian era, and Native Americans shared it with the white settlers as a treatment for respiratory symptoms. Different peoples at different times have used elder to treat diseases ranging from cancer to headache, and some women have used it to enhance production of milk.

I especially enjoy eating the berries, a taste I share with birds in this area. I have never tried battering and frying the flowers, although I hear that that is a possibility. (As an aside, I have battered and fried various squash blossoms, and they are delicious.) Besides elderberry wine, the berries are also used in jellies and pies.

A literary aside: in Cymbeline, Shakespeare refers to it "the stinking Elder," but I find something pleasant about its musty aroma. I suspect that it might cause problems for people with allergies, but I have never heard anyone say this.

Elder flowers are used for colds and the flu. Elder may ease symptoms and may even shorten a cold's duration.

In a 1995 study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, use of a standardized elderberry extract shortened influenza duration by some three days, leading to a recommendation of elder as treatment for flu based on its lack of side effects, low cost, and effectiveness. Because of its effectiveness in treating flu, it is being considered as a treatment for other viral infections.

Elder is typically used as a tea or extract. I can't find reference to any side effects, except a mild laxative effect. (Remember, a side effect is just an effect that you do not want.)

It seems a standard precaution to warn that children or women who are breastfeeding or pregnant should avoid herbal medicines, but, then, I find it hard to say that they should deny themselves the pleasure of eating the berries. People with chronic illnesses should also use any herbs with care, but I suspect that a hangover from drinking elderberry wine (which I still have never had) is the most extreme side effect of this beloved fruit, bush, and herb.

This information is for educational purposes and not as a recommendation as a cure for any disease. It is not intended as a replacement for the services of a qualified licensed health provider who understands your needs and individual condition.