Black elderberry - the healing properties of the berries of the tree of fate and how to use them. Beneficial properties of black elderberry, use in folk medicine

Many plants growing throughout our country are familiar and familiar to every person, but not everyone knows about their unique medicinal qualities. However, as the experience of our ancestors shows, almost every culture can help us correct or prevent all kinds of diseases. The familiar elderberry, which has a characteristic intoxicating aroma, is characterized by a wide variety of amazing qualities. At the same time, all its parts are used for medicinal purposes - flowers, foliage, bark, fruits, and even roots.

What are the benefits of black elderberry? Medicinal properties

The beneficial qualities of elderberry are due to its unique chemical composition. Thus, the flowers of this plant are a source of carotene, choline, as well as tannin and paraffin-like elements. They contain a number of organic acids, including caffeic and acetic acids, as well as malic and valeric acids. In addition, the flowers contain essential oils, the glycoside sambunigrin and ethyl isobutyl.

Elderberries contain ascorbic acid and glucose, they contain quite a lot of carotene, amino acids, various free acids and coloring elements.

Fresh foliage is rich in carotene and, again, ascorbic acid; it is also a source of provitamin A, alkaloids, tannins, essential oils and aldehydes.

The bark of this culture contains many phytosterols, cholines and essential oils.

Our ancestors considered the elderberry to be literally a sacred tree and used its berries as a means of promoting longevity, increasing the tone of the body, as well as purifying the blood and stimulating the activity of the hormonal glands.

Medicines based on elderberry have a diaphoretic, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and minor disinfectant effect. In addition, they have diuretic properties.

An infusion based on elderberry blossom is a wonderful expectorant and emollient for the treatment of colds, flu, sore throat, bronchitis, and dry cough. It is excellent for eliminating inflammatory lesions of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. In addition, this composition is capable of treating skin diseases that have developed due to a failure in metabolic processes. Warm elderberry infusion is used for rinsing.

Also, a heated medicine of this type copes well with increased swelling of renal origin. It can be used to correct inflammatory lesions of the bladder. To prepare the infusion, you will need a tablespoon of flowers; it needs to be brewed with two hundred and fifty milliliters of just boiled water. Infuse the product for one hour, then strain and take half a glass up to five times a day.

A decoction made from elderberry bark is a wonderful diuretic; it effectively eliminates excessive swelling caused by kidney and heart problems.

Elderberry leaves boiled in milk help cope with hemorrhoids, boils, burns, diaper rash, dislocations and internal fractures.

A decoction based on elderberry inflorescences in combination with chamomile flower can be used to achieve a softening effect. Compresses based on such a decoction can be placed on areas affected by arthritis, polyarthritis, gout, rheumatism, neuralgia, and paralysis. This medicinal composition is also suitable for preparing baths.

To treat radiculitis, it is worth making the following medicine: one and a half tablespoons of leaves should be brewed in a thermos with half a liter of just boiled water. After an hour, strain the resulting medicine. Consume this remedy during exacerbations of the disease in the amount of half a glass three to five times a day shortly before meals for ten to twelve days. After a week, you can repeat the course of treatment if necessary.

A decoction based on young leaves has a remarkable hemostatic and analgesic effect. A decoction prepared from the roots or flowers can be used as a component of baths to correct insomnia and headaches.

A decoction of leaves with bark, drunk shortly before a night's rest, has a good laxative effect. It is recommended to be taken for various stomach problems; in addition, this remedy can prevent the development of atherosclerosis and help in its treatment.

Elderberry decoction is a good remedy for treating menopause. It has a positive effect on the activity of the endocrine glands.

Juice squeezed from elderberries can be used as a disinfectant. The resulting liquid also helps cure hepatitis, stomach ulcers, constipation, hemorrhoids and varicose veins. The juice should be taken one or two teaspoons three to five times a day, dissolved in water or other medicinal infusions. By the way, such a drink will also help eliminate kidney failure, cystitis and gout.

How is black elderberry used? Recipes

For shortness of breath, sclerosis, insomnia, palpitations and pain in the heart area:
1 tbsp. Pour the crushed root into 1 cup of boiling water. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stand for 30 minutes, filter. Drink 1 tbsp. 3 times a day.

For headaches

1 tbsp. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the fruit. Wrap it in a towel, or better yet, keep it in a thermos all night. In the morning, drink the infusion and eat berries.

For constipation

Pour 10 grams of fruits over a glass of cool boiled water, soak for 2 hours, filter. Drink a glass once a day.

It should be borne in mind that elderberry is strictly prohibited for consumption by pregnant women and nursing mothers. In addition, you should not take drugs based on it if you suffer from colitis, chronic intestinal inflammation or diabetes insipidus. In addition, excessive consumption of fresh elderberries can cause severe poisoning.

Elderberry is a perennial woody plant from the honeysuckle family. Shrub or small tree reaching 3-10 m in height. The trunk and branches are gray. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, imparipinnate. The flowers are small, fragrant, creamy or yellowish-white. Blooms from May to the first half of June. The fruit is black-purple, berry-shaped. Ripens in August - September.

In the wild, black elderberry is found between shrubs on the edges of forests in the central zone of the European part of Russia, in Ukraine, in the Baltic states and Belarus, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in southeast Russia.

Elderberry grows in both sunny and shady places. Reproduction is carried out by dividing old bushes, layering and sowing seeds.

Black elderberry is a medicinal plant, unlike red elderberry, which is quite poisonous.

Medicinal raw materials are inflorescences and fruits dried in ovens or dryers. The bark, branches and roots of the plant are rarely used. Collecting elder flowers and storing them require special care, because... they are very sensitive to moisture, quickly change their color and deteriorate. Flowers are collected from late May to early July. Good quality dried flowers are obtained if they are collected in sunny weather, at 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but not after rain. Freshly blossomed, possibly shorter, cut flower clusters, freed from leaves and thick petioles, are laid out in a thin layer and quickly dried either in the air in the shade, or artificially, but the temperature should not exceed 30-35 ° C. To obtain dry raw materials without petioles, dry brushes are lightly rubbed through a sieve, but not a metal one. Elderberries are also dried.

Dried elderberry flowers are stored in a dry, well-ventilated area. Shelf life is no more than 2-3 years. The shelf life of dried berries is 6 months.

Elderberry calories

It is only 73 kcal, so it will not cause excess weight. You can safely add it to various dishes.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Beneficial properties of elderberry

Elderberry inflorescences contain a very complex chemical composition. They contain the glycoside sambunigrin, the rutin-like glycoside aldrin; organic acids: valeric, caffeic, acetic, malic and chlorogenic; semi-solid essential oil, choline, ethyl isobutyl, isoamylamines, carotene, tannins, mucous and paraffin-like substances; Sahara.

Elderberry berries contain ascorbic acid - vitamin C (up to 50 mg%), carotene, sambucin, resin, glucose (up to 2.8%), fructose (up to 2.5%), free acids (mainly malic); amino acids, tyrosine, coloring matter.

Fresh elderberry leaves contain a large amount of ascorbic acid - vitamin C (up to 280 mg%), a lot of carotene (up to 0.15%); and dried leaves contain provitamin A1. Sambunigrin, essential oil, hexene and glycol aldehydes, traces of alkaloids, tannins, and resinous substances (having a laxative effect) were also found in the leaves.

The bark contains essential oil, choline, phytosterol.

Previously, villagers, at the onset of spring, plucked the tops of young elderberry shoots and, along with other herbs, ate them as a salad. It must be borne in mind, however, that elderberry leaves greatly weaken and drive urine away.

Vodka was distilled from the juice of the berries, after fermentation. Elderflowers added to white grape wine and vinegar give it a nutmeg flavor. The juice of the berries was used to color alcoholic drinks.

Elderberries were once widely used to dye cotton and silk fabrics black. At the same time, green vitriol was added to the juice of the berries. Mixed with alum, the juice of the berries produces a blue dye. Ink was made from the juice of the berries, with the addition of a small amount of alum and vinegar. Rural beauties blackened their eyebrows with berry juice.

A refreshing drink was prepared from fresh elderberry flowers with the addition of lemon juice, zest and water by fermentation.

There used to be a belief that elderberries quickly killed chickens. We don't know if this is true. But our ancestors used berry juice to exterminate bedbugs, that’s for sure. Elder flowers are used to cover apples during storage; they are better preserved and have a good smell.

In folk medicine, not only the fruits are used, but also the leaves, flowers, and bark of black elderberry. The fruits of black elderberry have their healing powers both fresh and dried. Fresh elderberries are successfully used to treat hepatitis, peptic ulcers and for their prevention. Fresh fruits also help with neuralgia. Dried fruits are used to treat such a rare disease as malaria. It is believed that the medicinal properties of black elderberry are so high that it can be used as an aid in the fight against stomach cancer and skin cancer. For stomach cancer, the patient should be given jam made from the fruits of black elderberry; for skin cancer, the juice from the fruit is squeezed out and a wine extract is prepared.

No less valuable are the flowers of black elderberry, which contain choline essential oils, rutin, valeric, caffeic and malic acids, etc. Decoctions or infusions are prepared from the flowers of black elderberry, which have antibacterial and diaphoretic properties. That is why they are especially good for colds, sore throats, flu, and respiratory diseases. To prepare the infusion, you need to take 1 tbsp. spoon of black elderberry flowers and pour a glass of hot water. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. After this, cool, squeeze and use half a glass warm, 2-3 times a day before meals. This medicine helps with arthritis, gout, rheumatism.

Black elderberry leaves are also medicinal. Like flowers, they have antipyretic, diuretic, astringent, sedative and diaphoretic effects. Applying steamed leaves relieves inflammation well, which is why they are used for diaper rash, burns, inflammation of hemorrhoids, and furunculosis. There is a folk remedy for chronic constipation using young leaves of black elderberry. Young leaves have some laxative and restorative effects. To treat chronic constipation, you need to take honey, boil young black elderberry leaves in it and take it orally.

The bark of this plant is no less popular in folk medicine. A decoction is prepared from it, which is taken for skin and kidney diseases. The decoction is also used for baths for gout, rheumatism and arthritis. The prepared decoction can also be used in the form of lotions.

Folk cosmetology also uses the healing properties of black elderberry. For example, its flowers can be used to make a lotion that is applied to the face every morning and evening. To prepare the lotion, take 10 inflorescences and pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over them. Leave to infuse for a day. After this, filter and store in the refrigerator. This lotion tones the skin well and makes it look younger.

A decoction of the whole plant (root, flowers and leaves) is used as a means to regulate metabolism. Fresh berries and a decoction of flowers are used for rheumatism. You can make jam and jelly from black elderberry berries. Keep in mind that it is better to prepare jam and jelly without sugar, using honey or molasses.

Apples sprinkled with elderberry flowers retain their aroma for a long time. An infusion of dried elderberries (1:10) improves bile secretion, enhances diuresis, and promotes the movement of intestinal contents. Tea or infusion of elderberry flowers is prescribed for laryngitis, bronchitis, flu, neuralgia, for rinsing the mouth as an anti-inflammatory agent, as well as for kidney and bladder diseases, rheumatism and gout. In the latter case, it is recommended to make hot linings from bags filled with a mixture of equal parts elderflower and

In the article we discuss black elderberry. You will learn what beneficial properties the plant has, how to prepare medicinal raw materials, how to use berries and flowers, and what contraindications there are for use.

Black elderberry is a fruit-bearing woody shrub of the Adoxaceae family. People call it sambucus, elderberry, elderflower, witch's tree, squealer, treeless. Latin name: Sambucus nigra.

What does it look like

Appearance of black elderberry. The plant is branched, with a height of 3 to 6−10 meters. Young stems are green, which become brownish-gray with age, and are covered with many small yellowish tubercles.

The root system of young plants is taprooted and grows with age and becomes fibrous.

The leaves are large, have a complex structure, opposite, up to 30 cm in size. Each leaf consists of several elongated, pointed at the end leaflets of an oblong-ovate shape. The leaves are dark green on the outside and lighter in color on the inside, sitting on small petioles.

The inflorescences are large, multi-flowered, covered with small white-yellow flowers. The flowers consist of five petals, five stamens fused with the corolla tube, and a short three-locular ovary. Elderberry blooms from May to mid-June.

The fruits are berry-shaped drupes of a dark purple color, about 6 mm in diameter. The pulp of the berries is juicy and dark red in color. Fruiting period is August-September.

Where does it grow

The natural distribution area is the island territory of Portugal, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, most European countries, and the South Caucasus. Elderberry was also introduced to New Zealand and spread successfully there.

In Russia it grows throughout the European part. Elderberry can be found in undergrowth or on the edges of deciduous and mixed forests, near roads and forest clearings.

In the European part of Russia, the cultivation of the “Aurea” and “Black Beauty” varieties is practiced in summer cottages and garden plots. Even a novice gardener can plant and care for plants in open ground. Elderberry is planted in lighted areas on slightly acidic or neutral soils. During the season it is necessary to water and trim, as the bush grows quickly.

For more information about black elderberry, see the following video:

Elderberry flowers and fruits

Elderberry contains many biologically active substances. In its medicinal properties it is similar to elderberry.

Flowers and fruits, less often bark, roots and leaves are harvested for medicinal purposes.

Chemical composition

• sambunigrin;
• essential oil;
• rutoside;
• choline;
• alkaloids;
• vitamin C;
• acetic acid;
• Apple acid;
• valeric acid;
• quinic acid;
• caffeic acid;
• tannins;
• resins;
• mineral salts;
• polysaccharides.

The fruits are rich in vitamin C, they also contain rutin, beta-carotene, essential oils, sambucin, tannins, tyrosine, amino acids and sugars.

Medicinal properties

Black elderberry has the following medicinal effects:

• relieves heat and inflammation;
• removes excess fluid from the body;
• has a diuretic effect;
• disinfects;
• calms the nervous system;
• promotes the removal of sputum;
• heals burns, ulcers and diaper rash;
• has an anthelmintic effect;
• has a laxative effect;
• helps fight viruses;
• strengthens the immune system.

It is also known that it is capable of removing toxins, heavy metal salts and radioactive substances from the body.

Black elderberry is used in alternative medicine to treat the following diseases:

• ARVI and influenza;
• rheumatism;
• gout;
• inflammation of the genitourinary system;
• haemorrhoids;
• furunculosis;
• burns and diaper rash;
• angina;
• bronchitis;
• stomatitis;
• pharyngitis;
• conjunctivitis;
• neuralgia;
• chronic constipation.
• tuberculosis.

As a complex therapy, it is used in the initial stages of certain types of oncology. Black elderberry is used to treat prostate adenoma, stomach, lung and ovarian cancer.

How to collect

Elderberries are used in cooking and folk medicine. Flowers are collected and stored during the period of full flowering. The inflorescences are cut off completely and dried loosely on a clean sheet of paper in sunny weather under the open sky.

After drying, the flowers are separated from the stalks and crushed. Store raw materials in fabric bags in a dry, dark place. Shelf life - 2 years.

Leaves and young shoots are collected in the spring. Just like flowers, they are dried in the sun and stored in bags. Shelf life - 1 year.

The fruits are harvested in late August - early September. They are selected from rotten and burst berries, washed and dried. Dry the fruits in an oven or automatic dryer at a temperature of 60-65 degrees. Store in fabric bags. You can also freeze fresh elderberries. Shelf life - 6 months.

The bark is harvested in early spring. It is cut off with a knife, then the top layer and the remains of the trunk core are removed. Dry at a temperature of 65−70 degrees. Shelf life - 3 years.

Roots for medicinal purposes are dug up in late autumn. They are cleared of soil, washed and dried at a temperature of 60-65 degrees. Dried roots are ground into powder and stored in a tightly closed container. Shelf life - 5 years.

How to use

It is grown as a medicinal, food and ornamental plant. In folk medicine, elderberry-based decoctions and infusions are prepared for oral administration, douching, lotions, poultices and rinses. Elderberry is also one of the ingredients in many folk beauty recipes.

You can buy ready-made berry syrup at the pharmacy. It is used as a laxative, immunostimulating, antitumor and blood purifying agent. The average price is 350 rubles per 100 ml.

How to make elderberry syrup yourself, watch the following video:

For a cold (flu)

In case of ARVI, it helps lower body temperature, cope with cough and sore throat, improves the general condition of the patient and shortens the period of illness. At the first sign of a cold, prepare and take a steam of dried elderberry flowers.

Napar for colds

Ingredients:

1. Black elderberry (flowers) - 2 tbsp.
2. Drinking water - 200 ml.

How to cook: Boil the water. Infuse elderflower flowers in a glass for 15 minutes. Filter the steam through a tea strainer.

How to use: Take the product warm in a glass 2-3 times during the day. Elderflower juice can also be taken with honey.

To treat the flu, take juice from fresh elderberries. It helps stop the development of a viral infection at the initial stage of the disease and alleviates the course of the disease if treatment is delayed.

Juice for flu

Ingredients:

1. Black elderberry (fresh or frozen fruits) - 2 kg.
2. Drinking water - 2 l.
3. Granulated sugar - 1 kg.
4. Wine vinegar - 100 ml.
5. Cloves, cinnamon - to taste.

How to cook: Rinse the berries and place them in an enamel pan. Fill them with water and boil for about 10 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer the juice over low heat until foam stops forming. Fill sterilized glass bottles with hot juice and close tightly.

How to use: Drink 100 ml of juice 2-3 times a day. The juice can be diluted with boiled water in a 1:1 ratio and sweetened with honey.

In gynecology

In gynecology, elderberry is used to treat inflammatory processes of the vagina and cervix. To treat colpitis, an infusion of dried elderberry roots is used.

Infusion for douching

Ingredients:

1. Black elderberry (root) - 30 g.
2. Pure water - 500 ml.

How to cook: Boil the water. Pour boiling water over the elderberry roots and let steep for two hours. Fold a gauze napkin in several layers and filter the infusion.

How to use: Carry out the douching procedure twice a day for a month.

For ovarian and cervical cancer, elderberry is used as an aid. To do this, prepare and take an infusion of flowers.

Infusion for cancer

Ingredients:

1. Black elderberry (flowers) - 1 tbsp.
2. Drinking water - 200 ml.

How to cook: Pour boiling water over the dried flowers and let it brew for half an hour. Cool and filter the infusion through a tea strainer.

How to use: Take 100 ml of the product three times a day.

For constipation

To cleanse the intestines with chronic constipation, take an infusion of elderberry fruits.

Ingredients:

1. Black elderberry (dried fruits) - 10 g.
2. Drinking water - 200 ml.

How to cook: Boil water and cool it to room temperature. Pour water over the fruits and let the product sit for two hours.

How to use: Take 200 ml of the product once a day, preferably in the evening.

For disinfection

To disinfect and heal wounds, boils, minor burns and diaper rash, prepare a decoction of dried leaves and make lotions with it.

Ingredients:

1. Black elderberry (leaves) - 1 tbsp.
2. Pure water - 200 ml.

How to cook: Fill the raw material with water and simmer it over low heat for 15 minutes. Let sit for about 45 minutes. Filter through a gauze cloth. Bring the volume of the product to 200 ml with boiled water.

How to use: Fold clean gauze or cotton cloth in several layers. Soak in the broth, squeeze lightly and apply to the inflamed area for 5-10 minutes. Apply lotions several times a day.

Also, lotions with a decoction are used for hemorrhoids and anal fissures. In addition, the finished decoction is used for rinsing as a disinfectant for stomatitis and sore throat.

Elderberries in cooking

In cooking, berries are used to make compotes, jelly, sparkling lemonades, wine, jelly, berry puree and berry pies. For the winter, medicinal jam is prepared from elderberry fruits. It is used for flu and colds, and also as a general strengthening and tonic.

Jam recipe

You can make jam from fresh or frozen berries.

You will need:

• black elderberry (fruit) - 2 kg;
• granulated sugar - 2 kg.

How to cook:

1. Rinse the berries in running water and remove any spoiled ones.
2. Place them in a saucepan, add sugar and stir gently.
3. Leave for an hour to release the juice.
4. Place the pan over low heat and cook the berries for about 30 minutes.
5. Place the hot jam into sterilized jars and close the lids tightly.

Calories:

Calorie content per 100 g of product - 235 Kcal.

Contraindications

Black elderberry has the following contraindications:

• ulcerative-erosive diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• pregnancy;
• breast-feeding;
• diabetes insipidus;
• children up to 12 years of age.

Classification

Black elderberry has the following taxometric classification:

• department: Flowers;
• class: Dicotyledons;
• order: Teasaceae;
• family: Adoxaceae;
• genus: Elderberry;
• species: Black elderberry.

Varieties

Previously, the Elderberry genus was classified as a member of the Honeysuckle family or allocated to a separate Elderberry family. The genus includes about 25 species of shrubs, low trees and perennial herbs.

Among the most common types are the following types of elderberry:

• southern;
• Canadian;
• herbaceous;
• Javanese;
• black;
• red;
• Manchurian

Elderberry nigra infographics

Photo of black elderberry, its beneficial properties and uses
Infographics on black elderberry

What to remember

1. Black elderberry is used in folk medicine and cooking.
2. For medicinal purposes, elderberry flowers and fruits are harvested, and less commonly the bark, roots and leaves.
3. Elderberry-based medicinal products are used as an adjuvant for tuberculosis and oncology. Before use, you should consult your doctor.

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Black elderberry is one of the most common wild plants in Ukraine and central Russia. It has a rich, valuable composition, but a paradoxical situation has arisen regarding it. The medicinal properties and contraindications of black elderberry have not been studied and formulated fully enough.

The local population considers the plant poisonous, which is why plantings of the crop are systematically destroyed. An erroneous judgment leads to a decrease in the population of the crop in places where people live: near settlements and dacha cooperatives.

Features of black elderberry

The shrub plant is part of a large group of elderberry crops, including compact trees and herbs. Previously, the herbaceous, black, and variegated elderberries belonged to a separate group of Elderberries of the Honeysuckle family. In recent years, the scientific classification of crops has changed. Black, herbaceous and red elderberry, along with about twenty other similar plants, are classified in the Adoxaceae family of flowering plants.

Cultures have pronounced external differences. Elderberry (or red) is a shrub that bears bright red fruits. Popularly recognized as a medicinal plant. Herbaceous is a perennial grass that grows up to one meter. Variegated elderberry is a herbaceous shrub with bright green leaves and white veins.

Description

Black elderberry. Botanical illustration from the book “Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen”, 1887.

Black elderberry is a small tree or shrub that reaches a height of no more than seven meters, but more often grows up to two to three meters. It has a neat rounded crown formed by large elongated leaves. Their surface is dark green, the reverse side may look lighter. The bark is ash-brown in color, and on old trees it is covered with deep cracks.

The flowering period begins in May and lasts for two months. At this time, the bush is covered with numerous inflorescences in the form of flat tassels, collected from small round-shaped flowers. They are beige or yellowish in color, hang down under their own weight and smell of a rich, sweetish aroma.

From August to September, fruits appear in place of flowers - three-stone berries. As they ripen, they acquire a purple-black hue, become juicy, and grow up to ten millimeters in diameter.

Geography and distribution

The plant has attractive decorative qualities, so it is often planted in gardens and parks. It is unpretentious and grows almost everywhere, including in conditions of lack of sunlight. In its natural environment, it grows in the lower tier of the forest, content with poor lighting penetrating through the crowns of large trees. But with access to the sun it grows more luxuriantly, actively, and grows to its maximum height.

The largest population of black elderberry is represented in Ukraine. In Russia, it grows in the middle and southern zone, and is often found in the Caucasus and Crimea. Its favorite habitat is deciduous forests near natural bodies of water. It is tolerant of bushes and forms them itself.

You can find out where black elderberry grows by carefully familiarizing yourself with the vegetation of forested parks and wooded areas, especially on the banks of rivers and in old parks. As an ornamental and unpretentious plant, it is planted in gardens and cemeteries.

Collection and preparation

The beneficial properties of black elderberry have not been studied enough, so when it comes to choosing raw materials, not everything is clear. The flowers of the plant and its fruits have undeniable benefits. They are recognized by official medicine as medicinal raw materials with a certain effect on the body. People also use other parts of the plant.

• Flowers. Collection is carried out during the period of mass flowering of the crop. Elderberry flowers are collected whole, cutting off the entire cluster with scissors or pruning shears. Dry in well-ventilated areas at moderate temperatures. The slower the drying, the higher quality raw materials are obtained in the end. As elderberry flowers dry out, they lose a lot of volume. At the exit, no more than twenty percent of their original mass remains. That is why herbalists consider them to be especially valuable medicinal raw materials, preferring to use them in the treatment of colds in children.
• Fruit. Harvest fully ripe, deep purple black elderberries. They require different drying conditions. It is optimal to use ovens with a set temperature of up to sixty-five degrees Celsius. Elderberries lose even more volume than flowers. At the exit, only fifteen percent of the original volume remains. However, during the harvesting process, the liquid from the tissues does not completely evaporate. This limits the shelf life of medicinal raw materials. It should be used within six months, and during storage it is necessary to regularly stir the fruits, placed in breathable fabric bags, to prevent the appearance of mold.
• Leaves. Not used in official medicine. Harvesting is carried out simultaneously with the flowers. The torn leaves are placed on paper and placed in the open sun. Once slightly dried, they are put in the shade, where they are dried to the required condition. At the exit, about twenty-five percent of the raw material remains.
• Bark and roots. Medicinal raw materials with unconfirmed scientific effectiveness. It is rarely collected, as it is not used in common healing practices. In addition, regular harvesting worsens the condition of the plant population. The bark is collected in the spring, the roots - in September, after the fruits are harvested. The raw materials are crushed and dried in an oven, a hot room or in the open sun.

Collecting black elderberry flowers and its fruits does not have a negative impact on the condition of the crop plantings. But harvesting bark and roots, regularly carried out in one area, can lead to the death of shrubs. To preserve the population, it is important to harvest roots and bark from the same plants no more than once every three years.

Composition and properties

The medicinal properties of black elderberry are determined by the type of raw material. The composition of all plant organs is very different, as is the effect on the body.

• Flowers. Contains up to 0.03 percent essential oils, rutin and mucus. The latter has an enveloping effect, covering the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive organs. The flowers also contain tannins, which have an astringent effect in the intestines. The presence of sambunigrin glycoside is a controversial issue in the use of raw materials in therapeutic practice. In the body, it breaks down into hydrocyanic acid and glucose, so there is an opinion about the toxicity of the raw material. However, practical confirmation of the danger or, conversely, the safety of flowers has not been received to date.
• Leaves. Contain a range of glycosides, including sambunigrin, and alkaloids. The composition contains toxic sanguinar and coniine, the latter is on the list of strong poisons with neuroparalytic effects. But in small doses it demonstrates an anti-inflammatory effect, which allows the use of medicinal preparations from the leaves in the form of external lotions for treating the skin.
• Fruit. Attractive with vitamin composition. Along with sugars and organic acids, they contain up to fifteen milligrams of ascorbic acid per hundred grams of product, carotene and rutin. The latter substance has vitamin activity, affects the tone of capillaries, reducing their fragility, and increases the elasticity of red blood cells. In their complex action, rutin preparations have hemostatic and anti-inflammatory activity. The fruits also contain tannins.
• Roots and bark. The former are rich in saponins - substances with a diuretic, expectorant, and bitter effect. The bark is rich in choline, an essential substance involved in fat metabolism in tissues. It also contains pectins and tannins, which have astringent and anti-inflammatory activity.

Depending on the disease, different plant organs are used in therapy. Medicinal properties are maintained at maximum with minor heat treatment of raw materials. This is especially true for fruits, so elderberry jam is more of a dietary product than a medicinal product, since the vitamin complex is completely destroyed when cooked.

Uses of elderberry

In official medicine, flowers and fruits of the medicinal plant are used. All parts of culture are used in folk culture. The medicinal properties of black elderberry flowers, leaves, and bark are known.

The following types of effects of medicinal raw materials are manifested.

• Diuretic. All organs of elderberry are present, so infusions are used in the treatment of a range of diseases associated with impaired urine production and to stimulate its passage.
• Anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic. Flowers, leaves and bark are used in the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases. The fruits have a tonic effect and strengthen the immune system.
• Laxative. Black elderberry syrup made from the fruit is a well-known folk remedy for constipation. Used in small dosages. A similar effect, but in a much higher dose, is demonstrated by the roots and bark. Rarely used as a laxative.
• Painkiller. The action is characteristic of flowers, so their use in the treatment of colds and associated infectious and inflammatory processes of the upper respiratory tract is justified.

The diverse effects on the body make it possible to use medicinal raw materials for the treatment of a number of diseases: for inflammation of the respiratory system, genitourinary system and kidneys, for neuralgia, in gynecological practice, for the treatment of chronic constipation.

Infusion of flowers for drinking

The composition has an anti-inflammatory and enveloping effect. Can be used from the first days of a cold or viral illness with fever and general malaise. It will help in the treatment of bronchitis, tonsillitis and other diseases of the upper respiratory tract, complicated by difficult sputum discharge.

Preparation

1. Place the flowers in a thermos. Use two tablespoons.
2. Leave to sit for forty minutes.

You should drink the medicinal infusion throughout the day. Drink it in small sips as often as possible and adhere to bed rest so that the disease quickly recedes.

The same infusion is used as a diuretic in the treatment of kidney and bladder diseases. It can be used by patients with renal failure. The resulting volume of medicinal infusion should be used within two days. Drink it warm, half a glass before meals three times a day.

Infusion of flowers for external treatments

A medicinal infusion of flowers is used externally in gynecological practice. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and is used to treat the vagina for colpitis and vaginitis.

Preparation

1. Place the flowers in a jar. Use four tablespoons.
2. Pour boiling water in a volume of five hundred milliliters.
3. Leave to sit for twenty minutes.
4. Strain.

Use the infusion for douches and baths. Before the onset of menstruation, the course should be interrupted two days. You can continue treatment after menstruation after two to three days.

Laxative infusion of fruits

Using black elderberries as a laxative will help with chronic constipation. You can prepare the product with water or with the addition of honey.

Preparation

1. Pour the dried berries into a container. Use three tablespoons.
2. Pour two hundred milliliters of boiling water.
3. Cover with a lid and leave to brew for twelve hours.
4. Add honey before use.

Take a glass of the product in the morning, on an empty stomach. The medicinal infusion stimulates bowel movements and supports the immune system.

Leaves poultice

The leaves of the plant have an anti-inflammatory effect, stimulate the healing of wounds of various origins, clean and complicated by bacterial infection.

Preparation

1. Grind the dried leaves. Use 3 tablespoons of raw material.
2. Pour two hundred milliliters of milk.
3. Simmer over low heat for ten minutes.
4. Cool.

Place the boiled leaves on gauze and apply the resulting compress to the affected areas of the skin. The product is effective for various injuries, including cuts and burns, boils, and diaper rash. It will help relieve swelling and pain from hemorrhoids with prolapsed nodes.

Infusion of bark for swelling

According to Vladimir Makhlayuk, the author of a collection of medicinal plants and their use in folk medicine, it is the black elderberry bark that has pronounced anti-edematous activity for various kidney diseases. In this case, the drug acts selectively, without affecting the activity of the heart and without affecting the level of blood pressure.

Preparation

1. Grind the bark into powder, use a full teaspoon.
2. Pour four hundred milliliters of boiling water.
3. Leave to sit for three hours.
4. Strain.

The infusion should be taken up to four times a day, half a glass. It relieves edema well, including those associated with insufficient kidney activity and caused by cardiac disorders.

The medicinal properties of black elderberry are recognized by official medicine. The flowers and fruits of the plant are used to maintain immunity during colds, and as an expectorant for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Other parts of the plant are also in demand in folk medicine: bark, roots, leaves. They are used for inflammatory processes in the kidneys as a diuretic, and the leaves stimulate the healing of wounds and burns.