Rowan Remedies

sambucus-nigra

Latin: Sambucus nigra

Also Known As: Devil’s Eye, Lady Elder, Frau Holle, Tree of Doom, Old Lady, Lady Ellhorn, Whistle Tree, Pipe Tree, Black Elder, Bore Tree, Bour Tree, Hylder, Hylantree, Eldrum, Ellhorn, Hollunder (German), Sureau (French), The Elder Mother, The Queen of Herbs, Old Lady, Old Sal

Family:Caprifoliaceae

Habitat and Description: The Elder tree is a familiar sight growing along roadsides, by paths and in hedgerows all across the UK. It tends to be more of a shrub than a tree, with pinnate leaves with serrate edges. The flowers form in wide, flat clusters, and are creamy white in appearance, with five petals to each flower and a familiar, grape like fragrance. The berries are a right purple black, and hang in heavy clusters known as drupes. The bark of the tree is usually a pale brown – grey colour, often with rough grooves to the surface. Elder is well known for its willingness to grow almost anywhere, from well drained soil to stony soil or by the sea. The tree can grow up to 9 metres tall but does not usually grow any taller than this. The older twigs have a centre filled with white pith, which is easily removed – perhaps giving rise to many of the old names surrounding the tree, although this will be covered in more depth in the folklore of the tree.

Parts Used: Commonly the flowers and fruit are used. Less commonly, the leaves and bark can be used.

Constituents: The flowers contain triterpenes including ursolic and oleanolic acid, as well as fixed oils containing free fatty acids such as linoleic, linolenic and palmitic acid. They also contain flavonoids including rutin, and other substances such as phenolic acids, as well as pectin and sugar. The leaves contain triterpenes similar to those in the flowers, as well as cyanogenetic glycosides and flavonoids such as rutin and quercitin. flavonoid

Planetary Influence: Venus

Associated Deities and Heroes: Hel, Hela, Holda, Hilde, dryads, earth goddesses, fairies, crone aspects of the Goddess such as Cailleach, Hecate, Cerridwen, The Morrigan, Lilith, Kali etc

Festival: Winter Solstice / Yuletide

Constitution: Opinion seems to be divided on the plant’s constitution, with some herbalists of the opinion that the flowers at the very least are cool and dry in nature, and others feeling that the plant is hot and dry in constitution, and since very few other authors (including Culpeper to my surprise) fail to provide an opinion on the subject, the matter is still open to debate. I’m more inclined, personally, to think that the plant is cool and dry, although there is also some argument to say that it is cool and wet in constitution as the plant is ruled by water – again, different authors disagree on the matter, as some feel the plant is ruled by the element of air rather than water.

Actions and Indications: As most of the parts of the plant can be used medicinally, I’ll cover each in a separate paragraph for simplicity’s sake. Indeed, Elder has been described as the country man’s medicine chest!

Elder is anti inflammatory, laxative, anticatarrhal, diaphoretic and cathartic. The berries are a rich source of Vitamin C, and the flowers are part of the traditional cold and flu remedy of Peppermint, Elderflower and Yarrow. The berries make a lovely red wine or syrup and combine very well with spices – ginger, cloves and cinnamon in particular – to make a fantastic winter propylactic to ward off coughs and colds. If you suffer from a predominantly hot temperament – overheat easily, get head rushes from standing up quickly, that sort of thing – then I would recommend that you keep the addition of spices to a minimum as these are heating and may worsen heat related symptoms. The juice of elderberries is apparently a useful remedy for long standing rheumatism, neuralgia and sciatica.

An infusion of the flowers can be used to treat cold, influenza, chills, early stages of fevers and problems such as catarrh, sinusitis, tonsillitis and night sweats (this last if taken as a cold infusion). The flowers of the plant, in addition to making a delicious wine or cordial drink, are an excellent febrifuge and diaphoretic, and are diuretic and anti inflammatory. They can be used as a tea at the onset of measles and chickenpox as they bring out the rashes and speed recovery. They improve the action of the kidneys and relieve fluid retention due to their diuretic action, and can be used to treat ankle oedema in elderly patients, especially when the oedema has a bluish tinge from blood stagnation. The flowers are also a blood purifier, and the whole plant is anti bacterial and anti viral, acting against the Epstein Barr virus and influenza. The plant can be used to treat hepatic disease, and is also antineoplastic, especially when used to treat skin carcinoma.

Apparently the pollen in particular is useful in the treatment of hay fever, allergic rhinitis and alongside asthma treatment. The flowers as a whole reduce oedema of the mucous membranes in the nose and bronchi and make a great addition to mixtures for the relief and treatment of hayfever and season related sinus dysfunction. Elderflower can be combined with St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Soapwort root (Saponaria officinalis) as an antiviral treatment against influenza and herpes simplex type 1. Elder leaves are emollient and vulnerary, and make a useful ointment for the treatment of bruises, sprains and chilblains, as well as in the topical treatment of tumours and lumps. The bark of the two year old twigs are purgative, vulnerary and anti rheumatic, however as they are violently purgative they are not used internally. Externally, the bark can be used as an anti rheumatic ointment or oil. The buds are expectorant, purgative and diaphoretic but are rarely used in medicine as there are plenty of more gentle, less toxic alternatives. Elder has a galactagogue action, promoting lactation. The herb has a traditional use in the prevention and removal of urinary stones. Finally, in addition to the respiratory ailments already covered by numerous authors, the plant can be used to treat wet, weeping forms of ulcers and eczema, especially eczema with pustules.

Spiritual and Energetic Uses: Elder can be used to relieve stuck, heavy, congested emotional states and to allow the spirit to move up and outward freely, gladdening the heart. I’ve certainly used small amounts of the flower tincture for this purpose, to good effect. As a flower essence, Elder instills a sense of beauty, and can preserve one’s self image in times of change, as well as giving inner strength and greater self esteem, as well as to calm fears and anxieties, encouraging a feeling of being nurtured by strong inner energy. It can be used for people who feel invaded or dominated by others, or who struggle with fears and anxieties. It stimulates energy, vigour, resilience and joy and boosts the powers of recovery and renewal of energy.

Magical Uses: There is a fairly substantial body of magical uses and folklore associated with our dear Elder tree. The wood was traditionally used to make magic wands, and the twigs are woven into a head dress at Beltane in order for the wearer to see spirits. The tree is sacred to Venus and Holda, and to the Great Goddess, and is therefore helpful in matters of healing, protection, exorcism, prosperity and wish manifestation. Personally, because this tree is associated strongly with Hecate and the Underworld, I would recommend treating the tree with respect – it never hurts to be careful, after all.

Folklore: The plant is well known for having a slightly psychoactive effect, which is possibly the cause of at least some of the legends surrounding the tree. This is really no surprise – the fragrance of elderflower is well known and either loved or loathed by many! The Romany gypsies call the tree Yakori bengeskro, or Devil’s Eye, and prohibit burning it. This is possibly at least partly because Elder does not burn at all well, with the final deterrent being the legends surrounding the tree! The folklore concerning burning the tree covers quite a wide range of cultures familiar with the plant. There are a number of theories surrounding the tree’s name. The name was considered to descend from the Anglo – Saxon ‘eldrum’, meaning fire, however this is a rather odd theory in light of the fact that the wood does not burn at all well. However, before discounting this theory out of hand, it is worth bearing in mind that there is also the strong possibility that the hollowed twigs were used to direct air at the base of a fire to encourage it to burn more strongly, hence the name of eldrum would be appropriate considering this usage. Other sources are of the opinion that the word ‘elder’ descends from the Anglo – Saxon word ‘aeld’ meaning fire, because hollowed branches were used to kindle fires by blowing through them. Following this theory, the word ‘eldrum’ may possibly be better written as ‘aeldrum’. There is also a wide body of folklore surrounding ‘Elda-Mor’, the Elder Mother, also known as Hyldemoer in Scandinavian and Danish myth. This powerful spirit worked strong earth magic and would wreak revenge on any who harmed her host trees. A charm was crafted to be spoken before trying to take anything from the tree, running along the lines of ‘Elder Mother, give me some of thy wood, and I’ll give thee some of mine when I grow into a tree’. This charm was reputed to ward off harm that might arise from cutting the wood out of hand and without asking permission. The tree has a highly colourful reputation, being hailed by some as a benevolent forest spirit and by others as a vindictive demon. Christian legend has it that Judas hanged himself from an Elder tree after betraying Jesus, after which the Elder ceased to achieve true tree status and instead dwindled into more of a shrub. There is also the legend that babies should not be placed in cradles made of Elder, or Hyldemoer would drag the child out by the ankles. This is possibly not too surprising due to the Elder tree’s longstanding reputation as a tree of the Crone Goddess rather than the Maiden. Elder wood should not be made into house furniture either for similar reasons. Any elder berries remaining in December are the last gift from the Earth Mother, and should be gathered and made into ritual wine, drunk by initiates wishing to encourage clairvoyance. The tree is, according to some, the ultimate tree of the White Goddess, due to the five petals on each flower. It is under the protection of the Old Crone aspect of the Goddess, and as a result is also associated with waning moon Goddesses. Throughout Europe the tree is associated with death and regeneration and magic. Interestingly, the tree is credited with working alongside witches as well as being used to remove the effects of curses and hexes cast by malevolent witches, perhaps representing the duel aspect of the Goddess in Her form as Dark Mother. Some authors are of the opinion that the Elder has the calm, wise energy of the grandmother or traditional Wise Woman, a comment that I wholeheartedly agree with! The tree as a whole, however, is not to be trifled with – as you would not want to annoy the grandmother who has seen everything the world has to offer and can see through most of the excuses you come up with to explain your behaviour at times! Other folklore mentions that in addition to warding off evil spirits and forces, the Elder was also used to ward off thunderbolts and plagues as well as to deflect lightning. The tree was also regarded as a tree of Faerie – it was used both to ward off faerie and prevent their livestock from being ‘hag ridden’, but was also reputed to allow a person to see the courts of Faerie ride past on Midsummer day if they sat under the tree while it was in flower. It was planted next to Bake houses in order to prevent the devil from being folded in with the bread dough – incidentally, this is also apparently where the tradition of putting a cross in the top of the loaf before baking came from!

Dose: 5g of the dried flower three times a day, up to 10mls of the tincture of the fruit or flower three times a day, 4mls three times a day of the liquid extract

Contraindications: The berries can provoke nausea if too many are eaten. As previously mentioned, the bark and leaves can be purgative and should not be used internally unless under the direction of a trained herbalist. Do not take during pregnancy.

Brought to you by Alex English at http://www.eldrumherbs.co.uk