Black elderberry.

Elderberry Black

Shrub or small tree of the honeysuckle family, up to 10 m high. The bark is light brown. Young shoots are green, later brownish-gray.

Leaves are opposite and compound. Blooms in May - July. The flowers are small, fragrant, creamy white.

The fruit is a black-purple drupe. Ripens in August - September and remains on the plant after the leaves fall.

Black elderberry is common in the central regions of the country, Ukraine, Belarus and the Caucasus.

In some places it forms thickets. Shade-tolerant. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant.

Prefers moist, fertile soils.

Used in the food industry. Elderberries are used to make jam and jelly.

Young leaves are used for salads. By fermenting fresh flowers with the addition of lemon juice, zest and water, you can make a delicious, refreshing drink.

Flowers and berries, and sometimes bark, are used as medicinal raw materials.

Flowers are collected during flowering, berries in autumn, bark in summer. The flowers are cut with a knife or pruning shears, loosely placed in baskets and quickly dried in the attic or under a canopy, laid out in one layer on paper or fabric. The end of drying is determined by the fragility of the inflorescence branches.

Store in tightly closed glass jars or tin boxes for 3 years.

The berries are harvested at full ripeness. The bunches are plucked or cut with pruning shears and placed in baskets.

The raw materials are dried in the open air and dried in dryers at temperatures up to 60°C. Store in bags in a ventilated area. To prevent them from molding, they are periodically dried.

The flowers contain the glycoside sambunigrin, mucous substances, rutin, ascorbic acid, traces of essential oil, choline, malic, valeric and other acids; berries contain ascorbic acid, amino acids, carotene, tannage and other substances.

Various parts of black elderberry are used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, astringent, mild laxative, anti-inflammatory and moderate disinfectant. It has a weak choleretic and antipyretic effect, reduces spasm of the smooth muscles of internal organs.

In medical practice, an infusion of elderberry flowers has a beneficial effect on chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, accompanied by a dry cough, and colds with fever. It is used as an additional remedy in the complex treatment of rheumatism, sore throat, flu, gout and arthritis.

An infusion of elderberry fruits and bark is recommended for kidney diseases that are accompanied by edema.

For chronic constipation, jelly is cooked from spring leaves and autumn berries, adding honey to them. The leaves are used for burns, boils, diaper rash, and inflammation of hemorrhoids. To do this, they are steamed, straightened, lightly dried with a napkin and applied to the inflamed area.

In folk medicine, an infusion of elderberry flowers is taken for kidney disease, rheumatism and gout. To prepare it, pour 1 tablespoon of raw material into 1 glass of hot water, boil over low heat for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, filter and squeeze. Take 1/3-1/2 cup 2-3 times a day before meals, warm.

For joint inflammation of various origins, neuralgia and muscle inflammation, take a mixture of elderberry and chamomile flowers in equal parts, pour boiling water over it and make a poultice.