If you want to avoid the sniffles this winter or cut short a cold you may already have, look no further than Sambucus nigra, aka elder. Syrups made from elderberries are a traditional and effective remedy for coughs and flus.
But that's just the start of this herb's wonderful medicine. Overall I feel that she is such a “mother plant” in terms of nurturing the life force of other beings. Her flowers in particular for me feel like they have an affinity to sexual energy – their smell and taste suggest the muskiness of mating. Even her leaves are healing! Here is a short overview of her gifts to the human community:
Traditional and current uses
· Flowers as tea for respiratory problems – from coughs and colds to hay fever, sinusitis
· Flowers also for ear infections and candida
· Teas or tinctures made with the flowers are helpful for anxiety
· Berries for immune support as well as for flus and colds
· Berries for digestive issues ranging from constipation to diarrhea
· Leaves for bruises and sprains
In folklore and literature
Elder trees are widely associated with the Otherworld in the folklore of Ireland, Britain and Europe. There is a theory that the name elder comes from the Icelandic “huldafolk” meaning fairy people. But it seems the more common or widely accepted theory is that the name comes from ‘aeld’, the old word for fire, which would resonate with the use of hollow elder branches to carry fire. The German word ‘Holunder’ apparently refers to a goddess known as ‘Hylde Moer’ (hidden mother) to whom the elder was sacred. Elders were considered to be inhabited by a tree spirit who would offer her blessing if treated kindly. “Elder’s reputation to offer protection against evil spirits seems to be ubiquitous and can be found from Russia to Romania and from Sicily to Scotland,” according to this article on the website sacredearth.com.
Conversely the elder spirit would (naturally) take umbrage if any parts of the tree were taken without thanks or reverence. Another near-universal taboo in Europe concerns cutting down elder trees or burning their wood.
My experiences with elder
In the spring of 2020 I spent a lot of time with elder trees in the parks of Prague. There is something very comforting about being in their presence; calming but also a kind of higher vibration. I am very grateful to the elders I have met, for all of their medicine — not just the flowers and berries themselves but for their beauty of their whole being.
I wrote a poem to try to express this:
Like a bride in spring
or a mermaid
hung with the lace
of her transformations,
singing between the worlds
of wind-scoured cliff and
current-lapped cradle
by late summer
she’s become a grand lady
adorned with jewels
dusky as blood
dangling sustenance
for the generations
her black-beaded answers
feed probing beaks and probosces
if you stop long enough
in her shade
to caress the curve of her
sinuous trunk
you’ll learn in every season
she is a dancer
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