Red elderberry – your health will be excellent! Red elderberry: medicinal properties and contraindications.

Red elderberry berries have been used in folk medicine since ancient times. The healing properties of the plant are multifaceted and help with various diseases. The fruits have slight toxicity, but this does not prohibit their use in reasonable dosages.

What is the composition of red elderberries?

First of all, you need to understand the chemical composition of the plant. It contains a wide variety of chemical compounds. It is based on such rare and valuable substances as:

• essential oils of plant origin;
• saccharides;
• organic acids;
• isoamylamine;
• carotene.

It also contains malic and ascorbic acids. The natural sugars fructose and glucose give the berries a sweet taste. Despite this, in general, the taste of fresh red elderberries is not the most pleasant.

Among the vitamins and minerals one can highlight vitamins C, A, PP, B1, B2 and B5, as well as copper, potassium, iron, selenium, sodium and some other substances valuable for the human body. The caloric content of red elderberries is equal to 73 kcal per 100 g.

Can you eat red elderberries?

Red elderberry berries contain more toxic substances compared to the black variety of the plant. Some experts note that heat treatment and drying kill poisons, making the fruits safe for health. Despite this, it is not recommended to abuse products based on herbal components.

Red elderberry is useful for many cosmetic problems and skin diseases. The substances present in the berries accelerate skin restoration. They stop inflammatory processes and have many other beneficial effects.

Also, when used correctly, the fruits of the plant can be used to prepare multiple decoctions, infusions and other remedies taken orally. To get the full benefits, it is important to follow the dosage and take breaks between courses of treatment.

Medicinal properties of red elderberry

Traditional medicine has not yet recognized useful composition red elderberry, but it is used in the manufacture of some cosmetics. Moreover, the berries are often used in folk recipes, since they have the following effects:

• laxative;
• antiseptic;
• reducing temperature;
• diuretic;
• anesthetic;
• antimicrobial;
• anti-inflammatory.

Using these properties correctly, you can effectively fight many diseases.

What are red elderberries used for?

First of all, red elderberry berries can be used to prepare healthy and sufficiently delicious juice. It is a powerful means of preventing various diseases. To prepare the drink, you need to pour boiling water over the fruits and then squeeze the juice from them. Next, add sugar to taste and bring the mixture to a boil. It is recommended to drink the juice 50 ml per day in courses of 1-2 weeks with breaks per month.

Many other folk remedies are prepared from dried fruits, since drying destroys the harmful glycoside sambucinigrin (we’ll talk about it below). A decoction of elderberries, which has a wide range of applications, is highly effective.

1. To combat foot fungus, pour two tablespoons of berries into a glass of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. When the product has cooled, strain it and add 300-400 ml of cool or warm water. You need to soak your feet in the prepared broth for 20-30 minutes.
2. You can do something good universal remedy from a glass of boiling water and a spoon of ripe fruits. Leave to brew for several hours and then strain. Take the infusion orally with a large spoon up to three times a day. It creates all of the above beneficial effects, so it can be used for various disorders in the body.
3. If you suffer from stomach ulcers or gastritis, you can prepare an infusion of dry berries. Pour three liters of boiling water over a couple of spoons of dried fruits and take 100 ml of the product before main meals, eating 15-20 g butter. Treatment must be continued for a month (this will take about 8 liters of tincture), after which a 3-week break is needed.
4. An alcohol tincture with red elderberry berries helps with arthritis and other joint pathologies. Fill a suitable glass container ¾ full with ripe berries, and then fill it to the top with vodka. Under a tight lid, the product should be stored in dark place at least a month. When it is ready, use it for compresses or lotions.
5. Some even use red elderberries to prevent and support therapy. oncological diseases. For these purposes, the following remedy is prepared: a 3-liter jar is filled with ripe fresh berries, and 250 ml of cognac is poured into it. The product is infused for two weeks in a dark place. You need to stir periodically. Subsequently, the berries are ground into porridge and placed in a jar along with the juice. Add 100 ml of birch bud infusion with vodka (prepared 1 to 10), after which it is infused for another 1-2 weeks. Ready product taken three times a day an hour before meals for two months, and after three weeks the course can be repeated.

Red elderberry poisoning

Red elderberries have beneficial features, there is no doubt about it, but they must be used with caution. The juice of fresh fruits contains sambunigrin and amygdalin - pharmacologically similar to potassium cyanide, but have a significantly lower concentration. If products prepared on the basis of this component are abused, even poisoning cannot be ruled out. The body's oxidative processes and tissue restoration functions are disrupted. Body temperature drops and general health worsens, and for a long time.

The greatest danger lies in unripe berries, from which it is not recommended to prepare decoctions and infusions. Symptoms appear within an hour, and they look like this:

• severe headaches;
• feeling of dry mouth (sore throat, cough, choking);
• stomach upset of different nature;
• pain in the abdomen;
• abnormal heart rhythm (increased heart rate with occasional slowdown);
• whitish spots on the face and hands;
• dyspnea;
• convulsions (observed in severe poisoning).

Acute contraindications

We have determined why red elderberry is useful and what harm it can cause, but there are still contraindications. Among them are the following:

• children under the age of 14-15 years;
• pregnancy;
• breast-feeding;
• allergic reactions.

Red elderberry has long gained popularity among landscape designers, and among traditional healers. This unpretentious plant has a high decorative value, therefore it is actively used in decorating parks, alleys and private garden plots. In folk medicine, all parts of the plant are used to prepare medicines for various ailments.

Botanical description

Red elderberry, medicinal properties and contraindications to the use of which have long been known to folk medicine, is a branched shrub, usually not reaching a height of more than 3.5 m. The bark of the trunk and branches is covered with wrinkles and grooves, has a brown color, but on young shoots it acquires a purple tint. The leaves are imparipinnate, have 5-7 pointed, serrated, oblong leaflets.

Flowers are collected in inflorescences in the form of a standing panicle. The calyx of each flower has 5 teeth, the petals of the corolla are soldered. When they first open, they have a greenish tint; later they become yellowish-white. The bush begins to bloom around the end of April, and in July clusters of bright red berries appear on it, having an unpleasant cloying taste. The type of fruit is a drupe. Each berry contains 3-4 seeds. Birds, eating them in large quantities, contribute to the active dispersal of the crop over long distances.

Red elderberry is a shrub that has a high growth rate, growing almost a meter per season. Due to its propensity for abundant branching, red elderberry is often used as a hedge. Fruiting begins at 3-4 years of age.

Chemical composition

To understand whether this elderberry is edible or not, you need to study its chemical composition. All parts of the plant are medicinal, but their composition varies slightly. For example, flowers contain the following substances:

In addition to these elements, the tree bark also contains phytosterol, ceryl alcohol, and also quite a large number of pectin substances. And the fruits also contain sambunigrin, which makes them toxic to humans. Berries also contain fatty oils, ascorbic acid, amino acids.

In ancient times, the juice of red elderberries was used as a dye. The spongy tissue located inside the branches is now used as an insulating layer in various precision instruments.

Procurement of raw materials

Red elderberry, like black elderberry, must be properly prepared. Each part of the plant is collected in a strictly defined manner. optimal time. Bark for medicinal purposes is cut only from young trees. It is best to harvest in the spring, when sap flow begins.

Flowers are harvested when they are fully open. The berries are cut only when they are ripe, as unripe fruits are extremely toxic.

The raw materials are dried in a shady and well-ventilated place, protected from moisture and direct sun rays. After drying, separate the stalks from the berries, crush the flowers and sift them. The bark is chopped and ground in a coffee grinder. Store in a tightly sealed glass container at an air humidity of no more than 65% and a temperature of +5 to +25 degrees Celsius, out of the reach of children. The leaves are collected during flowering, and the roots are also used for medicinal purposes.

Use in folk medicine

Red elderberry, whose beneficial properties are used in medicine to treat various diseases, serves as the basis for the preparation of many medicines. Traditional healers use the plant as follows:

Excellent jams and preserves are prepared from fresh red elderberry fruits, and the juice is also squeezed out. To prepare healthy juice, the berries are scalded, rubbed through a sieve, and the resulting juice and pulp are brought to a boil with the addition of sugar or honey to taste. But you need to consume it in a strict dosage of no more than 50 g per day. The juice of the fruits of this plant helps restore metabolism and has an immunomodulatory and general strengthening effect.

Elderberry jam helps people with severe weather sensitivity tolerate weather changes and geomagnetic storms.

Contraindications for use

Despite the long list of beneficial medicinal properties, it is necessary to remember that red elderberry is still a poisonous plant, and therefore has a number of contraindications . Medicines based on this plant are prohibited from being taken by people of the following categories:

• children under 14 years of age;
• pregnant and breastfeeding women;
• people with chronic diseases Gastrointestinal tract or diabetes.

To prevent acute poisoning with hydrocyanic acid, it is necessary to adhere to the strictly described dosage, and also not to eat fresh unripe fruits, leaves and stems.

Dried berries and leaves are devoid of toxic substances, however, like any other folk medicine, require caution in use - it is necessary to use elderberry-based medications carefully, carefully monitoring the body’s reaction and well-being. A decoction of the roots has a high concentration of active ingredients, so it is used mainly externally.

Medicines can only be used if the technology for preparing and storing plant materials is followed.

Side effects and overdose

Infusions and decoctions of red elderberry are moderately toxic. If the recommended dosage is exceeded, medicines based on this plant can cause nausea and vomiting. Hydrocyanic acid, contained in the fruits and bark of the bush, provokes oxygen starvation at the cellular level and can cause cardiac arrest, so elderberry-based preparations must be used with caution.

The first signs of hypoxia of body tissues appear in the form of shortness of breath and increased breathing rhythm. Against this background, blood pressure may increase, and the pulse, on the contrary, may slow down. If nothing is done, death is possible.

Excessive intoxication can be caused by unripe berries. This can cause a strong drop in body temperature, loose stools, vomiting, as well as a general deterioration in health. Oxygen starvation in brain cells can result in irreversible processes of death starting in it nerve cells and other pathological changes. As a result, irreparable damage will be caused to the body.

Due to all contraindications and side effects a completely logical question arises: is it advisable to use such dangerous plant to treat yourself and your family, or is it still better to entrust your health to officially recognized medications? In any case, the use of various folk remedies remains on your conscience.

Elderberry in farming and cosmetology

There are also safe ways to use this crop. On the farm, elderberry leaves and branches are used to repel rodents - they do not like its smell and they try to avoid both the places where this plant is located and the houses near which it is planted.

The tree is actively used in landscape design both an ornamental plant and as a soil strengthener - its roots prevent possible landslides.

In cosmetology, this culture is highly valued because healing properties. Thanks to the plant, the skin of the face and neck acquires a healthy shade, silky texture and gets rid of the annoying manifestations of the aging process - small and large facial wrinkles, as well as small scars and enlarged pores.

To restore sensitive skin, the following folk cosmetology recipe is used:

• 6−7 dried whole inflorescences;
• 200 ml boiling water.

The ingredients are mixed and infused for 15-20 minutes, then filtered through a sieve. Wipe the skin with the infusion twice a day - in the morning and before bed. The procedure is repeated for two weeks, preparing a fresh product every day.

The whitening effect of fruits is also known. They are used to prepare a tonic that is used to lighten freckled skin. For this, 3 tbsp. l. fresh berries are poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water, infused a little, and then boiled for 10 minutes. After cooling, filter and wipe problem areas.

Ripe berries can be used to thoroughly clean the skin of your hands after working in the garden - just rub them in your palms. Thanks to its acid content, elderberry is able to cleanse any contaminants down to resin. coniferous trees. In addition, it softens the skin well and prevents peeling and drying out.

More than forty are known in nature various types elderberries. In our area, only red and black elderberries are found growing wild. Both varieties are actively used both in folk medicine and in gardening. However, when using medicines from red elderberry, one must not forget about its toxicity, and also warn children that its red berries cannot be eaten.

Observing basic rules safety, you can safely decorate your site with a hedge made from this beautiful fast growing shrub, which will delight you most of the year with lush greenery, beautiful panicles of yellowish loose inflorescences, and by the end of summer, thick clusters of bright red berries.

Red elderberry - perennial honeysuckle family. Looks like small tree or minor bush. This plant is believed to be poisonous. Therefore, it is sometimes used to get rid of pests. But, despite this, red elderberry is also used in non-traditional treatment. But traditional medicine does not recognize it, since the effect of the plant has been studied very poorly and does not have an evidence base for its beneficial components. However, red elderberry has its own medicinal properties and contraindications.

This plant has a rather complex composition. Alternative medicine uses not only the berries of the plant, but also other parts of the plant to prepare medicines. Used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, relieving high temperature body, laxative, healing and normalizing metabolism effective remedy. Therefore, elderberry is used to combat the following ailments:

• flu and colds;
• angina;
• various types of poisoning;
• swelling of the limbs;
• bronchial asthma;
• hormonal imbalance;
• mental disorders, nervous breakdowns.

If this plant is so beneficial, despite the fact that it contains toxic substances, the question arises: is red elderberry edible or not? The berries themselves are not poisonous, but it is believed that they should not be consumed. The reason is the accumulation of poison in unripe fruits, which cannot always be identified.

Use of elderberry for various diseases

This plant is a wide-spectrum medicine in folk medicine. It will help eliminate such ailments.

Stomach ulcer

To prepare the medicine you will need 1 tbsp. l. dried ripe elderberries, add 3 liters of boiling water. Leave for 3 hours. Drink the resulting decoction 100 ml 3 times a day. The duration of treatment should be 1 month, after which a pause of 2 weeks should be made.

Coughing

You should take 1 tbsp. l. elderberry bark, add 2 cups boiling water. Leave for about 3 hours, strain. Drink 100 ml 4 times a day.

Regular migraines

2 tbsp. l. Combine the flowers of the plant with 1 glass of water. Put on fire to boil. Leave for a few minutes to cool. Take 100 ml warm 2 times a day. The medicine should be taken slowly, in small sips.

Climax

This medicine is naturally suitable exclusively for women. This period is not always cloudless for them. In order to normalize the functioning of the body, you can prepare a medicine from elderberry. You will need them, which should be filled with diluted alcohol in a ratio of 1:5. Place in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally. After the time has passed, use the tincture 30 drops 3 times a day.

All types of arthritis

Carefully place elderberries in the bottom of a liter jar, filling it a little less than half. Pour vodka or alcohol until the end. Seal the jar tightly. Leave in a warm place for 1 month. Use the resulting tincture to apply compresses to arthritic parts of the body. It is better to carry out the procedure at night. For a more effective effect, you can simultaneously take elderberry decoctions orally 2 times a day - morning and evening.

Application in oncology

This plant promotes the active formation of red blood cells. Many people try to treat cancer with elderberry.

1. Required three liter jar, which needs to be completely filled with ripe fresh elderberries.
2. Pour 1 glass of cognac. Leave in a cool, dark place for 10 days.
3. After the time has passed, remove the berries from the jar and grind until pureed.
4. Add 100 ml of birch bud tincture and return it to the jar with the resulting juice. Leave again for 10 days.

Use the prepared medicine 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day before meals. The duration of such treatment should be 2 months. After this, you need to pause for 1 month. Then you can start taking the infusion again.

Important! The main thing is not to forget that such an infusion alone will not save a person from cancer. But to promote positive dynamics along with other procedures traditional medicine he can.

Psoriasis and other skin diseases

Place 5 tbsp in a saucepan. l. finely chopped red elderberry roots and add 1 liter of water. Let it cook, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Then cool. Use this decoction to treat affected areas of the skin using a cotton swab or a piece of bandage. The procedure must be carried out 2 times a day. After processing skin do not wash off. For greater effect, you should take elderberry decoction orally. This will require 1 tsp. branches of the plant, which need to be poured with 1 cup of boiling water. Leave for 15 minutes, take 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day.

Using these recipes, a person quickly begins to feel better.

Important to remember! Preparing and preparing medicines from red elderberry is quite a difficult process! It is necessary to follow all the harvesting rules, because an incorrect drying process for this plant can turn it not into a medicine, but into a toxic substance.

Harvesting the plant

For medicinal purposes, flowers, roots, young shoots and bark of red elderberry. Flowers and leaves must be dried by spreading them in an even layer on a dry surface under a canopy. When the plant is completely dry, it is thoroughly crushed. As for the bark, it is collected from the branches of young trees. You should try to extract the bark with a whole tube, which is subsequently also dried and crushed.

This plant not only has medicinal properties, but is also used in other areas of life:

1. Red elderberry is very beautiful plant from an aesthetic point of view. Therefore, it is used to decorate gardens, park areas, and land plots;
2. Fresh berries can be used to clean copper and enamel cookware from plaque. They contain acid, which helps dissolve plaque.
3. Used instead of soap. Although it does not have the ability to foam, it cleanses hands very well from heavy dirt.
4. Fresh branches repel pests and rodents. By placing them around the house, you can protect yourself from their appearance.

The wood of the plant is light pleasant aroma and can be used to make decorative items.

Contraindications for use

You should know that this plant is used in small doses. Since its excessive intake leads to nausea and profuse vomiting. It is necessary to refrain from treatment with this plant in the following cases:

• individual intolerance to berries;
• chronic diseases of the digestive system;
• poor patency of the colon;
• pregnancy, if a woman decides to use red elderberry, then she should consult a gynecologist who will help you choose the correct dosage;
• diabetes.

Children should also not be given this plant, as they may experience not only severe vomiting, but also problems with bowel movements along with disturbances in the functioning of the gastric system. Is red elderberry poisonous or not? It should not be forgotten that unripe fruits are dangerous to eat, because they contain toxic elements.

Red elderberry is a tree of the Adoxaceae family. It is also popularly called squeaker, buchkan, shankweed and elderberry. In Latin, the name of the plant is Sambucus, from the Greek sambyx, that is, “red,” because the color of the fruit is red.

It is believed that ancestral Russian name comes from the Proto-Slavic buz - a plant in a beech forest. But the connection with the Ukrainian “buzok” seems more likely; similar names are also found in the Belarusian, Czech, and Slovak languages.

Description of the plant

A highly branched tree with a dense, wide crown, 1.5 to 5 m in height. The bark is grey-brown, flaky, and has longitudinal wrinkles. The bark of young shoots is smooth, purple-violet in color, as can be seen in the photo. The stems have whitish tubercles - “lentils” made of loose tissue that can allow air to pass through.

In nature, red elderberry most often grows in the following places:

• ravines;
• edges of deciduous and mixed forests;
• in vacant lots;
• among the bushes.

Plants are planted in parks and gardens. Maintenance is easy.

• Elderberry is drought-resistant and shade-tolerant.
• It grows normally within the city.
• Tolerates haircuts well.
• Prefers fertile, moist soil, but can grow in any soil.
• Decorative during fruiting and flowering.
• Propagated by seeds, layering, cuttings.
• Young seedlings grow quickly and bear fruit from the third year of life.
• A felled tree produces abundant growth from the stump.

Red elderberry: description appearance

Blank

For medical purposes use leaves, flowers, bark, wood and fruits. Also used roots elderberry, but less often. Leaves and flowers are collected in May-June (the flowers should bloom completely); bark is harvested in April; fruits - in July-August (after ripening, because unripe fruits are poisonous).

Unfolded thin layer flowers and leaves are dried in the shade or in a ventilated area. After drying, the flowers are threshed.

The bark is taken from the branches of young trees. At a distance of 25 cm, transverse cuts are made to the wood, and then they are connected with a longitudinal cut. The bark is removed with a tube or two half-tubes.

Beneficial features

Chemical composition Red elderberry has not been studied well. Flowers, fruits and leaves contain:

Leaves and unripe fruits contain poisonous glycoside sambunigrin, which decomposes into hydrocyanic acid and benzaldehyde.

Area of ​​use

Medicine

The beneficial properties of the red elderberry still do not give it the right to be used in scientific medicine, but traditional medicine has recognized the medicinal properties of this plant. Here is a description of the beneficial effects.

Elder flowers have the following effects:

• diaphoretic;
• diuretic;
• laxative;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antipyretic;
• expectorant;
• antibacterial;
• painkiller.

Flower remedies are used for:

A decoction of flowers is used to gargle the throat and mouth for sore throat and other inflammatory processes. The leaves and bark of the red elderberry have strong laxative and emetic properties. For psoriasis, a decoction of the roots is used.

Other areas

Gardening. Red elderberry is planted as an ornamental plant for the purpose of landscaping cities, decorating gardens and parks, and securing slopes and ravines.

Fresh fruits containing acid are used for cleaning samovars and copper utensils from plaque.

Red elderberry fruits allow good wash your hands: You just need to rub the berries in your palms. The juice released does not foam and dissolves plant resins well, softens the skin, and removes stubborn dirt.

Elderberry is a raticide, that is, the smell of this plant repels rodents. In this regard, red elderberry is planted near utility buildings and branches of the plant are laid out in buildings.

In some European countries obtained from elderberry leaves green paint, and from seeds - oil for technical purposes. From the fruits they drive alcohol. The wood is used in turning production.

Nodules on the roots allow you to do crafts, and the core is physical instruments and used in microscopy.

Red elderberry: medicinal properties and contraindications

The plant is used in folk medicine due to its medicinal properties. Elderberry can help during pregnancy, but there are also contraindications. We’ll talk about how various healing compounds are made later. Now we will talk about contraindications.

Red elderberry is a poisonous plant. Traditional healers can use it with great caution and only with sufficient experience and under the supervision of a doctor.

The leaves are not used for treatment. Young shoots and unripe berries are also a no-no, as there is a high risk of poisoning from toxic hydrocyanic acid.

Ripe berries of the plant in the form of infusions and decoctions can be used in small doses and only on the recommendation of a doctor. You need to be especially careful with this treatment if you have a tendency to loose stools and gastrointestinal diseases. Do not exceed dosage!

Contraindications:

• individual intolerance;
• age less than 12 years;
• period of pregnancy and lactation.

A decoction of the bark can cause vomiting and nausea, although it is considered beneficial, so it is taken under the supervision of a doctor and with strict adherence to the dosage.

Traditional medicine recipes

Many people think that elderberries have always grown in our forests, but this is not true. The plant came to us from Western Europe. It grows in Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Wild elderberry is found in the Republic of Belarus, Western Ukraine, and the European west of the Russian Federation. It also grows in China, Korea, Japan, USA, and Canada.

(or elderberry racemosa, common elderberry, elder racemose, Latin Sambucus racemosa) is a deciduous low tree or shrub, family Adoxaceae. Folk names: buchkan, pischalnik, tarsus, elderberry. The Latin generic name Sambucus comes from the Greek. sambyx is "red", which refers to the color of the plant's fruits. Hence the Russian specific name. Species definition in Latin name plants (Latin racemosa) are translated as “grape-shaped”, “brush-shaped”, “branched” (from Lat. racemus - “brush of grapes”, “ vine"), arose due to the distant similarity of infructescences.

It is believed that the Russian generic name comes from the old Proto-Slavic word buz “beech; plant in the beech forest." However, a connection with Ukrainian is more likely. buzok, without “lilac bush”, belar. bez, czech bez, Slovak baza “elderberry”, i.e. “shrub, flowering bush”.

Description of red elderberry

A strongly branched deciduous tree or shrub 1.5 - 5 m high with a wide dense crown. The bark is gray-brown, flaky, with longitudinal wrinkles; the bark of young shoots is purple-violet, smooth. On the surface of the stems there are “lentils” - whitish tubercles. They consist of loose tissue that can allow air to pass through, and serve as a kind of vents in the suberized cover, through which the living tissues of the branches breathe.

Stems are erect. The core of elderberry branches is spongy, soft, and occupies a significant part of the volume, so elderberry branches break easily. The wood is greenish and light. The buds are large, ovoid. The leaves are compound, odd-pinnate, opposite, with 5–7 pointed oblong-elliptical leaflets 5–10 cm long, serrated along the edge, with a specific unpleasant smell. Young leaves in spring may have a purple or dark red color due to the increased content of anthocyanin (this pigment has the property of converting light energy into heat). The leaves are green above, bluish below.

The flowers are small, bisexual, yellowish-white or greenish, with a calyx with 5 teeth and a sphenoletal corolla. The smell is characteristic and unpleasant. 5 stamens, a pistil with 3 sessile stigmas and a semi-inferior ovary. The pollen is yellow. The flowers are collected in dense oblong ovoid panicles sticking up. Flowering time is simultaneously with the appearance of leaves, in May-June. The fruits are small, bright red, shiny fleshy drupes with an unpleasant taste and smell (unlike berries) with three yellowish seeds, collected in thick clusters. Ripen in July-August. They stay on the tree for a long time, until frost. Elderberry fruits are not poisonous when ripe, but are not considered edible.

The red elderberry is often considered the original inhabitant of our forests, but it came to us from Western Europe. It is widespread in the countries of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. In the wild, red elderberry is found in Belarus, Western Ukraine, the west of the European part of Russia, China, Japan and Korea, the USA (including Alaska) and Canada. In nature, it is most often found in ravines, on the edges of mixed and deciduous forests, among bushes, in forests, and wastelands. Grown in gardens and parks. Red elderberry is shade-tolerant, drought-resistant, and tolerates city conditions and pruning well. Prefers wet fertile soils, but can grow on any. Decorative during flowering and fruiting. Propagated by layering, cuttings, and seeds. Its young seedlings grow quickly and begin to bear fruit from the 3rd year of life. If an elderberry is cut down, it produces abundant growth from the stump.

Blank

Flowers, leaves and bark, fruits, wood, and less often roots are used for medicinal purposes. Harvesting time: leaves and flowers - May-June (flowers are harvested after full bloom), bark - April, fruits - July-August (exclusively after full ripening, unripe fruits are poisonous!).

Red elderberry flowers and leaves are dried by spreading them in a thin layer in the shade or in a ventilated area. After drying, the flowers are threshed.

The bark is harvested from the branches of young trees. With a sharp knife make several transverse cuts to the wood at a distance of 25 cm, after which they are connected with a longitudinal cut. Remove the bark with a tube or, cutting along the bark tube, into 2 half-tubes.

Beneficial properties of elderberry

The chemical composition has not been studied enough. Flowers, fruits and leaves contain the glycoside rutin, tannins, glucose and fructose, essential oil, flavonoids, triterpenoids, organic acids, fatty oil, vitamins.

Unripe fruits and leaves of red elderberry contain the poisonous glycoside sambunigrin, which breaks down into benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid.

Use of red elderberry

In medecine:
In scientific medicine, red elderberry is not used as medicinal plant, finding application only in folk medicine. Flowers have a diaphoretic, laxative, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antipyretic, analgesic, and antibacterial effect.

Flower preparations are used for colds (as a diaphoretic); at bronchial asthma, headaches, bronchitis, pain in the spine and joints, rheumatism, osteochondrosis, polyarthritis, vertebral displacement, osteomyelitis, heel spurs, respiratory diseases, gastric ulcers, ascites (dropsy), psoriasis, cancer, menopause. A decoction of red elderberry flowers is used to rinse the mouth and throat during inflammatory processes. The bark and leaves of the red elderberry have emetic and strong laxative properties. A decoction of the roots is used for psoriasis.

In other areas:
In gardening. Red elderberry is used as an ornamental plant for landscaping cities, decorating parks and gardens, and securing ravines and slopes.

Fresh fruits containing acid are used to clean copper utensils and samovars from dark deposits.

It is good to wash your hands with red elderberry fruits; just rub the berries in your palms. The juice released does not foam, but perfectly dissolves plant resins, removes even stubborn dirt and softens the skin.

Elderberry is a raticide - its smell repels rodents, so it is planted near utility buildings, and its fresh and dry branches are also laid out inside them.

In a number of European countries, green paint is obtained from the leaves of the red elderberry, oil is obtained from the seeds, which is used for technical purposes, and alcohol is obtained from the fruits. Elderberry wood is used in turning. The nodules on the roots are used to make various crafts, and the core is used for the manufacture of physical instruments and in microscopy.

Traditional medicine recipes with red elderberry

Infusion of red elderberry flowers. 2 tsp. lie 250 ml of dried elderberry flowers are poured. boiling water, 10–15 min. insist. Drink warm 2 r. per day 100 ml. take slow sips, taking short breaks, as a diaphoretic for respiratory diseases, colds, headaches, rheumatism, bronchial asthma.

Diaphoretic infusion of red elderberry fruits. A tablespoon of ripe fruits per 1 tbsp. boiling water, leave for 2 hours, filter. Take 1 tbsp. l. 2–3 r. in a day.

Infusion of red elderberry fruit for stomach ulcers. 1 tablespoon of ripe dry red elderberry fruits per 3 liters. boiling water Drink 100 ml before meals. 3 r. per day, eat 25–30 grams. butter. The course of treatment is 1 month, then a 2-3 week break. If necessary, repeat the course.

Red elderberry bark infusion for bronchitis. 1 tables. spoon of chopped elderberry bark per 300 ml. boiling water, leave for 2 hours, filter. Drink 1/2 tbsp. 3 r. in a day.

Red elderberry flower decoction. Boil 1 tablespoon of red elderberry flowers in 250 ml. water for 5 minutes, cool, strain. Rinse your throat and mouth repeatedly with a warm decoction for inflammation, cough, and sore throat.

Decoction of red elderberry branches. 1 tsp. pour a spoonful of chopped dry elderberry branches with 1 tbsp. water, boil over low heat for min. 5 after boiling, leave for 1 hour, strain and drink 1 tbsp after meals. lie 3 r. per day as a diuretic or diaphoretic.

Red elderberry root decoction. 1 tsp. pour a spoonful of crushed dry elderberry roots into 1 tbsp. water, cook over low heat for 5 minutes after boiling, leave for 1 hour, strain, add boiled water to the initial level and take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 r. per day, after 30 minutes. after meals as a laxative, antipyretic or diuretic.

Tincture of red elderberry flowers for pathological menopause. Pour red elderberry flowers with 40% vodka or alcohol in a ratio of 1:5, leave in cool and dark for 10–15 days, strain. Take 3 r. per day 25–30 drops.

Red elderberry flower tincture. Pour red elderberry flowers with alcohol (70%) in a ratio of 1:10, leave for 10–15 days in the dark and cool, filter. Take 10-15 drops. 2–3 r. per day as a diaphoretic for colds, headaches, bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases, rheumatism.

Red elderberry tincture. Glass jar volume 1 l. fill 3/4 with fresh ripe berries, fill to the top with vodka, close tightly with a lid, leave in the dark for a month. Use for compresses or lubrication 2 r. per day in the treatment of vertebral displacement, osteomyelitis, arthritis of various origins, osteochondrosis, heel spurs and joint deformities. To enhance the effect, lightly rub the tincture into the affected joints and take an aqueous decoction of flowers and bark orally.

Tincture of red elderberries and birch buds in cognac for various organs. Fill a 3 liter jar. fresh fruits to the top, pour in 250 ml. cognac, leave for 10 days in the dark, shaking occasionally. Then grind the berries into a paste, pour them back into the jar along with the juice, and add 100 ml. tincture (1:10) of buds (preferably in cognac), leave for another 10 days in the dark and cool, shaking from time to time. Store in the dark and cool. Drink with infusion or mint, 1 tbsp. l. 3 r. per day min. 30–40 before meals. Continue treatment for 1.5–2 months. After 1 month, treatment can be repeated (thick red elderberry extract also stimulates the formation of red blood cells).

Tincture of red elderberry bark in wine for dropsy (ascites). 200 gr. Pour 1 liter of crushed elderberry cysteine ​​(red) bark. dry white wine, leave for 2 days. Drink 1 r. per day 100 ml.

Contraindications

Red elderberry - poisonous plant. It is used in folk medicine, but this must be done with extreme caution, only as prescribed by a doctor under his supervision. Leaves, young shoots and unripe fruits of red elderberry cannot be used for treatment due to the risk of poisoning with hydrocyanic acid - they are poisonous! Even ripe berries red elderberry in the form of decoctions and infusions can be used in very small doses and only on the recommendation of a doctor. Particular care should be taken during this treatment if you have a tendency to loose stools or gastrointestinal diseases. Do not exceed the dosage under any circumstances!

A contraindication to the use of red elderberry preparations is individual intolerance, childhood up to 12 years, period of feeding or pregnancy. A decoction of elderberry (red) bark can cause nausea and vomiting, so take it with caution, under the supervision of a doctor, and strictly following the dosage.

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