Elderberry In The Garden And Home Medicine Cabinet

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Elderberry is exactly the case that combines business with pleasure. In the first half of summer, this bush, generous with flowers, fills the entire garden with a magical aroma. But in addition to beauty and comfort on the personal plot, elderberry brings other benefits. In particular, it is an important ingredient in many traditional medicine recipes. Let's take a closer look at this multifunctional plant

Elderberry varieties for garden decoration

In landscape design, elderberry is valued for many of its decorative parameters: beautiful bright foliage, large fragrant inflorescences and fruits of rich red and black color. For landscaping the site, it is recommended to choose the following plants:

• Canadian elder - this species is native to North America. The shrub reaches a height of 4 m. In regions with frosty winters, the branches are frozen over, but this does not lead to the death of the plant, since with the arrival of spring, the Canadian elderberry is very quickly renewed. There are forms with exquisitely dissected and large feathery leaves. The inflorescences are large, about 30 cm in diameter. The flowers are white, but with a golden yellow tint. It begins to bloom from the age of 3. This period falls in June-July. The harvest ripens in September. The fruits are dark purple in color, purple, black, they are edible.

• Broad-feathered elder - comes from the Far East. This variety is more common in China. It is more winter-hardy. Its distinctive feature is pyramidal inflorescences. Flower petals are yellow-green. Do not be upset if the plant does not form buds for a long time. This moment usually occurs by the age of 6. The flowering period is the first half of summer. The fruit is harvested in September.

• Black elderberry is the closest and most familiar variety in our area. Grown both in the form of a shrub and a small tree. The leaves are large, the inflorescences are umbellate, about 20 cm in diameter, very fragrant. The color of the petals is white with a touch of yellow. Flowering and fruiting begins at the age of 3. Dissolves buds in the middle of summer. More suitable for regions with warm climates. Closer to the north it will freeze. But this perennial is shade-tolerant and will decorate those corners of the garden where other plants without sunlight will be oppressed.

Elderberry for colds, rheumatism and other ailments

In addition to its decorative value, elderberry is revered for its medicinal properties. In folk recipes, various raw materials of black elderberry are used - leaves, flowers, shoots, bark, berries, and root are used:

• foliage is harvested in early spring;

• bark can be harvested throughout the summer;

• the collection of flowers begins during the period of full blooming of miniature buds;

• The berries are usually harvested in September.

Flowers and berries must be dried for storage. Flower raw materials are recommended to be kept in tin containers, and the fruits to be packed in bags. The latter will need to be dried from time to time so that the berries do not become moldy.

Young leaves are immediately used. Boiled in honey, it is a good remedy for constipation. A decoction in milk as a local remedy heals burns, diaper rash, hemorrhoids.

Elderberry flower tea is drunk to treat colds and dry coughs. To prepare the medicine, take approximately 20 g of dry raw materials per 1 liter of water. The daily dose of the medicine is 3 glasses a day. The same remedy helps with rheumatism, gout, arthritis. But it should be borne in mind that the agent has a diaphoretic and diuretic effect, as well as a hemostatic property. Therefore, those who suffer from diseases associated with disorders of normal blood coagulation should not undertake self-medication without consulting a doctor.

A decoction of equal parts of the bark and root of elderberry is used for kidney disease. The same remedy helps with diabetes, dropsy. To do this, take 30 g of the mixture per 1 liter of water.

Kissels and jam from berries will delight those who are prescribed strict diets for severe intestinal and gastric ailments. But so that the delicacy does not harm, the berries after heat treatment must be chopped in a blender or rubbed in another accessible way.