HERB - Elder flowers

Gaylin Walli g.walli at infoengine.com
Tue Sep 8 07:45:24 PDT 1998


Melandra of the Woods kindly clarified:
>Actually, one of my books mentions Sambucus canadensis L.

That's American elder, I think.

>Rodale's mentions several of them, with no distinction in species as far as
>toxicity.  They all generally agree that the flowers are safe, that the
>fruit is better cooked, and that leaves, bark, and twigs are poisonous.

Ah, my mistake then. From your previous note, I thought your
major concern was with the flowers and the berries, not the
wood or leaves.

I was doing a little more research on Elder flowers in extract form
and I discovered some information indicating that scientific studies
had been performed that indicated Elder berry extract from S. nigra
has a significant effect in reducing the chance that influenza viruses
will enter the human body. Also, if influenza does enter the human
body, it stays a significantly shorter period of time in a host that
has consumed Elder berry extract from S. nigra.

Now, the physicians reference I just found said that the berry extract
is non-toxic and safe for all ages. Dosage is 30-60 drops or 1-2 capsules
or tablets for adults and older children, and 15-30 drops or 1/2-1 capsule
or tablet for younger children. (The dose should be repeated every 2-4
hours when very ill.) This pretty much matches with the German
Commission E information on dosages which, I believe, says that the
berry dosage for the average adult is roughly 500 mg of dried berries
3-4 times a day. PLEASE don't take my word for this, though. Everyone
should research this stuff on their own.

Finally, there was the report of one study that showed that an
Elder berry extract showed antiviral activity against herpes type 1,
parainfluenza and HIV. The leaf studies that I've seen were all
tertiary mentions of studies with leaf compresses or extracts in
treatments of eczema, but I didn't find any results.

You mentioned in a previous note:

>One of my books states that the leaves, bark, roots, and twigs contain
>>Cyanogenic glucosides, which release cyanide.

True. Isn't it amazing how many BAD things can happen if you
misidentify a plant? All the more reason for all of us to be
extremely careful in our research.

Jasmine

Jasmine de Cordoba, Midrealm (Metro-Detroit area of Michigan)
jasmine at infoengine.com or g.walli at infoengine.com

"Si enim alicui placet mea devotio, gaudebo; si autem
nulli placet, memet ipsam tamen juvat quod feci."
-- Hroswith of Gandersheim
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