Black Elder

Plant: Black Elder

Native Name :	Črni bezeg
Scientific Name :	Sambucus nigra (LINN)
English Name :	Black Elder
Collected by :	Simona Ažman
PARTS USED MEDICINALLY AND TIME OF GATHERING:	Bark, leaves, flowers, berries, root. June and July.
PREPARATION RECIPES:	Juice from the elder flower: Soak the flowers into water; add sugar, vinegar and lemon. Syrup made from the berries: cook the berries with sugar until the juice is made. Fried elder blossoms: Elder blossoms are put into dough and fried. A very healthy dish. Jam made from the berries: Squeeze the berries, add some water and cook. Add sugar and put the jam into the prepared jars. The berries can be air-dried.
MEDICINAL RECIPES:	Juice, tea and syrup are used as healthy refreshing beverages. Jam, fried elder blossoms – healthy food, added to enrich everyday diet. Tea from the berries: The berries are boiled. Tea from the leaves: The leaves are poured with hot water.
MEDICINAL ACTION AND USES:	Tea: Soothes cough, remedy for sore throat, induces perspiration. Useful in cases of bronchitis, asthma, influenza. Excellent blood purifier. In the past, a black elder tree had to grow in front of every house. If there were two of them, even better. The people were convinced that everything on the elder tree had healing properties: the leaves, fruit, bark and roots. They made a treatment in order to purify the blood and bodily juices, and that way the tree was thoroughly cleaned as well. Nowadays, black elder is almost not used at all, which is a pity. Even birds search for an elder tree each autumn in order to get more strength for their long journey towards the South. The people in the past took the hat off when passing an elder tree, and made a bow to it.