Elder (Sambucus nigra) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Sambucus nigra
Family: Adoxaceae
Part used: Flower, Berry
Taste: Bitter, Sweet
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Moist

No pre-1900 source found for this reading.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Flowers considered safe; cooked berries safe

While breastfeeding

Cooked flower/berry preparations generally considered safe during lactation.

For children

Generally safe; commonly used for children's immunity

Cautions

Raw elderberries/flowers toxic; always cook berries or use properly prepared products

General contraindications

Flower tea considered safe; berries cooked safe; avoid concentrated extracts

Stewardship

Elder (Sambucus nigra) is widely cultivated and wild-abundant in temperate zones. Raw berries and bark are mildly toxic — cook all medicinal berry preparations. Stewardship: Culpeper called it the countryman's medicine chest — plant one in the hedge.

In the traditional record

Elder (Sambucus nigra) — held sacred in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic folk tradition as the "Elder Mother" tree; documented by Hildegard von Bingen in the 12th century and by Nicholas Culpeper, with the flower, berry, and bark each carrying long-standing use for fevers, respiratory infections, and inflammatory skin conditions.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.