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Elderberry Sambucus a local forgotten medicinal? 

As I am on my way up the mountain to collect elderberry, I notice several trees loaded with

 berries bordering yards, on the roadway, and in even in a nursing home parking lot.

Elderberry used to be called "the medicine chest of the country people" but from the looks of 

my country town here in Sandy, many have forgotten. I picked some Elderberries a few weeks

 back for my friend Kiva. When I went to the small deserted country post office to deliver 

them, the clerk was eager to make conversation. I explained to her that I was shipping my

friend some elderberries. "ewwwww where did you get them, I loved those as a child, my

thumbs would be blue and numb, my Dad would use them for wine, jelly, cough medicine- I

wouldn't know where to find any now" When I explained that they are actually quite common,

she was sure they must not be the same berry, and in fact that to be careful that they may be

 poisonous. Have people gotten away from collecting their own medicinals? If there is one

"goal" I have with this blog it is to empower people to get back to the old ways- losttraditions. Of course, be sure of what you are collecting, jim has a great guide for gathering

your own herbs.

To (hopefully) get you interested in this wonderful plant, I will attempt to dredge up some

interesting facts and legends.

Around here in the Pacific Northwest we have both red and blue elderberry. Blue is the one

you want for wine (Rebecca's recipe), jelly, syrup (jim discusses it here),  elixir ( Darcy's

recipe) and other medicinals (kiva's tea) , much more medicinal info can also be found on

Henriette's site. There are 3 types of blue species that inhabit the West all similar in

appearance; sambucus cerulea, S. racemosa & S. mexicana and one red fruit species S

callicarpa (pacific red elder) the red has red berries and pyramid shaped flower clusters, the

 blue has blue berries and flat top flower clusters. Depending on what source you hear it from,the red can be toxic so I would stick to the blue. You can find the berries around here in the

Pacific Northwest at the end of summer into early autumn.

The name Elder comes from the anglo-saxon word "aeld" meaning fire, the association being

made because of the hollow stems were used to blow on fire (to increase flame) The name

"sambucus" is from the Greek word meaning wind instrument. Both Shepard's & Native

Americans used to make flutes from the elder branch, the tree was sometimes called "the tree

of music". The hollow reads were also used to make smoke pipes, elk whistles, pop guns, and

sprouts on maple syrup trees. Some Native American tribes used the sticks of elder for 

twirling sticks (the sticks used to start a fire by friction), the straight branches were also used

for arrows. It should be noted that the leaves, bark, shoots, twigs, and roots of the fresh plant

(of either color) are toxic, and children have been poisoned by chewing or sucking on the bark.

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Legends

The Elderberry plant has held an important place in European myth. There have been opposite

stories relating to it magical & supernatural qualities. There has been an association with both

the devil and witches (the bad ugly ones lol) The wicked witches were believed to live in

elder trees, so people were afraid to cut them down. It was considered dangerous to sleep in

the shade of an elder or to plant one near a house. It was also believed if you fell asleep for too long under an elder that you would become intoxicated. Six knots of elder wood were

used in a Yorkshire incantation to ascertain if the cattle were dying from witchcraft.

In contrast, the elder was believed to be a tree of protection against evil spirits and for this

reason people would plant them near their homes. The leaves are an insect repellent and

 people used to hang the branches from doors & horses bridals to keep the bugs away. Elder 

was also planted near dairies to keep the milk from turning.

The fairy Folk love music and they used the wood of the elder to make all of their musical

instruments. Hilda the mother of the elves is said to live in the root of the elder, and anyone

under the elder tree at midnight on Midsummers day would see the king of the fairies and all

his retinue pass by.

In England the dwarf elder was said to spring up whenever Danish blood was shed in battle,for this reason it was called "Dane's blood"

In Tyrol elder was planted on graves, if the plant flourished with berries it is believed that the

dead person is happy in the other world after passing.

The appearance of berries on the elder would indicate it was the right time to sew the wheat in

the field.

Food Uses

As described above in some of the links I provided, elderberry is both delicious and

medicinal. In small quantities you can add it to food ( Elderberries do have hydrocyanic acid ,

in large quantities it can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea, how much I guess would depend

on the person, this can be avoided by straining out the seeds or thoroughly cooking the

 berries, red elder berries have larger amounts of these compounds, which is why they are

considered "toxic" Henriette has a nice write up here). Elderberries are good with other 

 berries such as blueberry or raspberry, and a little honey can be added for sweetness.

Salad Dressing

Add equal parts of mashed fresh elderberries and blueberries to your favorite balsamic

vinegar, shake well.

Elderberry Iced Tea

Equal parts frozen Blueberry and Elderberry (seeds strained)

Juice of 1/2 fresh Lemon

Approx 6 heaping tablespoons Green Tea (or other favorite tea)

Boil 3 cups water in a small pan. When it reaches boil, turn off the heat and add green tea. letsteep for about 10 minutes. Strain and add to pitcher. Puree frozen berries in lemon juice, add

to pitcher. Fill with water and ice, chill. Add honey or stevia to taste. (you can also used the

dried berries and steep them like a tea, use the fresh blueberries for the puree)

Cream Cheese puree

Add elderberries ( seeds strained,to taste) to cream cheese and puree for quick sandwich

spread, to put on fruit, add nuts, other berries, the possibilities are endless! To make it

creamer add a dash of olive or flax oil, yum! You can also add

Add Elderberries to..

apple sauce

apple & rhubarb pies

muffinscottage cheese

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honey

and yogurt.

More Delicious recipes

Use your imagination!

Winter Teas

Elderberries are really fun to experiment with in different teas

Dried elderberries, & blueberries equal parts, with a little feverfew & rose hips, honey and a

squeeze of lemon for a great winter tea if you feel a cold coming on.

Also try variations with (not all actions are listed) Astragalus (adaptogen, healthy immune

function), peppermint and spearmint(digestive aid, antiseptic,analgesic, astringent, calming) ,

chamomile (anti-inflammatory, digestive aid, relaxing) , licorice (sweet, antiviral), cinnamon

(carminative, anticeptic), ginger (carminative, expectorant, antimicrobial -to name a few but

can be drying), echinacea (antiviral, antibacterial) and other dried berries such as raspberry.

Resource:Profiles of Pacific Northwest Plants by Peggy Robinson 1977

Edible and medicinal plants of the west Tilford 1997

Posted by Angie Goodloe LMT, Herbalist at 8:19 AM 13 comments 

Labels: Herbs, Legends,  Native American, wild foods 

Friday, July 20, 2007

Wands Harry Potter Yew Vrs Holly 

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Yew Taxus Brevifolia Baccata

This post is a continuing series I will be writing about in the next few weeks, Harry

Potter herbs & other Legends see Hazel

Lord Voldemort's wand is made of Yew. It is the only wand (so far) in the series made of 

yew.

Yew has been associated with death in legends. The Greeks and Romans used yew as fuel for 

their funeral pyres. Yew was also planted in church yards as a symbol of immortality (since it

is an evergreen) Horcrux is the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality. Yew was also useful in soaking up

"poisonous vapors" escaping graves. To dream of yew meant an old person was about to die

and leave the dreamer a large sum of money.

Yew is not a food source, the needles and leaves are poisonous. Some northwest Native

American groups smoked the needles. The yew is unusual because it reproduces itself by

means of "berries" actually they are aril, not true berries. The "berries" appear on the female

 plant.

Since the wood was strong according to the doctrine of signatures this strength could beimparted to humans. The Swinomish Native American tribe rubbed themselves with it to gain

strength. The Cowlitz and th Quinalult tribes made poultices of the wet needles to apply to

wounds.

The Latin name Taxus baccata means "bow yew" the very strong wood is excellent for 

making bows & yew was used by ancient armies for this purpose. So did Robin Hood, who

was buried under a yew tree at his request.

Yew was one of the ingredients in witches' brew in MacBeth, and according to Pliny a natural

history wine cups made of yew were the cause of death for some ancient Romans. He also

reported the smoke from a yew tree would kill rats and mice.

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Holly Ilex aquifolium

Harry Potter's

wand is made of Holly. In N Europe holly is called "Christ's thorn" because it was supposed

to have first sprung up under Christ's footsteps as he wandered the earth. The Thorns and red

 berries resembling drops of blood symbolized his sufferings.The use of holly for Christmas decorations dates back to Roman Christians, and the custom

was brought to America from England, along with the plant.

Medicinal uses:

The tea from the leaves was used in the past to treat gout, stones, rheumatism, and arthritis.

An application of the decocted root was used to extract objects embedded in the flesh. The

 bark and leaves were used as fomentation for broken bones.

Other: the wood is white (opposite of dark as in the "Dark Lord") it resembles ivory. It wassometimes used for piano and organ keys, handles of tools and metal tea pots.

The berries are poisonous.

Recourse Profiles of Northwest Plants Peggie Robinson

Pic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aril

Posted by Angie Goodloe LMT, Herbalist at 5:12 PM 1 comments 

Labels: Fun, Herbs, Legends 

Skunk Cabbage Lysichiton Americanum Legend 

Time is short today, I will add more to this post at another time. This story really stuck withme and I wanted to share it. This is part of an continuing series of posts about folklore see

Hazel

Native American Legend

In the days before there were any salmon, the Native Americans had only plants to eat

including skunk cabbage root (very hot and peppery). The skunk cabbage decided to help the

 people and caused the first salmon run to occure. As a reward the skunk cabbage was given an

elk skin blanket and a war club which he has kept to this day.

Photo by Pam Archer Posted by Angie Goodloe LMT, Herbalist at 3:15 PM 1 comments 

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 personally have always thought they were absolutely beautiful. The first recording of this

custom is in China where the willow is also a symbol of immortality because of it's long life.

In European folklore the willow has been believed to be "planted by the devil to lure people to

suicide by the restful swinging of it's branches"

According to Bible stories it was the tree where Judus hung himself after betraying Jesus.

It has been said that the willow produces snakes, while it's ashes will drive them away.

Witches give the tree special importance and use it as a meeting place.

In Louisiana folklore Willow leaves are used. You treat the fever by laying on the cool leaves,

when the leaves become warm, it meant the fever had transferred into them.

Willow smoke is believed to sooth and guide the souls of the dead

Old Time Medicinal Uses

Henriette has some great info & pictures on her site: White Willow bark contains salicin . In

1827 a french chemist Named Leroux extracted the active substance that relieves pain and

named it " Salicin." In 1899 Friedrich Bayer in Germany marketed aspirin.

Willow has been used for 1000's of years to treat pain & fever.

Pliny A Natural History records several other uses for willow: The ashes from the burnt bark 

of the tips of the branches was said to cure corns and calluses and to remove spots on the face.

A decoction of the bark and leaves in wine was applied externally for gout. Earache was

treated with willow sap warmed in pomegranate rind with rose oil or with boiled willow

leaves beaten up with wax.

Both European herbalists and Rocky Mountain Native American tribes both independently

discovered the use of the decoction as a hair rince removes dandruff, the English mixed the

decoction with wine for their shampoo.

 Native Americans also used the leaves for a poultice to apply to wounds & cuts, it was also

used for making strings for baskets and other uses.

Hippocrates used white willow, the cuniform sign for the willow appears frequently in

 prescriptions on the 4000 year old Sumerian tablet from Nippur 

The Ebers Papyrus lists a liquid from the tree which was mixed with figs, frankincense, beer,

and other things, and "boiled, strained, and taken for four days to cause the stomach to receive bread"

Willow appears in Dr Thompson's translation of the Assyrian tablets

The Bible makes reference to the trees for comfort, shade and water.

Dioscorides pointed out Willows astringent qualities, and makes reference to it's use for gout,

and the ashes steeped in vinegar used for corns on the feet

Galen a Greek physician who came along a century after Discorides (his name is where the

term "galenicals" comes from) noted willow bark extract was helpful in cleansing & healing

the eyes when infected.

In The Herball of John Gerard 1597 states " to stay the spitting of Bloud when boiled in wine

and drunke."

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The Wisdom of TreesMeditation and the willow tre e

Resource: Profiles of Northwest Plants by Peggy Robinson, Natures Healing Arts 1977National Geographic

Posted by Angie Goodloe LMT, Herbalist at 2:15 PM 1 comments 

Labels: Fun, Herbs, Legends 

Monday, July 16, 2007Herbal Legends, folklore & mediaval uses Hazel Corylus 

OK, I just back from watching the new Harry Potter movie The Order Of the Pheoenix, the

secret is out I am a huge Harry Potter Nerd! Maybe I am just a kid at heart but I love epic

fantasy novels, old myths and lore, movies like Lord of The Rings, or similar fantasy. My

relatives are from Arkansas and a lot of folklore comes from those mountains, my Grandpa

was a "well witcher" he used a forked stick sometimes called a "divining rod" to find water 

for wells and my aunt (his daughter) still does this for our family to this day, she just witched

my cousin's well when they built their home. She also does things like the "ring test" for 

 paternity and is a master gardener. Maybe this planted the seed for my fascination with themystical & magical. As I count down the days until the final book 7 in the Harry Potter series

comes out on Saturday, I thought it would be fun to cover some unusual uses for herbs in the

 past and present, talk about some of the herbs in Harry Potter, & other fairy tales & mediaeval

uses of herbs. Let me just tell you ahead of time these uses are legends, I either heard it from

others or got the info from various books and stories I read, I have no way of proving them

(except for my aunt using the divining rod) so if you are left brained or need "proof" just

consider these writings a pleasant fiction. Another note, a lot of the time the old uses are not

 put into practice today by modern herbalists (some can be dangerous), they are however fun

to read about & keep in mind that old legends do sometimes have a grain of truth them

(laughs mischievously) !

I will start with the type of wood many used for the divining rod. Hazel Corylus

 Henriette has great pictures here

My Grandpa and I would go out and gather the hazel nuts they are very good to eat. I heard

from a friend that you can wear the shells to help with arthritic symptoms. After gathering the

nuts, Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest would burn the stalks to increase the nut

supply for the next year.

Old Time Medicinal Uses

Pliny's Natural History, hazel nuts can be used for catarrh and chronic cough

Europeans believed that a double hazel nut carried in your pocket would relieve a tooth ache.

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