What is elderberry? Blackberry: medicinal properties and application

The blackberry is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the Adoksov family. In the people it is called a buffalo color, a bouznik, hollow, a sambuk, a pischalnik. There is an opinion that the Latin name of the plant "sambucus" is directly related to sambuk - an oriental musical instrument made of its wood. Greeks and Romans grew it for medical use, in addition, they considered it a sacred plant that protects their house. In this article we will consider what is elder, learn about its useful properties, and also we will understand how to apply it.

In the Middle Ages, it was already used for medicinal purposes, in addition, as a dye for tissues and hair. Slavs believed that it can not be brought into the house or burned, that lightning does not strike it. At the same time in Germany there was an opinion about what is elder. They believed that this plant is useful for witches. Everyone who cuts it down will fall into their power. Due to this it was believed that the person who near the house is growing this plant, on his head calls for various troubles.

Description

So, what is elder? This is a low tree or shrub with a trunk, whose diameter reaches 30 cm, with a fractured, ashy-brown bark, with a rounded crown, with a huge number of yellow lychees located on young branches. The plant lives about 60 years.

Elderberry has branchy stems, with a white porous soft core and a woody thin shell. Its leaves are large, odd-pinnate, opposite, dark green, up to 30 cm long, consisting of several oblong-ovate pointed tiny leaves. On top, they are a matte-green hue, greyish-green from below. Leaves in the spring appear stipules, then they fall off.

The flowers of the elderberry are yellowish-white in color, fragrant, small, five-petalled, with a sparse-spinned coronoid aureole. They are collected in flat apical large corymbose panicles, in diameter reaching 20 cm. Seated marginal flowers, all the rest have pedicels.

The elder brother grows on Madeira and the Azores, in Tunisia and Algeria, North America, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltics, Belarus, Russia, New Zealand.

Workpiece

So, we learned what is elder, now we will find out how it is harvested for later use. Flowers, fruits, young branches, leaves, roots and bark of the plant are used by folk medicine. The blossoming flowers of the plant are cut in dry weather in May with whole inflorescences (before shedding, during the flowering period), they are laid loose in baskets, as crumpled inflorescences darken during drying. At the same time, in a plastic bag, flowers bloom, acquiring a very unpleasant smell. This raw material is not suitable for drying. Then the inflorescences are folded upwards with twigs on a layer of paper or cloth or hanging over paper or cloth (where the flowers will fall off) in a ventilated place, in the shade.

Elderberry black berries with cuttings are cut with whole brushes, ripe in August. Unripe fruit is poisonous, while ripe - edible and fairly safe, although they can only be consumed after cooking or drying. Dry, hung in airy places.

For the preparation of juices or jam blackberry, the medicinal properties of which are described in this article, terminates right before processing. Wash it with whole inflorescences, otherwise the juice easily escapes. Broken berries are not stored for more than two days, as they quickly mold. Juice is preferably done in a juice cooker, the seeds remain intact at the same time. After its preparation, the residues must be wiped through a sieve, thus removing the poisonous numerous bones.

From the two-year-old branches in spring, remove the bark before the sap flow begins. It is thoroughly cleaned of glands, separated from the core, then dried in ovens, dryers. Store no more than 3 years. In the spring they collect leaves. The roots of the plant are harvested in November, dried, and then pulverized.

Composition

The plant in flowers contains ethereal semisolid oil, glycosides, flavonoids (quercetin, rutin), choline; Konin and alkaloids sanguinarine; Ethyl isobutyl, carotene, organic acids: ascorbic, acetic, coffee, valerian, malic, chlorogenic; Paraffin-like, tannic and mucous substances, amines (isobutylamine, ethylamine, isoamylamine), sugars, pentosans, mineral salts, resins.

Blackberry berries contain ascorbic and malic acids, rutin, carotene, B vitamins, chrysanthemum, sambucin, sugars (glucose, fructose), tannins, amino acids, organic acids, resins, pectins, anthocyanin dyes, traces of essential oils. In unripe fruits and leaves there is glycoside sambunigrin, decomposing into benzaldehyde, glucose and hydrocyanic acid.

The blackberry, the medicinal properties of which have been actively used in folk medicine for many years, contains sambunigrin and fatty oil in seeds. In leaves - hexene and glycolic aldehydes, traces of alkaloids, tannins, carotene, ascorbic acid. In the roots - bitter and tannic substances, as well as saponins. In dry raw materials - resins, sambunigrin, essential oil. In the bark - choline, betulin, triterpene compounds, essential oil, methyl ether, phytosterols, ceril alcohol, organic acids, sugars, pectin substances and tannins.

Use in medicine

The elderly black medicinal properties are very wide. It is used as a general restorative, analgesic, antipyretic, antiviral, antifungal, expectorant, anthelmintic, sedative, astringent; With ascites; For better metabolism; With edema, female diseases, menopause; Diabetes mellitus; headache; Hepatitis; Stomach ulcer; Arthritis, polyarthritis; Malaria; Bronchitis; Disorders of skin pigmentation; Skin diseases; Blepharitis, conjunctivitis; Hydrophobia; Depression.

Use in Cooking

Elderberry is used to make jam, jam, compotes, kissels. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, a syrup is prepared from the flowers of the plant. Periodically, the juice or young inflorescences of its fruits are added to the grape must to improve the aroma and taste of the drink. Of the ripe berries are obtained harmless dyes, purple and red, which are used in the food industry.

Use in other areas

The elder is a decorative plant, it is often grown in parks and gardens. It is noteworthy ornamental foliage, elegant fruits, lace inflorescences. The wood of the plant is used in turning; The branches are suitable for protecting granaries from the weevil, they are also used as an insecticide for bedbugs, gooseberry moths, blackcurrant mites.

In addition, this plant scares off rats and mice, therefore, elderberry is planted around cellars, barns, sheds. Flowers are used in veterinary medicine for rheumatism and colds in horses and cattle. The juice of his fruit is colored with wool and silk in different tones. Copperware is also cleaned with the fruits of this plant.

Infusion of flowers

Buzina black medicinal properties is very diverse. From her prepare a curative infusion. To do this, a spoonful of flowers of plants pour a glass of hot water. Insist the remedy for 20 minutes in a closed saucepan, strain, drink hot at night as a diaphoretic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, choleretic, diuretic; With various colds (runny nose, cough, laryngitis, tonsillitis) and flu, as well as with bladder, kidney, edema, gout, rheumatism and neuralgia, skin rashes, hemorrhoids.

Infusion of fruits

Take the dried elderberry berries (10 g), fill them with a glass of cooled boiled water for 2 hours. Drink once a day for a glass.

Infusion of bark

6 g of bark insist in 500 ml of boiling water for 5 hours in a thermos. Use 5 times a day for swelling, bladder, kidney, diabetes, edema.

Broth from flowers: elderberry flowers

A spoon of dried flowers is poured into a glass of water, heated on a steam bath under the lid for 15 minutes, filtered. Volume up to the initial is brought with boiled water. Use warm to a meal a third cup twice a day with articular rheumatism, gout and arthritis, bronchial asthma and colds. The product should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It is used in the form of lotions or poultices with burns, diaper rash, boils, and also in the form of rinses with inflammation of the mouth and throat.

Decoction of leaves

A spoonful of leaves should be poured a glass of boiling water, boil for 5 minutes and insist until the product completely cools. To consume 1 spoonful three times a day for diabetes, rheumatism, ascites, gout, edema, etc.

Broth of fruits

1 spoonful of fruit boil 5 minutes in a glass of water on a steam bath. Another 5 minutes insist, and then filter. Drink as a diuretic, analgesic, and also regulating metabolism.

Decoction of the roots

A spoonful of ground roots should be filled with a glass of water and heated for half an hour on a steam bath. After it has cooled, it is necessary to strain and add to the initial volume boiled with warm water. They drink with diabetes.

Elderberry juice

You will need a ripe black elderberry. The use of juice from it is indicated for oncological diseases. The berries are laid in layers in a three-liter jar, alternating with the same thickness of sugar. Fill the can to the top. Means to insist for a month. Stand out juice to drink three times a day for 1 spoonful. During the treatment period, drink before meals 150 ml of distilled water.

Syrup

On an empty stomach to drink a glass of cold boiled water. Then drink a dessert spoonful of syrup. Such a tool will help with mastopathy. Syrup is consumed twice a day at the same time. Drink until it syrup runs out in the jar. Treatment to spend one and a half month, then to repeat later one more month. In a year it is necessary to conduct three such courses.

Juice for alcohol

The collected ripe curative elder is wrung out. It should be 250 ml of ready-made juice. It is mixed with the same amount of alcohol. Consumed by increasing three times a day from 1 to 40 drops, then vice versa. The remedy should be washed down with milk. If the mastopathy has not passed, after 3 weeks to repeat the course of treatment.

Sweat collection

2 spoons of elderberry flowers, heart lime flowers and mullein high thoroughly mix. Pour the mixture (2 spoons from the obtained) with a glass of hot water, insist half an hour, then strain. Add water to the glass. Drink 3 hot dasgs.

Bath from the infusion of leaves and roots

Pour a liter of boiling water 30 g mixture of ground elder roots and dried leaves, insist 2 hours. Ready infusion filter, then pour it into a bath filled with water. Treatment includes 10 daily procedures. Take a bath before going to bed for 15 minutes.

Poultices from leaves

In milk, 2 spoons of plant leaves are cooked, after which they are wrapped in gauze. Apply externally for burns, boils, hemorrhoids and diaper rash.

Poultices from chamomile and elderberry flowers

You will need elderina (recipes from it are given in this article) and chamomile medicinal. In equal parts, mix these herbs. Turn them into cheesecloth, then rinse with hot water and with rheumatism and gout do a warm overlay.

When treating acne, which occurs on the face, a thin layer of pressed fresh fruits of this plant are applied to the skin.

Lotion from flowers

It will take a handful of elderberry flowers. They need to pour boiling water (half a liter), insist 20 minutes. The resulting product must be filtered and stored in a refrigerator. Apply every day to the face in the morning and evening. This lotion perfectly rejuvenates and tones up the skin.

Contraindications

The blackberry, whose properties have been described in detail in the article above, is a poisonous plant. All its parts are poisonous, except for the shell and pulp of flowers and ripe berries. In the treatment it is necessary to remember that the fruits of the plant in large quantities are forbidden. Doses of drugs can not be increased, as this can lead to the emergence of various side effects: diarrhea, vomiting, rapid urination, etc. The bark and its roots can cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa in large doses.

You can not take elderberry black preparations in diabetes insipidus, enterocolitis (ulcerative colitis), in addition, with chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Her drugs are also contraindicated for children less than 12 years, with pregnancy, individual intolerance, feeding.

Black elder is distinguished from red (more poisonous) is not always possible. Therefore, if you are not completely sure that you are using a black look, do not use berries so that you do not have severe poisoning.