Elder: The Amazing Healing Benefits of Elder, the Premier Herbal Remedy for Colds and Flu (Keats Good Herb Guide Series)

156 Pages·1997·0.45 MB·English

by  Brigitte Mars

Elder : The Amazing Healing Benefits of
title: Elder, the Premier Herbal Remedy for Colds
and Flu Keats Good Herb Guide
author: Mars, Brigitte.
publisher: NTC Contemporary
isbn10 | asin:
print isbn13: 9780879837921
ebook isbn13: 9780071401265
language: English
subject Elders (Plants)--Therapeutic use.
publication date: 1997
lcc: RS165.E47M37 1997eb
ddc: 615/.32392
subject: Elders (Plants)--Therapeutic use.
Page i
Small Tree, Big Medicine
Used for centuries and steeped in legend, elder provides a host of
amazing benefits as both medicine and food. Today elder is rapidly
gaining popularity as a premier herbal remedy for colds and flu with
impressive scientific research proving its effectiveness.
But there's much more to the elder story and Brigitte Mars tells us all
we need to know about this beautiful flowering shrubits blossoms,
berries, leaves and bark and the health-giving syrups, teas, tinctures
and lotions that it offers. Besides clearing the system of excess mucus,
elder is useful as a mild laxative, diuretic and anti-inflammatory.
Acting as a gentle detoxifier, elder can aid in healthful weight loss. It
smoothes and heals the skin and plays a health-enhancing role in
almost every system of the body.
Page ii
About the Author
Brigitte Mars, an herbalist and nutritional consultant in Boulder,
Colorado, has been working with natural medicines for over 27 years.
The formulator of the popular "UniTea" line of herbal teas, she
teaches herbalism at Naropa Institute, The Rocky Mountain Center for
Botanical Studies and The Boulder School of Massage Therapy. She
frequently contributes articles to The Herb Companion, Natural
Health, Let's Live, and other magazines, and is a member of the
American Herbalist Guild. This is her first book.
Page iii
A Keats Good Herb Guide
Elder
The Amazing Healing Benefits of Elder, the Premier
Herbal Remedy for Colds and Flu
Brigette Mars
Keats Publishing Inc. New Canaan, Connecticut
Page iv
Elder is intended solely for informational and educational purposes,
and not as medical advice. Please consult a medical or health
professional if you have questions about your health.
ELDER
Copyright © 1997 by Brigitte Mars
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the
written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mars, Brigitte
Elder / by Brigitte Mars.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87983-792-6
1. Elders (plants)Therapeutic use. I. Title.
RS165.E47M37 1997 97-936
615'.32392dc21 CIP
Printed in the United States of America
Keats Good Health Guides are published by
Keats Publishing, Inc.
27 Pine Street (Box 876)
New Canaan, Connecticut 06840-0876
98 97 96 65 4 3 2 1
Page v
Contents
Elder: Small Tree, Big Medicine 1
Elder's Rich History 4
The Energetics of Elder 9
Parts of the Elder Tree 11
Elder: A Plant of Many Actions 18
Preparations and Dosages 23
Elderberry: an Antiviral Agent Par Excellence 27
Elderberry for Detocification 32
Modern Research on Elder Continues 36
Elder for Children 38
Elder in Oriental Medicine and Homeopathy 39
Elder as a Flower Essence and in Aromatherapy 41
The Nutrients in Elder 43
Elder and Other Herbs 50
Elder as an Alcoholic Beverage 52
Elder for Beauty Inside and Out 55
Other Uses of Elder 59
The Botany of Elder 63
Growing and Harvesting Elder 66
Lore about Elder 71
Cautions about Elder 78
Appendices 81
Index 86
Page vi
Elder: Leaf, Berry and Blossom
Page 1
Elder: Small Tree, Big Medicine
There is hardly a Disease from Head to Foot but it cures; for besides the
Vertues I have already mentioned, it is profitable for the Head-ach, for the
Ravings and Wakings, Hypochondriak Mellancholy, the Falling-sickness, the
Apoplexy and Palsy, Catarrhes, Toothach, Deafnesse, want of smelling,
Blemishes of the Face and Head, Diseases of the Mouth and Throat, the
Infirmities of the Lungs, Hoarseness, the Pleurisy and Ptisick, Women's
breasts being sore, Swooning and Faintness, in Feavours, the Plague, Pox,
Measles, Disease of the Stomack, the Wormes and other diseases of the Gutts,
the Hemmorrhoids, the Stone, Diseases of the Matrix etc; and, as if such all-
pervading power over illness was not enough, it is said that if a branch be put
into the trench, where a Mole is, it will either drive him forth, or kill him there.
Has there ever been a more wondrous tree?
William Coles, 1656
There is hardly a tree on earth that offers as much as the elder. Used
for centuries and steeped in legend, elder provides a host of amazing
benefits as both medicine and food. Adorned with beautiful white
blossoms and juicy blue-black berries, the elder tree is a beautiful
addition to any landscape.
Elderberries have long been valued for their cleansing ability,
enhancing the functions of the skin, kidneys, bowels and respiratory
systems. Today elder
Page 2
is rapidly gaining popularity as a premier herbal remedy for colds and
flu with impressive scientific research proving its effectiveness. Next
time you feel a cold or flu coming on, you would do well to consider
elder an ally.
The Name Behind the Tree
There are dozens of elder species, but in these pages we will focus on
Sambucus nigra, the variety most often used in Europe, where it is a
very popular herbal medicine, and Sambucus canadensis, the favored
American species. The two species can be used interchangeably.
Every part of the elder has a purpose. For several centuries, elder has
been referred to as the "medicine of the country people." This
honorable name was given to elder by Ettmueller, an 18th century
scientist.
The name elder comes from the Anglo-Saxon word aeld, meaning
"fire"; the young hollow stems of this shrub were once used to blow
air into a fire to get it burning. There is an Old Norse word, elda, and
a Middle English verb, elderr, both meaning "to light a fire." The
Latin name is Sambucus (pronounced Sam-bew-kus), derived from
the Greek sackbut, an ancient musical instrument for which the wood
of elder was used. Elder has also been called pan pipes or "the tree of
music" as the pith would be pushed out of the young hollow stems to
make a shrill musical sound. The word nigra refers to the luscious
black berries and canadensis refers to its place of origin because it
comes from Canada.