elderberry tea benefits Archives

Elderberry Medicinal Properties*

For centuries, elderberries have been used worldwide for medicinal purposes. Their storied health benefits include being an antiviral, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory fruit. They have been shown to contain more vitamin C than any other plant besides black currants and rosehips.

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Elderberry for Cold and Flu Prevention

Most prominent among elderberry’s health benefits is its ability to fight cold and flu. Studies have shown that elderberry can neutralize the enzyme the flu virus employs to enter a cell. It also attacks influenza’s mechanisms of entering the body, which holds for multiple virus strains.

Is Elderberry Antiviral?

Elderberry contains antiviral compounds that can reduce the severity and duration of flu and fever. It can also increase the level of antibodies in the body and promote the production of white blood cells that don’t cause inflammation while suppressing the production of white blood cells that cause inflammation.

Two jars with one full of elderflower syrup and another full of elderberry syrup, near elderflowers and raspberries.

Benefits of Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup is relatively easy to make and carries elderberry’s incredible healing power. Studies have shown that it can cure 90% of flu infections within 72 hours, and it can shorten flu symptoms by four days. Elderberry syrup can also lessen fever symptoms.

Elderberry Tea Benefits

Elderberry tea can relieve symptoms of hay fever and allergies. It also strengthens the respiratory tract and helps to loosen phlegm and mucous from the lungs. It also helps alleviate stuffiness and congestion and reduces inflammation.

Elderberry Wine Benefits

Drink up! Elderberry wine can treat flu and help with flu symptoms. It can also help break down mucus and relieve congestion. A glass of elderberry wine can also soothe inflammation in the respiratory passages.

Other Elderberry Medicinal Properties

Elderberries have notable benefits against inflammation and were used in ancient times to treat joint pain. Immersing elderflowers in oil can create a soothing massage oil that can relax sore muscles and relieve sunburns. Distilling elderflowers is also said to create flower water that can soften and revitalize the skin.

Close-up selective focus photography of elderberries hanging from a tree.

Can You Take Elderberry While Pregnant?

While elderberry has incredible healing and restorative properties that can help immensely with health during pregnancy, it is crucial to practice caution when consuming elderberries while pregnant.

Are Elderberries Safe During Pregnancy?

Ripe elderberries and juice are safe during pregnancy, but steer clear of unripe elderberries, elder tree stems, leaves and bark, and red elderberries, as these can be toxic and harmful to mother and unborn child and cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

Benefits of Elderberry While Pregnant

With that aside, when consumed correctly, elderberries can protect mother and baby from infections and ailments. They are high in fiber which can help with weight management while pregnant.

Elderberry Syrup and Pregnancy

Elderberry syrup is an excellent way to consume elderberry while pregnant, and it is a good flu remedy and cold fighter. Elderberry syrup can also boost the immune system tremendously, which is helpful to both mother and child.

Does Elderberry Contain Cyanide?

Take particular caution when using the elder plant for any healing and remedies. Unripe or raw elderberries contain a cyanide-like poison that can cause vomiting, coma, and even death. Elder stems, leaves, and bark are toxic and should not be consumed. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also take special care not to consume unripe elderberries.

FDA Disclaimer

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More from Elune Blue

The Bridge Between Worlds: Elder Tree Spiritual Meaning and Magic

Elderberry is a fruit of opposites. It has been used for protection from evil, as well as to summon evil in. An elder tree’s roots are shallow, yet the plant is robust. Elderberry is a potently magical fruit used for healing and blessings, but it also finds itself used for curses, summoning ghosts and evil spirits, and …

The Magic of Elderberry

Elderberry is a fruit of opposites. It has been used for protection from evil, as well as to summon evil in. An elderberry tree’s roots are shallow, yet the plant is robust. Elderberry is a potently magical fruit used for healing and blessings, but it also finds itself used for curses, summoning ghosts and evil spirits, and banishing.

Elderberry Represents Holle, Goddess of Death and Regeneration

Elderberry has the power to bridge the divide between the physical and the spiritual realm. It represents Holle, Goddess of Death and Regeneration, who protects the life cycle and those transitioning into death and the Underworld.

Holle, Gatekeeper of The Underworld

Holle is a gatekeeper of Death and the Underworld. She resides in a cold, dark residence at the bottom of a well, but she is considered a kind, benevolent goddess who is generally not feared and even loved. Holle is also a goddess of life and vegetation. Anyone who traverses into her realm will be rewarded justly, either good or bad, depending on the reward they deserve.

Dark purple elderberries connected by red stems hanging from a tree.

Elder Twigs for Holle’s Protection

Elderberry and the elder tree are associated with death and the Underworld. Elder twigs were often placed in coffins or buried with loved ones to beseech the protection of the Goddess Holle and grant them safe passage into the Underworld.

The Dryad in the Elder Tree

Some cultures believe that a tree dryad inhabits the elder tree. This dryad is viewed as a kind and benevolent spirit when treated with honor and respect who protects those who care for the elder tree.

The Merciless Elder Tree Dryad

The dryad in the elder tree shows no mercy to those who use the elder tree improperly. The dryad will hunt them down and curse them with bad luck. To please the dryad, the materials from the elder tree were only to be used for medicinal or protective magic and charms and only after garnering the permission of the dryad.

The Elder Tree Protects

Elderberries and the elder tree carry protective energies and do well to ward against evil energies. Bundles of elder twigs around the home can also protect the household, and it is believed that where an elder tree grows, lightning will not strike.

Harnessing The Elder Tree’s Protective Magic

Keeping elder leaves and branches hung over doorways and windows will also stave off negative energies and entities. Crowns also made of elder twigs can help with seeing spirits and reverse evil magic, and a cradle made of elder wood was said to protect the baby that lay within.

Using Elder Branches and Berries in Blessings

Elder branches and berries can be used in blessings. The oil can be used in blessing rituals, scattering elderberry and elderberry leaves to the winds while naming the person or object you wish to bless, then scattering leaves on that object or person will grant a blessing.

Marital Blessings and the Elder Tree

The elder tree is considered a sacred symbol for marriage as well. In some cultures, it is believed that elder twigs can bring good luck to newlyweds, and in Britain, it is said that if a man and woman drink ale infused with elderflowers, they would be married within a year.

Crafting Magical Tools with Elder Branches

Magical tools made with elder branches can ward off evil from magical practice. Elder branches have a soft, malleable core that is easily removed while remaining soft and sturdy on the outside. This makes them ideally suited for woodwind instruments, the music said to be loved by the spirit world. Wands and flutes made from the elder tree can even be used to summon spirits.

The Elder Tree Stimulates Vivid Dreams

Elderberry is known for its ability to stimulate vivid dreaming. It is said that falling asleep under an elder tree would inspire dreams of faerie lands.

Elderflowers against a black background.

Identifying Elderberry

You can identify the Elder tree by the white or yellow flowers it produces that bloom all year. The flowers eventually turn into dark, blue elderberry. They usually grow about 25 feet high, and 1 foot in diameter, and the tree has light gray or brown bark. The trunk is characteristically short, and the branches form a rounded crown at the top of the tree.

Where to Find Elder Trees

Elder leaves are slightly thick with sawtoothed edges and have a leathery texture. Elder trees can usually be found in the woods along the path of streams and in desert and desert grasslands. More locally, one can find elderberry at times growing along a roadside. Elderberry is a member of the honeysuckle family, and red elderberry is generally toxic.

Is Elderberry Edible?*

It is important to note what parts and kinds of the elder tree and berries are edible. Black or deep purple elderberries when ripe and elderflowers are edible. If there are lingering concerns about the toxicity of elderberries, boiling and baking can take care of any toxic properties.

Parts of the Elder Tree Can Be Toxic

It is not safe to consume raw elderberries as they are poisonous. They contain a trace of cyanide that can cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Because they are also toxic, steer clear of consuming elder roots, leaves, bark, and stems. Do not make teas from the leaves and branches of the elder tree, and raw red elderberry can also cause nausea.

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A jar of elderberry juice sitting on a ledge near elderberries on branches and a daisy.

The Elder Tree’s Connection to History

The name “elder” is believed to come from the Old English word ailed, which means “fire.” Its genus, Sambuca, is also the name of a musical instrument made from branches of the elder tree. The elder tree was seen as the tree of witches, and as Christianity began to rise, so did the persecution of tree worship.

Christianity’s Initial Suspicion of the Elder Tree

Christians feared the elder tree and viewed it as a symbol of sorrow and death. It was believed to be the tree that Judas Iscariot hung himself on, as well as the wood used for Jesus’ cross, a belief that has contributed to Christianity’s wariness of the elder tree.

How to Elder Tree Became A Part of Christian Tradition

Due to the prevalence of folklore and magic in Europe in the Middle Ages, Christian and pre-Christian beliefs soon merged to create new traditions and rituals. The elder tree and elderberry magical rituals started to assimilate into Christian practices. A Christmas Eve ritual involving the stems of the elder tree was created to reveal witches.

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