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The Many Uses Of Elderberries

By : Adrian Adams Five stars rating

Submitted 2007-08-06 20:08:43

Elderberries are common enough around parts of North America and Europe, and even in some of the more tropical southern regions of the planet they can also be found. But what the heck do you do with an elderberry?

Well, there are several different things that can be done with them. Wine is one very popular choice, and in Hungary they even use them to make brandy. As a general rule of thumb, it's not the brightest idea on the planet to eat them raw, as they are mildly poisonous, and usually tend to induce vomiting. The green parts of the plant are all poisonous, and should not be consumed. However, the berries also make excellent pies and jams, and the flowers can be used to make tea.

In addition to dietary uses, an extract of elderberries has been shown to be of some use in fighting the flu, and the herbal tea made from the flowers has traditionally been known as a remedy for fevers and colds.

Elderberries and the elder bush have been the focus of many curious studies, and are known throughout many regions of the earth for their healing properties, although many of these wives tales are yet to be proven. However, there are commonly held beliefs in many cultures that elder bush, elderberries, and the flowers that produce them can be used in many different ways to cure any number of maladies. There has been some scientific basis for the idea of this plant having healing properties, however much has yet to be explored.

Elderberry also has been found to be a good source of essential amino acids and proteins, and has been described by Wiley InterScience as "a good source of high biological value protein and thus a suitable source of raw material for a variety of food and dietary products". Roughly translated into english, that means the stuff is good for you. Since there are so many different ways to eat (or drink) the elderberry, I recommend you try a few out and see if you like any of the variety you can get out of them. If you do, there's something else to eat that is good for you. If not, well at least you can say you tried.

If you're interested in learning a few elderberry recipes, please search few sites and you will have enough to get some. I checked out some of the information on this site, and I gotta say, I'm looking forward to brewing a batch of elderberry beer, if for no other reason than to say I did.