The American Elder

THE AMERICAN ELDER

The American ElderThe American elder is a tall shrub that is native to the north of America. This shrub is commonly known as common elder, elderberry, sweet elder and sambucus. The European American Elder plant grows up to the height of 30 feet.

The American Elder berry is a species that grows in both wet and dry soils majorly in sunny locations.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AMERICAN ELDER

This is a deciduous suckering shrub whose leaves are arranged in opposite pairs. They have pinnate leaves with five to nine leaflets which are each 10cm long and 5 cm broad. They also bear large corymbs of white colored flowers above its foliage. Each flower in 5-6 mm in diameter and has around five petals.
The fruit is dark purple in color and is around 3 to 5 mm in diameter. They hang from the shrub in clusters. Both the berries and the flowers of the plant are edible.

THERAPEUTIC POWERS OF THE AMERICAN ELDER

The American Elder is known for:

  • Its Laxative properties
  • Diuretic properties
  • Being a Anti hepatotoxic agent
  • Used in wines and jellies

NUTRIENT COMPOSITION

The European Elder flowers contain essential oils that are free from fatty acids and triterpenes. The fruits of the plant contain betulin, betulic acid and ursolic oleanic. The leaves contain the chemical compounds called cyanogenic glucoside and sambunigrin.

Elderberry contains pigments, amino acids, tannin, Flavonoids, sugar, viburnic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C and carotenoids.

CARE FOR AILMENTS

The plant is known for its antioxidant property; helps in lowering cholesterol, improving vision, boosting the immune system and for improving heart conditions. The medicinal herb is also beneficial for relieving cough, cold, bacterial infections, flu and tonsillitis. The juice of the Elderberry was used to relieve a flu which spread in Panama in 1995.

  • This medicinal shrub has been used in folk herbal science in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
  • It is a mild laxative, diaphoretic and diuretic.
  • Israel’s Hasassah Oncology Lab researched to determine that the Elderberry stimulates the body’s immune system that can help in relieving patients suffering from dreaded diseases like cancer and AIDS.
  • Studies in Austria proved that the American Elder reduces oxidation of the low density lipoprotein cholesterol thus helping to relieve cardio vascular diseases.
  • This medicinal herb has been used to relieve asthma, diabetes and to enable weight loss.

SAFETY AND PRECAUTIONARY TIPS FOR USING THIS HERB

The flowers and the fruit of the plant are edible but the other plants of the American Elder contain toxic calcium oxalate crystals. The toxicity of the plant has been known to effect children primarily. Excessive dosage of the American Elder can lead to nausea, vomiting, weakness, numbness, stupor and dizziness.

PLANET AYURVEDA PRODUCTS THAT USE THIS HERB

Presently we do not have any product that contains the herb Taraxacum Offuinale. However, the best substitutes for the same from the house of Planet Ayurveda are:

The team of Planet Ayurveda is works hard to provide the best products to its customers. The products manufactured by the organization are chemical free and made of organically grown ingredients. The preparations are purely vegetarian. We do not practice or endorse the concept of testing the products on animals.