The Herbarium
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Elderberry botanical plate

Herb. No. 009 · Viburnaceae

RangeFig. atlas
Approximate native range — a teaching atlas, not a survey

Sambucus nigra in Europe, S. canadensis in eastern North America — sister species on two continents.

Native · Europe · North America

Native Also grown
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Elderberry

Sambucus nigra

Medicinal herbsKitchenHarvestLookalikes

Dark berries cooked into syrup at the first winter cough — never eaten raw.

European elder is a hedgerow shrub. Flowers (elderflower) are a diaphoretic tea for fevers; berries are used for viral winter illnesses. Raw fruit and all green parts contain cyanogenic glycosides — they must be cooked. Commercial syrups vary in berry strength.

Flavor

Cooked berries are jammy, wine-dark, and tart; flowers are honey-muscat.

Parts used

Ripe berries (cooked) · Flowers

Helpful

  • Good kitchen-project plant
  • Flowers and berries both useful
  • Wildlife hedge

Cautions

  • Raw plant is poisonous
  • Red elder (S. racemosa) is the wrong species
  • Not a stand-alone flu treatment

Do not confuse

Field assistant

Ask about traditional use, safety, or the law. The assistant will not teach illegal cultivation or give medical orders.

Related symptoms

coldflucoughfevercongestion

Teas with this plant

Remedies with this plant

  • First-scratch cold tray

    Elderberry: follow the jar; typically 1 tsp cooked syrup, 2–3 times, 2–3 days. Ginger: one 8–12 oz cup, 2–3 times. Garlic: 1 crushed culinary clove in food, once or twice. Yarrow: one 8 oz cup, once.

  • Nettle before the season

    Adult: 1 tbsp dried nettle per 12 oz, once daily through the season. Elderflower: 1 tsp dried, 8 minutes, as needed. Not a substitute for epinephrine.

Harvest this plant

When to cut, how to dry, and how to store it — garden and kitchen crops only.

Open harvest notes

Lookalikes

1 named mix-up for this plate.

Open lookalikes