Sambucus nigra

Sambucus nigra, also called black elderberry or Holder in southwestern German-Swiss, is a shrub from the genus Elder (Sambucus). In Europe it is one of the most common shrub species. Its flowers and fruits are widely used as medicines, foodstuffs and dyes.

see under Black Elder

The black elderberry is a strongly branched shrub or tree that grows to a height of 11 metres and can reach an age of up to 100 years. The branches of the elder are often arching. The bark is greyish-brown in colour and covered with cork pores, which are impressive as lighter-coloured elevations. These elevations are filled with a white pith.
The elderberry has opposite, almost 12 cm long leaves, which are elliptical in shape and serrated at the edges. The white or slightly yellowish flowers each have five sepals, petals, free stamens with yellow anthers and three fused carpels.

In August and September the drupes, which are initially red and later black, rich in vitamin C and potassium, begin to ripen. They have a burgundy red juice which is hardly washable from textiles. As these fruits ripen, their stems also turn reddish. The berries are edible after boiling or fermentation.

Naturopathy: Sambucus nigra is the parent plant of Sambuci flos, the extract of elderflower.

Cosmetics: Sambucus nigra extracts are used in cosmetic formulations:

• Sambucus nigra extract the extract from the flowers of the plant
• Sambucus nigra berry extract the extract from the fruits of the plant
• Sambucus nigra water d extract the aqueous solution from the flowers of the plant