Elder grass is not only an ornamental shrub that can decorate your garden. These are also useful berries, which are widely used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. We invite you to find out why elderberry is needed, planting and caring for this plant, as well as recipes for medicinal preparations and tinctures.
General information
Elder grass is a perennial, reaching a height of 60 to 150 centimeters. It has straight branched stems and pinnate leaves. Flowering occurs in June-July. The flowers of the black elderberry are very small and gather in white inflorescences. There are red stamens in the middle. The inflorescences are quite large (up to 20 centimeters in diameter), rounded in shape. Black berries ripen in August-September.
Planting and care
Elder grass is an undemanding plant. She feels great in the shade, tolerates frosty winters, lends herself to curly pruning. The only requirement for a good harvest isdrained soil. Therefore, you should always monitor the moisture level at the landing site.
If the soil is poor in minerals, it is recommended to apply fertilizer and top dressing. The best time for this is the beginning of the growing season. Elderberry is resistant to pests and diseases. But there is still a small risk of aphids and mites.
Propagation of elderberry herbaceous occurs vegetatively and cuttings. In the first method, above-ground shoots, root suckers, other parts of the bush, underground creeping rhizomes are disconnected from the shrub. In the case of cuttings, in June-July, branches from 8 to 12 cm in length should be cut from elderberry.
Elder grass - application
This perennial is used as an ornamental plant and for medicinal purposes. Black elderberry flowers, berries, rhizome, leaves, bark, twigs are all used to create various decoctions, infusions and preparations.
Perennial has unique medicinal properties. It can be combined with other herbs to enhance the he alth benefits. Berries can also be eaten raw. But at the same time, precautions must be taken, because with an excess of them in the body, poisoning can occur.
Healing properties of elderberry
There are two main uses for elderberry. The medicinal properties of this perennial are most apparent when used as a diuretic or to lower blood sugar levels. Therefore, variousdecoctions are recommended for kidney disease, ascites, diabetes.
Also, elderberry preparations can be made to treat constipation, obesity, back pain, gastritis and digestive disorders, colds. There are excellent folk recipes for preventing the flu and boosting immunity.
Recipes for infusions and decoctions
- Infusion of elderberry and other plants for edema, polyarthritis and gout. Make a mixture of dried meadowsweet flowers (10 grams), herbaceous elderberry root (15 grams), bean leaves (15 grams), knotweed (10 grams), horsetail (10 grams), blue cornflower flowers (10 grams), columns corn (15 grams), bearberry leaves (15 grams) and birch buds (15 grams). Pour four tablespoons with one liter of water and let it brew for twelve hours. Before use, boil for five minutes and cool slightly. Drink half a glass four times a day, half an hour after eating.
- For hemorrhoids. Make an infusion of eight herbaceous elderberry leaves, one tablespoon of sage, and one cup of boiling water. Let it all sit for one hour and add another teaspoon of honey. You need to take half a glass a day for a month.
- For diseased joints, gout, arthritis, neuralgia, paralysis. Boil the flowers of black elderberry and chamomile. Soak a bandage in this decoction and apply a compress to the affected areas of the body.
- For the treatment of sciatica. Let it brew for one hour in boiling water (0.5 liters) elderberry flowers (1.5 tablespoonspoons). Take half a glass of tincture three to five times a day before meals. The duration of treatment is ten days, then you need to take a break.
- For insomnia and headaches. Take a decoction of black elderberry roots and flowers.
- With various gastric diseases and atherosclerosis. Make a decoction of the bark and take it at night.
- For skin rashes. Make a decoction of the bark, flowers and berries of black elderberry and take a bath in it.
For the prevention of colds and flu
Dry black elderberry flowers and add them to tea to ward off colds or as a flu remedy. Three teaspoons of tea leaves need one teaspoon of flowers.
For dessert, you can make elderberry syrup. To do this, perennial berries are blanched and 1.4 kilograms of sugar are added to one liter of juice. The syrup needs to be boiled for a long time to make it thick. It is used to make sauces, jelly, as toppings for ice cream, pancakes, cakes.
For those who love homemade wine, elderberry is also useful. Perennial berries do not lose their medicinal properties in wine, and the drink itself turns out to be very tasty.
Wine Recipe:
- Take two liters of apple juice, ten liters of black elderberries, one kilogram of sugar.
- Mash the berries.
- Add juice and sugar.
- Move everything and let it ferment for five or six days.
- Then strain the drink, squeeze the juice and bottle everything. The container must be closed with a corkand secure it with wire (like champagne).
- The bottles are placed in a cold room (cellar, basement).
Contraindications
It is strictly forbidden to use black elderberry for pregnant and lactating women, children under twelve years of age. It is not recommended to drink decoctions and infusions from this perennial for people with impaired functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
There is also a risk of poisoning if you use elderberries in excess of the amount indicated in the recipes.
