The black elder
(SAMBUCUS NIGRA L.)
Elderberries played an important role very early on in human history. In his famous writings, Hippocrates already reported on the positive effect of the black berries on humans. Elderberry has been used in so many different ways over the centuries that the respected physician, surgeon and botanist Michael Ettmüller described black elderberry as the “medicine chest of the rural population “* in the 17th century.
In the same period, the German physician Martin Blochwitz wrote a handbook entitled “Die Anatomie des Holunders” (The Anatomy of Elderberry), which is still regarded as the standard work on elderberry and its uses today. In it, he described the many positive effects of the plant. In the centuries that followed, his findings were expanded, refined and ultimately confirmed by scientific studies. This confirmed once again that the elderberry is not called the “Lord God’s Pharmacy” * for no reason.
Hardly any other plant is used in so many ways as a food to support a healthy lifestyle as the black elderberry. It therefore plays a decisive role in nature’s medicine chest. * At this point it should be mentioned that the medicine chest of ancient times was synonymous with a healthy diet from nature, which was primarily used to enhance the daily diet. In today’s parlance, we speak of dietary supplements. The black elder was chosen as the medicinal plant of the year 2024 by the Natural Healing Association (NHV) Theophrastus to highlight its many benefits.