Pretty leaflets - pretty poisonous
There is poisonous sambunigrin in all parts of the elderberry bushes, which causes severe nausea and other complaints in sensitive people. This applies to berries as well as to flowers and the decorative leaflets. It is good to know that the toxin content dissolves with pleasure from exactly 76.3 degrees Celsius.
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Elderberries and elder blossoms are therefore suitable for boiling down with aromatic jam, delicious jelly or thirst-quenching juice. However, the leaves have a bitter, pungent taste that even the most ingenious recipe does not turn out to be good. They are therefore extremely unsuitable for the home menu. There is still a back door.
Never eat elder leaves raw!
If elder leaves are eaten raw or not heated sufficiently, this can have fatal consequences. It is therefore generally not advisable to consume elder leaves or elder bark without boiling them thoroughly beforehand.
The healing power of nature is in elderberry leaves
The foliage of the black elder is bulging with valuable essential oils, vitamins and minerals. These ingredients have immunizing, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects, among other things. Hippocrates recognized the health benefits of elder leaves in ancient times and recommended them for a wide variety of uses. Some popular examples from folk medicine:
- Soak fresh elder leaves in pork fat and place on bruises, burns, chilblains or eczema
- Prepared as a tea not tasty, but all the more beneficial for constipation and blood purification
- A cup of elderberry tea a day strengthens the resistance to colds
- Dip a cotton ball in cold tea and place it on tired eyes
If the leaves are collected from April to June, they have the maximum content of healing powers. Anything not intended for fresh consumption is dried and stored in a dark box. For a cup of tea, 2 teaspoons of the dried leaves are enough, pour bubbly hot water over them and sieve them off after 5-10 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
The leaves of the elder can be used to manufacture a very effective means of deterring moles and voles. In particular, the moles, which are under conservation, run away from the intense stench of elderberry manure. To do this, 1 kilo of elderberry leaves ferment in 10 liters of water for 14 days in a sunny spot. Then let the manure run in the aisles.
