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| Departments » Herbal Medicine » Materia Medica » Sambucus nigra |
Note - the monographs are provided for informational purposes only, and are not to be used for self-medication.
Sambucus nigra (Elder)
| Botanic Name | Sambucus nigra |
| Common Name | Elder, Black Elder, Common Elder, Pipe Tree, Bore Tree, Bour Tree, Hylder, Hylantree, Eldrum, Ellhor, Hollunder, Sureau (Grieve) |
| Family | Caprifoliaceae |
| Parts Used | Bark, flowers, berries, leaves |
| Habitat | Along hedgerows, in woods and waste places throughout all northern temperate regions(Mills) |
| Constituents | Flowers:
Flavonoids (rutin, isoquercitrine and kampherol)
Hydrocyanic glycoside (sambunigrine) Tannins Essential oil Berries: Invert sugar Fruit acids Tannin Vitamin C and P Anthrocyanic pigments |
| Actions | Bark:
Purgative, emetic, diuretic
Leaves: External: emollient, vulnerary Internal: purgative, expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic Flowers: Diaphoretic, anti-catarrhal Berries: Diaphoretic, diuretic, laxative |
| Applications | Leaves:
Bruises, sprains, wounds and chilblains, ointment for tumours(Hoffmann)
Flowers: Colds, influenza, hayfever, sinusitis, catarrhal deafness(Hoffmann) Berries: As for flowers, plus rheumatism(Hoffmann) Colds, fevers with dry, hot skin (Mills)(Mills) Chronic nasal catarrh, sinusitis Dry coryza, spasmodic croup (Mills)(Mills) Skin eruptions from metabolic disturbance, eczema, dermatitis (Mills)(Mills) |
| Body Systems | Respiratory, Musculoskeletal, Integumentary |
| Dosage | Dried
flower: 2-4g or by infusion tds (BHP)
Liq. Ext.: 1:1 in 25% alcohol, 2-4mL tds (BHP) |
| Combinations | With Mentha
piperita, Achillea millefoliun or Hyssopus officinalis
for colds and fever
With Eupatorium perfoliatum for influenza With Solidago virgauria for catarrhal states |
| C/I Cautions | None |
| BHP S/I | Common cold |