Elderberry is known as the poor man's medicine. It is a tree of medicine and folklore. It's leaves are healing for wounds and sprains. The berries can be made in to wine, jam, or a tincture. One can use it in a tea. Elderberry has been documented to be a known cure for the bird flu. In my family we make elderberry tincture from harvested berries from our shrub in the back yard. To me, the tincture tastes very much like port wine. We use it every time the flu or a cold comes along. The flowers can be harvested and made into an infusion to break fevers. When the flowers are in bloom they have a slight anise scent to them. When my friend was undergoing chemo for breast cancer, she would take our homemade elderberry tincture every night to boost her immune system. She too loved the taste and looked forward to taking her medicine in the evening. The folk lore associated with Elder varies; some tell of a witch that lives in every bush. One tale explains how a person can see the fey when they sit under the tree when the veil is thin during certain times of the year. Several cultures believe the Elder protects a home from being struck by lightening. We are always warned never to take from the Elder without asking. In Denmark, a dryad, Hylde-Moer, the Elder-tree Mother, lives in the tree. The Russians believed Elder would protect them from evil. And of course there is the old rhyme, "Elder be the ladies tree burn it not or cursed you'll be".
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