Brown elder: pharmacological properties and application in folk medicine

Today, more than 40 elderberry species are known. Red elder (buchkan, elderberry, tsepin, kalinka, pischevnik) is an unpretentious shrub plant up to three meters high, which grows well both in the sun and in the shade, is resistant to smoke and gas pollution. This plant is characterized by high frost resistance. Elder flowers are small, yellow-white in color. The elder blossoms in the second half of May, and its red berries ripen in July.

This shrub is used for planting squares, streets, parks, strengthening slopes, ravines from drying, and it is very often found in abandoned areas and forest edges. Its fruits are not poisonous. Redberry is rarely used as a medicine. In folk medicine, juice from elderberry berries is used as a diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory drug. The bark and its fruits are an effective emetic and laxative. To treat rheumatism, catarrhs sometimes use dried fruits and elder inflorescence.

Seeds of red elderberry in some countries of Europe are used for obtaining oil, which is used for technical purposes. From the leaves get a green paint, and from the fruits - alcohol. Wood is used in turning production, a variety of toys are made from young branches, coils, peepers, bobbins, pipes, bobbins.

Thanks to its biochemical composition, the elderberry white, black and red are effective repellents. This plant well repels insects, mites, rats, mice, etc. Therefore, elder eggs are often planted near sheds, barns, and other agricultural structures. Black elder from the red can be distinguished not only by the fruits, but also by the inflorescence. The elderberry has flowers with a greenish tinge and an unpleasant smell, while in a black one they have white flowers and smell of almonds.

Busana red application in folk medicine has a wide, it finds fruits, bark, roots and flowers of the plant. Leaves, branches and inflorescences contain tannic substances, low-molecular carboxylic acids (malic, acetic, valeric), monosaccharides (fructose, glucose), vitamins (ascorbic acid, carotene, rutin), paraffin-like compounds, terpenoids, betulin, choline, ceril alcohol, ursol Acid. Immature fruits contain poisonous substances: sambunigrin, hydrocyanic acid, aldehyde benzel aldehyde.

Due to its unique composition, elderine exhibits anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and disinfectant effect. It is used for colds, headaches, stomatitis, ascites, bronchial asthma, tonsillitis, neuralgia, osteochondrosis, psoriasis, menopause. Special contraindications to its use are not revealed. Since preparations based on elderberry red are not sufficiently studied to apply them, it is necessary with extreme caution.

To treat diseases, traditional healers use decoctions and infusions from roots, branches and flowers. To prepare the broth from the roots, take a teaspoon of ground red dried elder roots and pour a glass of water, then boil for 5 minutes. Then insist for an hour, filter, add water to the original volume and take three times a day for 1 tbsp. Spoon after eating. This solution has antipyretic, laxative and diuretic properties. Decoction of elder branches is used as a diuretic and diaphoretic. For the treatment of rheumatism, bronchial asthma, prescribe an infusion of elderberry flowers, which take 2 tbsp. Spoon three times a day after meals.

Since red elder is not officially recognized as a medicinal plant, specialists do not recommend its use for the treatment of various diseases.