Sambucus ebulus - or how to boost your imunne system naturally!
European dwarf elder, danewort, elderwort are just some of the names of this amazing plant. It can be found in Europe, North America and some parts of Asia. It is a plant that grows 1-2m high and it is usually in groups, do not mistake it for Sambucus nigra which is a tree. It blooms in late spring and the little black fruits are ready to be harvested in September (or early October as I did).
Well, people have been using it from ancient times, some for joint pains, others for colds and infections and some just to dye their fabrics in soft pink-ish color. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimicrobial effects and many more benefits. You can read more about it here
The fruits are charged with Vitamin C, more than in an orange and they also contain phosphorus, potassium and a good amount of Vitamin A.
In #Bulgaria we call it Бъз (Buz), and we had an amazing herbalist, Petar Dimkov (1886-1981), who gave us a recipe for syrup that everyone can make at home.
I really love the story of how and why he started studing elderwort. He was hiking around Svoge (small mountain town), and he saw horned viper snake (Vipera ammodytes) and а weasel fighting. He saw how the snake bit the weasel and he thought that the snake won. But the weasel ran in the near bushes and he saw her peel the bark of an elder with her sharp teeth and eating some of it. Than she returned to the snake and didn't leave until she killed it. Since than he started observing this plant and noticed also that swallows (the little black and white birds) ate the fruits before they migrate and other animals grazing it but only in fall. He relized they were boosting their immune system before winter. Isn't it amazing what we can learn if we only observe?!?
The recipe is simple, yet there are some details that should not be missed. The fruits are harvested when they are completely ripe, dark purple, almost black, DO NOT harvest the green fruits, they contain cyanogenic glycoside, which is poisonous. That is also why all the animals ate it in late fall.
You can collect as much as you want, just keep in mind the proccess of removing the stems can take some time. The easiest way to remove the fruits from the stems is with fork. My daughter is helping me here:
As you can see we are using a glass jar, we have a 3L jar, even though last year I used 4 smaller jars.
And here we go, we start layering - one layer sambucus, to cover the bottom, followed by one layer of sugar.
And you keep layering... and very important the last layer should be sugar. At the end cover with cloth or something breathable.
About the sugar - if you have good quality brown sugar use it, if you have a lot of honey use it. This way your syrup will be even better! I didn't have any of these so I used white sugar.
Let it stay in a dark place, no direct sunlight, for 3-4 weeks and remember to stir it time to time with wooden spoon. This way you help the sugar dissolve easier. You will feel a smell for sure, for some is unpleasent, for others not. After 3-4 weeks strain the mixture. You can use cheescloth, this way you will be sure that no fruit fell in the syrup and fermentation will be avoided. Put the syrup in glass bottles or jars and keep in cool, dark place. I usually open one an keep it in the refrigarator and the others I keep in a cold, dark place.
And now the imunne boost can start!
You take one table spoon of syrup in the morning on an empty stomach. For kids - one teaspoon. If you have the flu you can double the dosage.
I still don't have pictures of the syrup but I wanted to share with you the benefits of Sambucus Ebulus because there is still time to harvest and prepare your syrup. In North Bulgaria, the plants still have a lot of fruit on them. In most articles I read that September is best time for harvest but I wait a little bit longer, to make sure there are no green fruits. You just need to observe 😉
Thank you for stopping by, stay healthy and enjoy the fall.