* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Elder Sambucus nigra L.
Family: Caprifoliaceae.
Other Names: Grand sureau (French); Schwarzer Holunder (German); sambuco (Italian); sauco (Spanish).
Description: Elder is a shrub or small tree (up to 6 m), with sparse, pithy stems bearing compound leaves and flat-topped cymes with a multitude of tiny white flowers. The fruits are fleshy black drupes, each with three oblong seeds. It is similar to American elder (S. canadensis, an ornamental with edible fruit); also used are dwarf elder (S. ebulus) leaves, fruits and roots.
Origin: Europe, Asia and North Africa (S. nigra); eastern parts of North America (S. canademsis). Mostly wild-harvested in eastern Europe and western Asia but plantations are known, e.g. in Hungary.
Parts Used: Dried, sieved flowers, without stalks (Sambuci flos); fresh or dried fruits (Sambuci fructus), leaves and roots.
Therapeutic Category: Traditional diaphoretic (flowers, fruit); diuretic, laxative (fruit).
Uses and Properties: Elder flowers are traditionally used to treat colds and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, as well as hay fever. The dried fruits or fresh juice are used to some extent as an analgesic, diuretic, laxative and diaphoretic in cases of feverish catarrhal conditions. Elder flowers are commonly included in tea mixtures or other herbal remedies and are used for light alcoholic beverages. The berries are widely used as a natural colouring agent in food products.
Preparation and Dosage: Tea (3 g of flowers, or 10 g of fruits in 150 mL boiling water) are taken several times a day (average daily dose is 10 - 15 g). Extracts and tinctures are also used.
Active Ingredients: Rutin (about 2%), isoquercitrin and hyperoside are the main flavonols in the flowers and fruits. Flowers also contain chlorogenic acid (about 3%), other organic acids and triterpenoids - mainly alpha-amyrin and beta-amytin (about 1%), while the fruits have 3% tannins and several anthocyanins (sambucin, sambucyanjn and chrysanthemin, all glycosides of cyanidin). Cyanogenic glycosides (including sambunigrin, prunasin and holocalin) occur in the seeds; lectins in the fruit.
Pharmacological Effects: There is some evidence that the flower ingredients possess diuretic, laxative, mild anti-inflammatory and antiviral activity. Antioxidant effects have been ascribed to the fruits due to their anthocyanin content.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.; Comm. E+ (flowers); WHO 2 (flowers).
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Directions
Stir 1/4 of a teaspoon into a glass of water and consume 3 times daily, with meals.
Additional Information
TerraVita is an exclusive line of premium-quality, natural source products that use only the finest, purest and most potent ingredients found around the world. TerraVita is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. All of our products are prepared with the highest elements of quality control, from raw materials through the entire manufacturing process, up to and including the moment that the bottles or bags are sealed for freshness and shipped out to you. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
TerraVita exists to meet and ensure your family's health and wellness without the harmful effects or chemicals and prescription medications. We strive to make all of our products affordable and reliable and are constantly searching the market to maintain our affordability and to look for new ways to serve you and the ones you love. TerraVita has become a trusted household name for many families and can bring you and yours the very best herbal supplements, blends, teas and spices that are on the market today.
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ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
