Elder Wise
MIND
Sambucus nigra is the well known European species of elderberry most often referred to in common herbal medicine. A local Colorado variety also grows in the hills called, Sambucus cerulea. Numerous other species exist with berries that come in blue-black, which are used medicinally, and red which will give you a terrible belly ache and are not used medicinally. The flowers are a favorite of pollinators and make deliciously sweet diaphoretic (fever moving) tea and is particular impactful when paired with equal parts yarrow and peppermint. Sun loving, elder prefers moist rich soil, but can also adapt to other growing mediums. The berries are the most wildly used and hold numerous health benefits, including serving as a powerful cold & flu remedy. However, the whole plant is used among many Indigenous communities as remedy for any number of bodily ailments.
BODY
Though Elder is true to its name, sharing a long history of wisdom and healing, it is often an ally used for the young. Kiddos in particular benefit from the sweet and gentle nature of elder medicine. It is a remedy my son knows well and asks for even before it is even clear that he needs it. A potent antiviral, elder helps move and clear congestion through the gut. Think of all that mucous gunk kiddos can’t blow well out of their nose; it has to go somewhere! Elder has a protective quality that for me feels like little guardians are running round defending and protection my cells in a very, “Not Today Virus!” kind of way. At the very least the antioxidant rich berries and light bringing flowers bring comfort in times of illness.
SPIRIT
Lore and legend surrounding Elder is rich and varied. Known as a medicine of the Faeries, you need only sit with an Elder to understand why. Elder bushes create thresholds and gateways that make one feel as though they could travel to other realms. The wood has been used for wands (before Harry Potter) and as a symbol of tremendously powerful and protective magic. It is associated with the Hagal rune which is a rune of death and release, but as part of a whole/holy cycle of destruction and creation. Working with elder supports one in releasing dis-ease, inviting wellness, and providing the protective space for the work to be done. Plants are all ancestors and hold ancestral medicine, which is certainly true of elder. It is the medicine that shows us the care, calm, wisdom, peace, grace, and ease that a wise and well grandparent might hold for us. It invites strength and nourishment into our being, resistance to what is not us, clarity on what is us. Elder is the medicine of moving from a stuck place to a place of flow! It is an embodiment of moving through the doorways one cycle, to the next. If Elder has come to you today, it has come as a partner in the little healings we require every day that make the big healing possible!